Graduating Seniors Well

Graduating seniors well does not just impact your students now, it also sets your ministry up for the future. We not only want the students to flourish spiritually in their new environment; we also want them to come back to our community and continue to engage with Cru.

Sending Them is Not Saying Goodbye

This topic really came home to me a few weeks ago when our city had the annual golf tournament/fundraiser. As I looked around the room during the post-golf dinner, I realized the biggest part of our financial backing came from former students. These men had been involved with us in high school and came back to help us invest in the next generations. They are a big reason why we are able to continue ministry the way we have for decades. Even though many of these guys had periods of time where they strayed from their faith, God used the investments made in them through Cru to bring them back around.

We also have many men and women who volunteer with our ministry today who started out as students. Now they are teachers, coaches, and business people actively involved in our ministry as volunteers who are connecting personally with students. You also never know who God is calling to join staff with your team. The presence of a former student has a motivating effect on the lives of the youth in our ministry.

Graduating seniors well does not just impact your students now, it also sets your ministry up for the future.

Four Stages of Sending Them Well

Sending seniors well does not start in the last semester of their senior year. It is something you prepare them for throughout high school. These are some ideas to get you started on preparing students to graduate well.

Freshman/Sophomores

Share with students how to be self-feeders when it comes to their faith.
- Help them set regular times and days of reading the Bible and praying separately from the church or other Christian meetings.
  - One helpful method might be teaching them the “Observe, Interpret, Apply” method for studying scripture.
Help your student find a local church and prioritize attending and getting involved.
Plant seeds that God wants to use everyone and has a purpose for their life, even if they are not an upfront leader.
- Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
- Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Juniors

Help students choose a school or vocation for their next step and encourage them to meet with their school counselor to plan for graduation.
Check for Christian student movements in different schools or different cities and reach out to Cru staff in these cities.
Discuss student’s financial needs.
- James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously without criticism, and it will be given to him.”
Take students to Winter Conference to see what the college ministry does.

Seniors

Help a student find a church near their college campus or job.
Prep the student for what life on their own will be like.
If possible, go to their future campus with them and help connect them with a Christian ministry on that campus. Visit the weekly meeting, have a meal with the staff, etc.
Help them make decisions ahead of time, and talk them through challenges and temptations they will face after high school.
Talk about the importance of having Christian friends to keep you on track.
Have a farewell dinner to honor and celebrate the seniors.
Plan to stay in contact via social media, texting, and calling every once in a while to check in.
Create a Vision Plan for your closest students. Meet one on one with students to highlight the student’s strengths and some areas that could trip them up. Use this time to encourage them and cast vision.

Your students need caring adults to stay in their lives to help give them direction and to anchor them during the turbulent years after high school.

Postgraduate

Keep a list of students with whom you want to stay connected. Stay connected with them often through texting, social media, or notes. Put together a plan or schedule if that is helpful for you.
Add them to your prayer letter list or a city mailing list to help them feel connected with what is going on in the ministry and help them begin to see things from a volunteer/staff or donor perspective.
Ask former students to volunteer with conferences, retreats, and mission trips.
Host a Thanksgiving or Christmas get-together to keep former students connected with each other and hear about what is going on in their lives.
Challenge them to come back in the summer to help with the ministry.
After they get into the workforce, challenge them to become financial partners and volunteers.

The 8-Year Plan

Your students need caring adults to stay in their lives to help give them direction and to anchor them during the turbulent years after high school. Sending students well can include an 8-year commitment to help your student on their journey from a freshman in high school all the way through their college years.

The people who have been through our program are the best people to recruit to join us on staff or as partners in our ministry. Staying connected with them is not only a blessing to them, but it also keeps the door open to join us in more significant ways in the future.

A Long-Term Investment

Sending students well, whether they are going to college, entering the military, or training for a vocation, means keeping in mind that this is a long-term relationship. Investing in a student’s journey is a calling, and it is an honor to be used by God in a student’s life!

Next Step

Start using the Alumni Tracking Spreadsheet today! Make your own copy of it and enter your current students by grad year. Enter any former students too. Then text all your former students to see how they are doing.

Alumni Tracking Spreadsheet

From Grief to Purpose: Finding God in the Storm

Growing up in a Christian home, she always knew about Jesus, but her relationship with Him didn’t feel personal until tragedy struck in eighth grade. Transitioning from homeschooling to public school had already pushed her out of her comfort zone, and anxiety loomed as she struggled to find her place. Then, during the fall of 2020, both her parents contracted COVID. While her mom recovered, her dad’s condition worsened, leading to months of uncertainty. She vividly remembers the day he left for the hospital and the long, heartbreaking journey that followed. Despite moments of hope, her dad passed away on February 20th, 2021. At just 13 years old, she faced the devastating reality of losing her father—a loss that shook her world and her faith.

In the midst of that grief, she began to see God’s hand at work. During sleepless nights and moments of overwhelming sorrow, God surrounded her with people who cared—friends, family, and a community that embodied His love. Though the pain of loss didn’t disappear, she found comfort in the truth that this life is not the end. Inspired by Paul’s words about eternity, she started to see her father’s passing as a reminder of the hope we have in Christ. That hope spurred her to action. On a family mission trip to Thailand, she met students leading Cru groups at their schools, and the seed was planted to start something similar back home. Despite initial uncertainty, God provided resources, opened doors, and brought others alongside her to launch Cru at her school—a ministry that has been thriving for nearly a year now.

