What's it like to be on staff with Cru?

What’s it like to be on staff with Cru?

Okay, let’s say you are sold out for Jesus and you would love to spend your best hours helping win, build, and send high school students. But you want to know, what is it REALLY like to be on staff with Cru?

Everyone’s staff experience will be different, but here is a good general picture of life on staff with Cru.

It is Flexible

As Cru field staff, you need to have a basic level of responsibility and self-motivation. Why? Because on the whole, YOU will be in charge of your schedule.

Serving with Cru, you will not punch a clock, fill out a timesheet, or provide a minute-by-minute account of your activities to your team leader. You will have great freedom in how to carry out the basic mandate to win, build, and send students.

So rather than every day from 9 to 5, your 40 hours of work may be distributed very differently throughout the week.

Time with God

Every day, we must be spiritually prepared for the work of the gospel. So the great news is, spending time with God is part of your job! If you want to spend an hour or more each day in the Word and prayer, you can do it completely guilt-free.

We also encourage staff to take a monthly half day with the Lord.

Time with Students

Most of our staff work on the field, directly with students. This is where many new staff spend the bulk of their ministry time, working to win, build, and send teenagers.

You will have Cru club meetings at lunchtime and/or before or after school. You will spend some of those same times on campus (where allowed) sharing your faith, asking God to bring you to students who are open to the gospel.

When you bring your students with you to do evangelism, you can do win/build/send all at the same time. You are building them in their faith and knowledge of how to share, and you are sending them when they are the ones who invite a group to do “Soularium” or when they share their testimony or teach at a weekly club meeting.

You may also lead one or more Bible study groups and individual or small-group discipleship times. These can be after school or in the evenings.

Not all the time you spend with students will be in formal events. Maximize your time by bringing them with you wherever you go. Take them along to the hardware store. Go to their football practices and attend their talent shows. Remember the principle that we do “life-on-life” ministry.

Also counted as work is the time you spend . . .

Studying and preparing for those meetings
Contacting your students via phone, text, however
Praying for them
Promoting Cru through social media
Planning and focused personal growth activities

Time with Your Staff and Leaders

You will have a staff meeting each week, which will include planning and possibly some relational time. You may have a regular time of being supervised by your team leader or campus leader.

For your assigned campus(es), you may get together with other staff or volunteers each week. You can plan and strategize how to reach that school, share victories and struggles in ministry, and discuss individual students and the next steps for each (share Christ with them, challenge them to leadership, etc.).

New field staff will be guided by a trainer through Cru’s Core Training. This includes a lot of content and hands-on assignments and may take about 20% of your time each week during the first year.

If the Office is More Your Thing

While many of our new staff prefer to work directly with students, others have skills and aptitudes that are more administrative or operational. If you are great behind a desk and love working to maximize the efforts of others, you should definitely consider a position at one of our Cru offices. Whether you work out of our Cru headquarters in Orlando, FL, one of our regional offices, or help support one of our local teams operationally, there are many opportunities to serve behind the scenes with Cru.

MPD

Finally, all staff need to prioritize regular time on Ministry Partner Development – maintaining and building relationships with partners, seeking new and increased support, and writing and producing newsletters. Staff who make MPD part of their weekly schedule are usually the ones who see long-term success.

To sum up: A typical day may include time in the morning for personal chores or free time. Your lunch hours and afternoons will often be spent with students, and some of your evenings as well. The key is to be flexible, adaptable, and available.

The life of a Cru field staff person has rhythms and seasons different from almost any other job.

Your Year

Just as your day and your week have a flow, your year has a rhythm as well. Because we are campus workers, our most busy time of year will be when our schools are in session, typically September through June.

But contrary to some perceptions, we are not schoolteachers, and we do not get summers off!

Of course, our focus is different because we are not going on campus. But there is still plenty of ministry to be done. A typical summer starts with a Getaway conference (24/7 with students for 4-5 days). Then you may go on a short-term domestic or international mission with students.

Your staff team may have some planned summer ministry activities, like cookouts, summer Cru meetings, or recreation days. These might be less intense and more geared toward gathering new students, but still include biblical teaching or devotionals.

And just as during the school year, you will want to look for informal ways to spend time with your disciples and other students. In fact, you may have a lot more time to hang out with them.

You may also spend 2-4 weeks in the summer attending IBS (Institute of Biblical Studies) classes toward fulfilling Cru’s theological education requirements.

If your support needs work, your team leader may ask you to devote yourself full-time to MPD for a few weeks, possibly back in your home area. Cru staff also have vacation time, but please do not confuse time in MPD with vacation. Your team leader and MPD coach will expect you to work as hard on MPD as you do on campus.

Back to the school year: Your fall will be full of planning, evangelism, and gathering as you restart the movement on your campus(es). It is an exciting time of developing students to take leadership spaces vacated by those who have graduated.

When winter rolls around, you will probably put on a winter Fastbreak conference as well. This can happen any time between December and February, either during Christmas break or the MLK or Presidents’ Day holidays.

