What would it be like to have a coach?

What is the Cru Coaching Center?

The Cru Middle & High School Coaching Center is a group of Cru staff members who are passionate about equipping volunteers to reach their local schools with the Gospel. Cru coaches can guide you through the process of establishing a Cru at your local school. We will walk with you through each step and are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have. As a Coaching Center team, we have years of ministry experience that we would love to share with you and we look forward to learning from you as well. Best of all, working with a coach in the coaching center is free!

What will happen if I sign up for a coach?

First, you will be contacted by a Cru Coaching Center team member who can give you more information and answer any questions you may have. If you decide that you’d like to move forward with starting a Cru movement, a coach will set up a time to meet with you via phone call, zoom or FaceTime. Coaching calls can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly – whatever you feel will be most helpful. The length of a call is usually 20-30 minutes. On the call, a coach will ask how things are going, talk through any challenges you might be having, brainstorm ideas for upcoming events and pray for you.

What can a volunteer expect from their coach?

Experience
Cru coaches are seasoned Cru staff members with years of experience working with middle and high school students. We have worked directly with students, teachers, and volunteers on campus and are confident that we can help you reach students near you.

Encouragement
We will pray with you and for you as you take faith steps. We will listen to your joys and concerns.

Resources
Our goal is to equip you with relevant training and resources so that you can be confident as you lead a Cru movement and follow the Lord’s leading.

Flexibility
We work with your schedule to find a time to connect on a regular basis. We want to help you carry out your passion and vision of reaching middle and high school students for Christ.

Our goal is to equip you with relevant training and resources so that you can be confident as you lead a Cru movement and follow the Lord’s leading.

What have others said about their experience with a coach?

“I couldn’t do this without the help of Cru. I am seeing students empowered to lead. They take their friends through the Cru studies and even share the gospel with them. My coach provides encouragement, resources and prayer for me each week!”

Brent, VA

“From the time I started teaching public high school, my prayer was to have an impact on students’ lives in eternal ways… It felt lonely to be the only adult who had a burden of prayer for every detail of this growing group of teenagers and their impact on their high school…One thing I didn’t realize I could have access to was coaching through Cru…Scott was able to be “in it” with me from afar. His prayer over my school and my walk with God has been invaluable these last few years.”

Jamie, IL

Starting a ministry can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have a heart to see teens experience the love of God, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Coaching Center. We look forward to walking with you as you step out in faith! Let’s reach your community together!

Take your first step and reach out to us – no commitment necessary. Just email us at coachingcenter@cru.org and start a relationship that might lead to an amazing ministry at your local high school.

Next Step

You don't have to do this alone. Look into getting a coach today! To start the conversation, email coachingcenter@cru.org and say, "I'd like to have a coach please!"

coachingcenter@cru.org

RECENT POSTS

Canaan’s Story 2

A student who once feared speaking because of a stutter discovers how God uses his voice to share His love and lead others through Cru.

How to Start a Christian Club at Your School

A simple, step by step guide to help you start a Christian club at school and reach your friends with the message of Jesus.

The Reach Your School Playbook

A simple, step-by-step guide to help students, and the adults who support them, start and grow a movement to reach their school.

Canaan’s Story 2

Growing up, it felt very hard to speak to new people, to make new friends, and to public speak in front of multiple people. That was partly due to my stuttering. It just felt like a physical barrier that prevented me from using my voice. That was something I struggled with throughout childhood, and I believed that I wasn’t someone who could be used by God for my voice.

God put people in my life who helped me become the person I am today. He gave me my best friend, and He taught me the acceptance that truly comes from knowing my identity in Christ — knowing that no matter how much I stutter or how long I pause before I say the next word, God doesn’t care about that. He cares about what’s in my heart. He placed Cru leaders in my life who guided me to learn more about Christ, to bring me closer to Him, and to grow into a tool for God to use to spread the gospel to others.

God brought me to Fastbreak. I was nervous because I didn’t have any friends. But I came back to a second Fastbreak, and I was able to share my testimony. That was a very big breakthrough because I had been so scared most of my life to talk to people and share my story — and to share about Jesus. Knowing that God’s with me and He uses me to speak — that it’s not me speaking, but the Spirit speaking through me — when I focus on God, all my fears go away. For the first time, I knew that there was a way God could use my voice.

I actually met my leader, Jason, on campus. It was very random. I was just sitting at a lunch table with my friend, and he came over to us and told us about the gospel. I’d heard about the gospel before, but through that interaction on campus, I was able to get connected with Cru and learn about what Cru is and their mission for students.

Now, I get the chance to mentor a freshman — because Jason met me when I was a freshman — and now I get to mentor and disciple freshmen on my own. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to help them grow in their faith and show them the love of God by what I say and in the ways that I act.

As I’ve grown with God and as He’s taught me more about my identity, He’s taught me acceptance — the same acceptance God gives all of us, no matter how much we sin or drift from Him. That acceptance is always there. I have God’s love no matter where I am in life, and that gives me self-worth. My self-worth doesn’t come from any other source but from God. There’s nothing that can separate you from that love of God and that worth.

