How does Cru help students?

We’ve all been there. You’re walking into a new setting and experiencing something for the first time. It could be a new church, a new job, or a new social environment. Your mind is working overtime, taking everything in, and asking some very fundamental questions: Who’s here? What is this place all about? What exactly do they do here? And how can I participate?

If you’re new to the High School Ministry of Cru, you may be asking yourself these same questions. Hopefully, this article will begin to provide some answers and paint a rough picture of who we are, what we do, and how you, or others, can be involved.

The High School Ministry of Cru is just one part of the larger international ministry of Cru. Founded in 1951, Cru has thousands of staff and volunteers serving a variety of audiences in nearly 200 nations worldwide. It is our desire that everyone would know someone who truly follows Jesus, so we lovingly share Jesus with people all around the globe and equip them to share Jesus with others in their lives.

Cru is passionate about helping high school and middle school students know and follow Jesus. We want to see every student on every campus have the opportunity to hear the good news of God’s love available to them through Jesus, and we believe that fellow students are the best people to share that good news with their peers! Our hope is to see transformed students taking Jesus to every teenager, anywhere, by all means!

Cru local teams serve high school and middle school campuses in their community. Each movement may vary slightly as local teams seek to creatively and effectively serve and reach their campus. But there are a few things that will be true of our movements, wherever you go. So, what can you expect?

Campus Communities

Students live, learn, play, and relate in their campus ecosystem. It is within this space that they are forming their ideas, values, relationships, and identities. We seek to bring Jesus into their world by creating small communities of students on or near their school campus where students can be themselves, develop genuine relationships, and grow socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Every student is looking for a place to belong, to be known and loved, and we seek to provide students with a community to do just that. These are safe spaces for teens to interact with their peers, as well as with caring adult staff and volunteers.

Conferences

Something special happens when students step away from their day-to-day lives, beyond their comfort zones, and are challenged in their faith. Cru provides a variety of weekend or week-long conferences for students. At these events, students can participate in worship, Biblical teaching, team-building, leadership development, and personal challenges to help them grow in their faith and as leaders on their campuses. These conferences typically provide personalized “tracks” for students that are geared specifically to their needs and goals. Our conferences are great places for students to create lifelong memories, connect with the Lord in unique ways, and experience a major boost in their spiritual growth.

Mission Trips

Each spring and summer, we send several short term mission teams to join in Jesus’ work of taking the gospel to the world. We offer a variety of domestic and international mission opportunities that last from 1-4 weeks. These trips challenge and equip students to share their faith while experiencing rich community, trusting the Lord, and in many cases exploring a new culture. These mission opportunities often provide profound and lasting benefits in the lives of students who participate.

Our hope is to see transformed students taking Jesus to every teenager, anywhere, by all means!

Tools

With decades of experience, we have developed some great tools that can help a student or volunteer begin to share Jesus more effectively with teens, and help them grow in their faith. These tools include a series of simple and relevant Bible studies called Thrive studies, great outreach tools like Soularium, and resources such as the Launch Box for starting a new movement on a campus.

Hopefully, you are beginning to develop a basic understanding of the High School Ministry of Cru, what we do, and how students can participate. Each of the opportunities mentioned above is designed to provide students with an environment in which to grow socially, spiritually, and as leaders in their communities. With hundreds of staff serving teens across the nation and around the world, there may be a Cru movement near you.

More Info for Adults Interested in Joining the Mission of Cru

Are you interested in serving with a local Cru movement? Curious about what opportunities exist for you? We strive for local movements to be student-led and adult supported. As teens develop the skills, experience, and confidence necessary to lead, the presence of consistent, caring adults can be especially critical. These adults can be Cru staff, volunteers, teachers, coaches, administrators, or parents. Our ministry thrives when adult leaders are committed to ensuring teens hear about and experience the love of Jesus.

If you are interested in supporting an existing high school movement of Cru, or perhaps even launching a new movement where none currently exists, we would love to hear from you. There are millions of teenagers around the world primed to respond to the gospel and ready to grow in their faith. Perhaps God is calling you to help see that happen. Click here to learn more about how you can join with us in seeing that every teenager knows someone who truly follows Jesus.

Next Step

What is your greatest ministry need? Follow the links in the article above to explore how a Cru resource or tool can meet that need.

Starting Spiritual Conversations

Bringing up spiritual topics can be hard, but it’s one of the most important steps in reaching your friends. If no one starts the conversation, most students will never talk about their faith.