"Anxiety loomed as she struggled to find her place."

Her story is one of resilience, faith, and transformation. Through unimaginable grief, she discovered the depth of God’s love and the strength found in trusting Him. The loss of her dad deepened her desire to share Jesus with others, knowing firsthand how essential His presence is in life’s hardest moments. Cru has given her a platform to do just that—to tell others about the God who redeems brokenness and uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Her journey reminds us that while pain is inevitable, God is sovereign, faithful, and able to bring beauty from ashes.

Next Step

Check out Christina's Story and consider how God might use an international mission in your or another student's life.

christina's story

The Six Milestones Every Student Needs to Grow in Faith

Why These Milestones Matter

If we are not careful, students can float through our ministry without ever taking real steps forward. They might show up every week, but never really grow or take ownership of their faith. Milestones give us a simple, clear map for helping them keep moving. They help us answer the question, “What’s next for this student?” and give students the courage to take that step.

When we guide students from milestone to milestone, we are not just helping them stay involved. We are helping them grow into strong, confident followers of Jesus who are ready to lead and influence others.

Share Christ with a Student Who Doesn’t Know Jesus

Before anything else, a student needs the chance to hear the good news of Jesus in a clear and personal way. This is where it all begins. Many teenagers have never heard the gospel explained in full, even if they have been around church. Take the time to share about God’s love, our need for forgiveness, and the hope we have in Christ. The first step in their journey is not about them sharing their faith — it is about them hearing it for the first time.

Helpful Resources:

Lead a Student Through Their First Follow-Up

When a student says yes to Jesus, it is just the start of something new and exciting. The first follow-up meeting is where you can help them understand what it means to walk with God daily. It is also a chance to build trust and start a discipleship relationship. This step anchors their new faith and helps them grow instead of drifting away.

Helpful Resources:

Help a Student Understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit

Helping students understand the Holy Spirit is a game-changer. Too often, new believers try to live the Christian life in their own strength, and it leaves them frustrated. Teaching them about the Spirit-filled life shows them how to depend on God’s power for both living and sharing their faith. This is when students start to realize that God is not just calling them to do hard things — He is empowering them to actually do them.

Helpful Resources:

GodTools App (go through the Satisfied tool with them)
Holy Spirit Booklet

Holy Spirit Study in Thrive Studies

First Evangelism Experience

Many students have never had the chance to talk about their faith with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Taking them out to share, whether on campus, at an event, or in the community, changes that. At first, they might feel nervous, but once they see God working through them, it can be life-changing. That moment when a student realizes, “God just used me to help someone understand the gospel” — that is the spark that often leads to a lifetime of ministry.

Helpful Resources:

Challenge to a Cru Training Event

There is something powerful about getting students away from their normal routine and into an environment filled with worship, biblical teaching, and friends who are chasing after Jesus. Conferences give them the space to grow, hear from God, and take big steps of faith. The bus ride there might be full of nerves, but the ride home is usually buzzing with stories of what God did. Over and over again, we have seen students return from these events ready to lead and make a difference.

Helpful Resources:

Conferences Page

Challenge to Spiritual Leadership on Campus

Teenagers are capable of more than they realize. The world constantly challenges them to step up in sports, academics, and clubs, but sometimes the church forgets to ask them to lead in ministry. Giving students real leadership opportunities — leading a Bible study, speaking at a meeting, planning an outreach — unlocks their potential and sets an example for younger students. Over time, this creates a culture where leadership is expected and contagious.

Helpful Resources:

Student Leader Section – GoToTheCampus.com

Wrapping It Up

These milestones are not a checklist to rush through. They are a pathway to help students grow, one step at a time. Every student you know is somewhere on this journey. Your role is to encourage them, challenge them, and walk alongside them as they take the next step. The goal is not just to build a ministry — it is to build students who live on mission for Jesus for the rest of their lives.

Want to dig deeper? Check out our full conversations about the Six Milestones in these YouTube videos.

Next Step

Write down the names of every student in your ministry. Identify their current milestone and decide how you can help them reach the next one.

The Priceless Project: Impacting Girls in Public Schools

The Priceless Project: Impacting Girls in Public Schools

The Priceless Project is a powerful small-group resource designed especially for girls, offering a safe, encouraging space to talk about identity, value, and purpose. It’s already making a difference in public schools, giving students a chance to connect, grow, and be reminded of their worth.

One of its greatest strengths is flexibility. The Priceless Project comes in two versions:

A Bible study version for church, youth group, or Christian school settings
A public school version with the same strong themes but without Scripture references — making it ideal for campuses that might not allow explicitly faith-based content

The public school version can be a great way to get in the door on a campus that’s difficult to access. It allows you to mentor a group of girls who need it, build relationships with them, and meet real emotional and social needs in a way that schools welcome.

Priceless Project

from Emily French

Why use The Priceless Project?

Creates a safe, respectful space for girls to share and be heard
Meets real emotional and social needs in public schools
Builds leadership and peer-to-peer mentoring skills
Easy to use, with free resources and an app for facilitators
Proven track record in schools through partnerships with teachers and administrators

All digital resources are free for Cru. Use the discount code PricelessCru at checkout. All physical books are available for purchase at iampriceless.me.

A free Priceless Project App is also available for Apple and Android — with digital curriculum, playlists, blog posts, and a safe space for facilitators to connect with the girls they lead.

You can learn more, explore the curriculum, and order resources at iampriceless.me.