Since God loves me so much, I know that whatever happens in the future, I’m in His hands, and God has a good plan for me. Even when I can’t envision myself preaching to people — whether it’s to two or two hundred — I know God can. His plan for me is great. When I trust in Him, I have value, I have acceptance, and I have assurance that my future is in His hands, and it will be good.

How to Start a Christian Club at Your School

Starting a Christian club at school is one of the best ways to help students meet Jesus and grow in their faith. It creates a space to talk about God, build friendships, and invite others into something meaningful. And if your school allows other clubs, it can allow a Christian club too. The goal is not just to start a meeting. It’s to help reach your school.

Know That It’s Legal

If your school allows student clubs, it must also allow religious clubs. That means you can meet, read the Bible, pray, and invite others. Most schools will require student leadership, a teacher sponsor, and meeting during lunch, before, or after school. Lead with respect and humility. You’re there to serve your school well.

Get a Coach

Don’t do this alone. A coach can help you take your next steps, pray with you, and stay focused. This could be a youth pastor, parent, or a Cru coach. You don’t need all the answers. You just need someone in your corner.

Find a Teacher Sponsor

Most schools require a teacher sponsor. They help you get approved and stay connected to the school. Look for a person of faith who is supportive, reliable, and respected.

“You don’t need all the answers. You just need someone in your corner.”

Gather a Core Team

Start with a few friends who care about their school and want to make a difference. You don’t need a big group, just a few students who are willing to take a step of faith. Pray together and dream about what God could do.

Make it a Movement, not just a Club

Don’t just build a club for Christians. Build something that helps students reach their friends.

A movement is outward focused. It helps students grow in their faith and share it with others. Keep asking, “Who are we trying to reach?”

Choose a Time and Place

Pick a consistent time and place that works, lunch, before school, or after school. Keep it simple and easy to attend. Consistency makes it easier to invite others.

Start Reaching Out

Begin praying for friends and inviting them. A healthy group is always open and welcoming, especially to students who don’t know Jesus yet. Most growth will come through personal invitations.

Start Meeting

Set a date and begin. Keep your first meetings simple, a Bible study, discussion, or time to connect. You don’t need something big. You just need to start.

Starting a Christian club is about helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith, and reach others. Start small, stay focused, and trust God to work through you. What begins with a few students can grow into something much bigger.

If you want help taking your next steps, check out the Reach Your School Playbook. It’s a simple, step by step guide you can use with your friends to start and grow a movement on your campus. Use the button below to download it now.

Helpful Documents

Constitution Document– A simple document that outlines how your club operates, including its purpose, leadership structure, and basic guidelines, sometimes requested by schools but often optional.
Charter Document – A document that connects your club to Cru, clarifying its mission, beliefs, and expectations for leadership, typically optional but helpful if your school or leadership team wants added clarity.

Next Step

Download the Reach Your School Playbook and take your first step toward starting a Christian club on your campus.

Reach Your School Playbook

The Reach Your School Playbook

You want to make a difference at your school. You care about your friends. You see the need. You’ve probably even thought, “Someone should do something.”

What if that someone is you?

The Reach Your School Playbook was created to help students take that step, and to give adults a simple way to support them along the way.

Made for Students, Helpful for Adults

This Playbook is designed first for students. It helps you take ownership, lead your friends, and build something that actually reaches your school.

At the same time, if you’re an adult, youth leader, parent, or volunteer, this gives you a clear way to come alongside students without taking over.

Students lead
Adults support
Everyone moves forward together

Why Most People Don’t Start

A lot of students never take the first step. Not because they don’t care, but because they feel stuck.

“Where do I even begin?”
“What if no one shows up?”
“How do I get others involved?”

Uncertainty can keep people from moving. This Playbook breaks that barrier. It gives you a clear path so you can stop overthinking and start doing.

What This Helps You Do

This isn’t just ideas sitting on a page. It’s a practical guide you can actually use right now.

With the Playbook, you can:

Start something meaningful, even if you’re on your own
Gather a few friends and build momentum
Share your faith in natural, real ways
Lead with confidence, even if you’ve never led before
Build something that lasts beyond you

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need a place to start.

Students can
change their school,
they just need a path.

A Simple Path to Follow

The Playbook walks you through five clear steps. Each one is simple, practical, and designed to help you take action.

DREAM: Start with a vision for your school and what God could do there
PRAY: Learn how to pray for your campus in real, meaningful ways
GO: Take action, gather a team, and begin reaching people
GROW: Build a group that develops leaders and multiplies
SEND: Help others step out and reach their friends too

You don’t have to guess what to do next. It’s right there in front of you.

Built to Be Used, Not Just Read

This isn’t a long manual you’ll never finish. It’s short. It’s simple. It’s designed to move you forward.

Easy to read
Clear next steps
Real examples
Space to think and act

You can go through it on your own, or walk through it with a couple of friends. Adults can use it to guide conversations and help students take ownership.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Starting something can feel intimidating. But you’re not on your own. The Playbook connects you to tools, coaching, and a bigger movement of people who are doing the same thing. Take one step, and you’ll find support along the way.