Solarium: A deck of picture cards to help you start conversations about life and God.

Sharing Your Testimony

Your story matters. Sharing what God has done in your life can open hearts and help others realize that faith is personal and real.

How to Share Your Story (article): A step-by-step guide to help you talk about how Jesus has changed your life.

Sharing Your Faith

The gospel is powerful and your friends need to hear it. Learning how to clearly explain the message of Jesus is a huge step in making your faith your own and helping others follow Him.

How to Share the Gospel (article): a step-by-step guide to help you share the gospel with a friend.
Connecting with God Booklet: A short, simple booklet you can read through with a friend to explain how they can know Christ.
The Four Wristband: A wearable tool with four simple symbols to help you talk about God’s love and how to receive Christ.
GodTools App: A free app with interactive ways to share your faith in different languages and styles.

“You don’t have to be perfect to start reaching your school.”

Following Up a New Believer

When someone accepts Christ, they need help knowing what to do next. Helping a new believer grow in their faith is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Thrive Studies App: Includes the START series—four Bible studies for new believers.

Leading a Small Group

Small groups are a powerful way to build community and help students grow. If you can lead a good conversation, you can lead a small group.

Thrive Studies App: Includes dozens of studies on real-life topics and built-in leader training.

Campus Ministry Training

Reaching students on your campus is one of the most strategic ways to share your faith. Learning a few simple principles can help you start conversations, gather students, and take steps toward building a movement at your school.

Campus Training Videos – Short, practical videos to help you learn how to reach students on your high school campus. These eight trainings cover key topics like meeting students, starting conversations, sharing your faith, and taking simple steps to build a movement.

Other helpful tools

Everystudent.com: articles to help students learn about faith
Gotothecampus.com: ministry training and tools to help you grow your ministry

Next Step

Pick one tool and take a step this week to start a conversation or gather a few friends.

Ask a Coach – Tips from an Expert

Starting a ministry on your campus is an exciting step, but it can also raise a lot of questions. What should you do first? How do you find students who are interested? What if your group is small or things do not go the way you expected?

This is where a coach can help. A campus ministry coach is someone who has experience helping students and leaders start and grow ministries on high school campuses. They listen to what you are facing, help you think through wise next steps, and connect you with helpful tools and resources along the way.

Throughout the Reach Your School Playbook, you will see short insights from coaches who have spent years helping students reach their campuses. This page gathers more of those tips in one place so you can learn from their experience and keep moving forward.

Below are practical coaching tips from leaders who have walked this road before. As you read, look for what applies to your situation right now and take your next step. You can get your own coach by emailing us at coachingcenter@cru.org. We’d love to help.

Starting a ministry on your campus can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to figure it out alone.

Coaching Tips

Ask a few non-Christian friends how they would respond to your ideas, then process those same questions with Christian friends to sharpen your thinking.

Evangelism is the engine of your ministry, and helping students influence others is how you build future leaders.

You don’t have to figure this out alone, there are people with experience who would love to help you gather students and get the word out.

You have rights on campus, learn them, then live them out with confidence.

Many people are looking for something bigger than themselves, so give them a vision worth joining.

You may be walking past someone God is preparing, start a conversation and see what He does.

Pray Scripture, if God says it, you can pray it, and keep prayers short so more people can participate.

Invite a coach to join your team early, it will help you move faster and avoid common mistakes.

Use the tools available to you, there are helpful resources for sponsors, leaders, and teams if you ask.

When meeting with school leaders, bring others with you so it’s clear you’re building something together.

Be curious, kind, helpful, and bold, those four traits open doors.

Work with your school, not against it, staff can often help you more than you expect.

Teams help you reach more people, save time, and build momentum.

If your school allows non-curricular clubs, they must allow a Christian club too.

Use tools and visuals that help people remember and apply what they learn.

Create environments people actually want to be part of, whether on campus or off.

Use social media, simple graphics, and personal invites, everyone plays a role in getting the word out.

Have a clear process for identifying and developing student leaders.

Work within school expectations for roles, but organize your team in a way that actually helps you function.

Start outreach where you already have relationships, teams, clubs, and shared interests.

Use response cards or forms to follow up, gather feedback, and invite people into next steps.

If God is nudging you to take a step, go for it, but bring others with you.

Parents can be powerful allies, don’t be afraid to involve them.

Always have a next step ready so you can invite people while they’re still engaged.

Next Step

Do you have any questions for our coaches? If so, ask your question here, or request a coach for your ministry by emailing us at coachingcenter@cru.org!