Friends, I’m here at the biennial U.S. National Staff Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. This week has been amazing! Worshiping with 5,000 Brothers and Sisters with Kingdom vision is like a little taste of heaven. Hearing stories of changed lives from around the world has recaptured my heart. Author Francis Chan led us into the presence of the Lord when he scrapped the notes for both of his talks and spoke from the heart. The movement of the Spirit of God was palpable as the entire U.S. branch of Campus Crusade for Christ fell to its knees in repentance and worship. God’s doing something big here. I’ll tell you more about it in this month’s Snapshot after I return to Pittsburgh, but I wanted to share some news with you. You may have seen or heard stories about CCC’s name change, as it has been covered in almost every major media outlet over the past few days. Not all of it is positive, and most of it is misleading on the part of the reporters with hopes of gaining readership through controversy. I am personally really excited about the change, as it is evidence of our leadership’s open-handed posture before the Lord. To risk the reputation of a 60-year history with a name change would be crazy if it were not Spirit-led. It has been encouraging to hear that not only did the leadership put hours and hours of prayer and research into this process, but Dr. Bill Bright himself knew that a name change may be necessary when He felt the Lord lead him to “Campus Crusade for Christ” in 1951. Here are some notes from the national office:
That's right! In the U.S., Campus Crusade for Christ is becoming Cru. We know you care about this ministry and we want you to be among the first know. We're announcing it now. We'll adopt the new name early in 2012.
This change is being made in order to be more effective in sharing the gospel and to see even more people come to faith in Christ. It's been a two-year process, but ultimately we have come to this decision through much prayer and with a deep sense of dependence on God.
Words Matter
Although our name for the last 60 years is well respected in Christian ministry and missions, the word “Crusade” now carries serious negative associations. Also, the word "Campus" actually hinders people who are not students from engaging in our broad range of ministries. Research has shown that 20% of the people in the U.S. willing to have a conversation about Jesus are less interested when they hear the name Campus Crusade for Christ. Words may take on new meaning over time, but our calling never changes. We are committed to give every person around the world an opportunity to hear the gospel and a chance to say YES to Jesus. That's what makes a name change necessary.Field Tested
Cru has been used for over 15 years by a number of our local college ministries. It has a track record of success in evangelism and discipleship. To those who are familiar with us, it connects with our past and yet is forward looking. For those that we will connect with in the future, the name will be filled with all of the experiences and meaning of who we are and what we have to offer.Changing Our Name Will Help …
- Increase evangelism as more people are willing to engage with us in discussions about Christ.
- Involve more people who want to make a difference in their world for Christ.
- Improve synergy between all our ministries. They will benefit from a more cohesive connection while still maintaining their individual ministry's identity.
In the months ahead, there will be a period of transition where you will see both names used. For more information, please visit www.ccci.org/cru to see a brief video, graphics and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
You can be sure that our calling and mission have not changed. Our heart remains the same— to help fulfill the Great Commission by winning people to Christ, building them in their faith to see their lives transformed, and sending them out to reach others for Christ. Thank you again for your partnership in this ministry. Please pray with us that many more people will come to Christ as we take this step of faith together.
What does this change mean for me, my ministry partners, and the students and volunteers of Pittsburgh Metro? Not much, really. We’re been using the name “Cru” on campus since we relaunched at Pitt in 2002. Students in Pittsburgh know us as Cru. Our websites, email address, Facebook pages, and Twitter account all include the name “Cru.” We are known as a group whose purpose is to know Jesus and make Him known. Our vision is, now more than ever, to see every one of the 100,000 students of the greater Pittsburgh area come know someone who truly follows Christ. Our daily ministry activities will still include evangelism, Bible studies, discipleship, ministry training, and life application.
One thing that may change is that many more students will have heard of us due to all the media exposure. They may even be intrigued and show more interest in engaging in conversation with us because of the controversy. Our U.S. national director, Steve Sellers, said it best when he said, “If Cru gets hammered in the media but Jesus gets discussed all over, I can live with that.” Me too. I’m so excited to return to campus this fall with a team of full-time staff and interns, part-time staff, and volunteers. It’ll be the biggest Pittsburgh team since maybe the 1980’s. And we’ll all be stepping out in faith to share the Gospel of Christ in the power of the Spirit, leaving the results to God. Here’s to another 60 years of being used by God.