Spring of a school year can rush by quickly. For the seniors in our movement, we are getting ready to launch them into a new phase. If you are taking students on an international mission trip, you will spend a good amount of time fundraising for yourself and helping them, since they are not experts like you!

Wrapping it Up

The life of a Cru field staff person has rhythms and seasons different from almost any other job. It can be hectic and demanding, but most of us would not trade this life for anything. The rewards of seeing young lives changed for eternity are totally worth it.

Next Step

What is your next step on your journey? Here are some suggestions...

If you know a Cru staff member, talk to them about what it might look like for you to join staff.
Learn more about the qualifications for coming on staff with Cru.
Visit our New Staff Orientation page to find training dates and deadlines for our New Staff Training.
Apply for staff with our online application.
Not sure you are ready for staff? Check out Different ways to Join Us.

qualifications online application

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.

“Start where you are, use what you have, take the first step.”

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.

Start Today

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a first step.

Next Step

Download the Playbook with the button above and walk through the first section this week with a friend!

Comment Cards 101: Capture Interest, Build Relationships

Why Comment Cards Matter

The most important thing you do in ministry isn’t running events, it’s building relationships. Big gatherings are great, but they aren’t personal. Comment cards help you bridge that gap. They give students a simple way to raise their hand and say:

“I’m interested”
“I want to get involved”
“I want to talk”
“I made a decision”

A comment card is more than a form. It’s a filter. The event gathers the crowd, but the comment cards reveal the ones who are ready. Instead of guessing who’s interested, students tell you. And that’s what allows you to follow up personally and meaningfully.

Download Comment Cards

Tip: Start simple. You can always customize later.

Physical vs. Digital Comment Cards

You can collect information digitally, but physical cards still win.

Physical Cards

Higher response rate
Easier to complete in the moment
No distractions
Feels more intentional

Digital Options

Students are less likely to fill them out
Distractions
Technical glitches

Digital can work, but many ministries find they get about half the responses compared to physical cards. Even in a digital world, physical cards often get better results. If you want the most responses, go physical first.

“The card isn’t the win, the conversation is.”

How to Use Comment Cards

1. Pass Them Out at the Right Moment
Usually at the end of a meeting or outreach, when interest is highest.

2. Give Everyone a Pen or Pencil
Don’t assume students have one. They won’t.

3. Walk Through the Card Together
This is huge. Once everyone has a card, read each section out loud and guide them:

“Write your name here”
“Check this if you want to get involved”
“Check this if you prayed to receive Christ”

If you don’t do this, students rush through and check random boxes.

4. Give Them Time to Complete It
Pause. Let them actually fill it out.

5. Collect Them Immediately
Don’t leave it optional or vague.

Use Incentives to Increase Response

Want more cards turned in? Use prizes.

Gift cards
Snacks
Fast food coupons
Free merch

Tell them:
“Turn in your card, we’ll draw for prizes.”

It works. A simple prize can double your response rate.

Best Practices That Make a Big Difference

Use cardstock
Regular paper tears or gets ruined. Cardstock holds up better.

Keep it simple
Too many options overwhelm students.

Look through cards immediately
Scan for:

Students who want to get involved
Spiritual decisions
Urgent needs

If possible, connect with them before they leave the meeting. The best practice is to follow up within 24–48 hours. After that, interest fades fast. So if. you can talk with them before they leave and set up a time to connect again in the next day or so, you will get your best results.

Turning Cards Into Conversations

A comment card is just the beginning. The goal isn’t collecting information. The goal is connection. Use what they checked to guide your follow-up:

Grab lunch
Meet after school
Start a Bible study
Have a gospel conversation

Final Thought

Comment cards can feel like a small detail, but they might be one of the most important things you do at an event. They help you move from a crowd, to a conversation, to a changed life.

Next Step

Download a comment card and use it at your next meeting.

Student Leader Application and Covenant

Strong student leadership doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether you’re a student leading your peers or an adult supporting a movement, clarity around leadership can make a huge difference. These simple documents are designed to help you communicate expectations, invite the right students in, and build a healthy leadership culture.

They’re optional tools for any campus movement, not requirements, but many teams find them incredibly helpful.

Student Leadership Application

This application is a simple way for students to express interest in leadership and for you to get to know them better. It creates space for students to share their story, their faith, and why they want to lead. It also helps ensure they understand the purpose and message of your ministry before stepping into a leadership role.

Leaders often use this as a starting point for conversations, discernment, and development, not just as a form to collect.

Student Leadership (Editable Document)
Student Leadership Application (PDF)

“Great leadership starts with clarity, not assumptions.”

Model Student Covenant

This covenant helps define what it means to be a student leader in your group. It clearly communicates expectations, both in character and commitment, and gives students a chance to step in with understanding and ownership. Because it’s customizable, you can adapt it to fit your local context, adding practical expectations that make sense for your team.

Many leaders use this as part of training or onboarding, helping students not just say “yes” to leadership, but understand what they’re saying yes to.

Model Student Covenant (Editable Document)

Next Step

Review these documents and choose one to use with your leadership team this semester: