Cru (Christian organization) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cru

Formation	1951 (1951)
Founders	Bill Bright and Vonette Zachary Bright
Type	Christian Fellowship Social Club University Student Society Non-profit 501(c)3 organization
Headquarters	Orlando, Fla.
President	David Robbins
Subsidiaries	FamilyLife
Affiliations	Chicago Agreement: Unity in Mission
Formerly called	Campus Crusade for Christ International

Cru is a large Christian organization that helps people learn about Jesus Christ and grow in their faith. It started in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) by a couple named Bill Bright and Vonette Zachary Bright.

For many years, it was known as Campus Crusade for Christ. In 2011, the organization in the USA changed its name to Cru. This was done to avoid the word "crusade," which can be misunderstood or cause offense, especially in some countries. Also, the organization's work had grown beyond just college campuses.

Today, Cru has expanded its work to many different groups of people around the world. In 2020, it had about 19,000 staff members working in 190 countries. Its main office is in Orlando, Florida, and the current president is David Robbins.

History of Cru

How Cru Started

Cru, originally called Campus Crusade for Christ, began in 1951. Its founders, Bill Bright and Vonette Zachary Bright, wanted to share Christian teachings with university students. They were inspired by Christian leaders like Henrietta Mears and the famous evangelist Billy Graham. Bill Bright felt a special calling to reach students while he was studying at a seminary. He left his studies to start Campus Crusade at UCLA.

By 1952, about 250 UCLA students had joined the group, including future film actor Rafer Johnson. As the organization grew and started branches at other universities, it hired more staff. In 1956, Bill Bright created a short presentation called "God's Plan For Your Life." This presentation helped guide Campus Crusade's way of sharing its message and helping people grow in their faith.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Campus Crusade expanded quickly across US university campuses. This sometimes caused disagreements with other Christian groups already on campus. The organization also had a strong focus on traditional Christian beliefs and was against Communism.

Later, Campus Crusade moved its main office to Arrowhead Springs, San Bernardino, California. This new location had dorms for thousands of students who came for training. As the group grew in the mid-1960s, it started separate ministries for people overseas, for everyday people, and for athletes.

The Four Spiritual Laws

In 1952, Bill Bright created a simple way to explain the Christian message, called the Four Spiritual Laws. He worked with a salesman named Bob Ringer to make it easy to understand.

The Four Spiritual Laws are:

• God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
• People are sinful and separated from God, so they can't know God's plan.
• Jesus Christ is God's way to deal with sin, so people can know God's love and plan.
• We must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord by inviting him into our lives.

In 1965, a businessman named Gus Yeager helped turn these points into a small booklet. It included Bible verses and simple pictures. This booklet became one of the most widely shared religious booklets ever. By 2006, it had been translated into over 200 languages, and more than 2.5 billion copies were given out worldwide. Cru and its international groups still use this simple guide today.

Reaching Out to Young People

During the 1960s and 1970s, Campus Crusade worked to connect with young people. They even had their own Christian music band called the New Folk to compete with popular groups like the Beatles.

One big event was the "Berkeley Blitz" in January 1967. About 600 Campus Crusade staff and students organized concerts, dinners for international students, and a sermon by Billy Graham. They aimed to share their message with students at the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1972, Campus Crusade organized a big event called Explo '72 at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. It was a week-long conference for college and high school students, focusing on Christian training and music. About 80,000 students attended, and it was even called the "Christian Woodstock" by the media. Famous musicians like Johnny Cash and Andraé Crouch performed there. This event helped Campus Crusade get more attention from the media and reach a wider audience.

Growth in the 1970s and 1980s

In the 1970s and 1980s, Campus Crusade grew and became more involved in discussions about family values and social issues. In the mid-1970s, they started a family outreach called FamilyLife. This ministry aimed to promote a Christian view of family life.

Bill Bright believed that families were very important and encouraged a return to traditional Christian values. Campus Crusade also worked with other Christian leaders and politicians to share their message.

During the 1980s, Campus Crusade tried to build a graduate university in San Diego, California. However, this project faced many problems with fundraising and local opposition, and it eventually failed.

Despite this, Campus Crusade also started working more closely with other Christian groups, including Pentecostal and Catholic churches. They even changed their rules to allow staff members to speak in tongues in 1983, which they had previously banned. They also worked with the Catholic Church to share the Jesus film in many countries.

Cru in the 1990s and 2000s

In 1991, Campus Crusade moved its main office from California to Orlando, Florida. They also started new efforts to reach people in the Former Soviet Union.

To better include different groups, Campus Crusade launched several student movements in the early 1990s. The Impact movement focused on African Americans, using Gospel music and highlighting Christian teachings against racism. The Epic and Destino movements were created to reach Asian American and Latino students. The Korea Campus Crusade for Christ also opened branches in the US to serve Korean-American students.

In 2000, Bill Bright chose Steve Douglass to be his successor. Steve Douglass became president in 2001. Then, in 2011, Campus Crusade for Christ in the United States officially changed its name to Cru. This change was made to help the organization connect better with people, especially in Muslim communities, and to show that their work was no longer just on college campuses.

In 2020, Steve Douglass stepped down due to health reasons, and Steve Sellers became the new president of Cru.

Recently, Cru has been discussing how to include different ideas about race and diversity within its mission. While some members believe these discussions help promote acceptance and love, others worry they might cause disagreements or distract from the main message. Cru is working to find ways to include everyone and promote unity.

Cru's Ministries and Partners

Cru is known as a parachurch organization. This means it's a Christian group that works alongside churches and denominations to help people grow in their faith. One of its most famous tools is the "Four Spiritual Laws" booklet, which has been printed billions of times.

Athletes in Action

Athletes in Action is a ministry that works with athletes. They host events like the Super Bowl Breakfast, where they give the Bart Starr Award. This award honors NFL players who show great character and leadership in their homes, on the field, and in their communities.

Christian Embassy

Christian Embassy is a group that works with politicians and diplomats, sharing Christian principles in those fields.

Colleges

Even though an earlier attempt to build a university in San Diego didn't work out, Cru still runs several theological colleges overseas. In 1998, Cru also started helping to run The King's College, a Christian school in New York City.

FamilyLife

FamilyLife is a ministry that helps families. It started in 1975 by offering seminars for couples to strengthen their marriages. These seminars became very popular and were opened to the public in 1978. FamilyLife uses the Bible to guide its teachings on marriage and family life.

This ministry grew quickly in the 1980s and 1990s, focusing on "family values." FamilyLife organizes conferences, radio programs, and publishes materials to support families.

Inner City Ministry

Cru's inner city ministry helps churches in 17 cities. They provide training and resources to meet immediate needs, like food and shelter. They also offer long-term programs to help people develop life skills and prepare for careers.

The Jesus Film Project

The Jesus Film Project started in 1981. Its goal is to translate the Hollywood film Jesus into many different languages. This allows missionaries to show the film to people around the world in their own native languages.

The idea for the film came from Cru's founder, Bill Bright, who wanted to create a movie about Jesus that was accurate and could be easily translated. In 1976, a British film producer named John Heyman approached Bright for funding. The Jesus movie was made with US$6 million from Cru supporters. It starred British actor Brian Deacon as Jesus.

The film was released in US theaters in 1979. Cru then began dubbing the film into many languages and distributing it globally. This led to partnerships with various Christian groups, including Catholic churches. In 2000, the Catholic Church even worked with Cru to create a version of the Jesus film that fit Catholic teachings.

Leaders of the project claim that the film has been viewed over 5 billion times by more than 3 billion people worldwide.

Josh McDowell Ministries

Josh McDowell became a traveling representative for Cru in 1964, speaking to campus groups about the Christian faith. By 2008, his ministry, Josh McDowell Ministry, became a separate speaking and humanitarian organization that still partners with Cru. His work focuses on explaining Christian beliefs, helping young people, and providing aid internationally.

How Cru is Funded

Cru is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. This means they follow strict rules for how they handle money.

In the past, Cru mainly raised money from families, friends, and churches who supported their staff members' salaries. As the organization grew, it also started getting funds from wealthy donors.

In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Campus Crusade as very efficient in fundraising. They reported that 93% of its funds go directly to programs, and only 7% to overhead costs. In 2012, Forbes ranked Cru as one of the largest charities in the United States, with over $500 million in annual giving. In 2020, it was ranked No. 25 among the top 100 largest U.S. Charities.

Cru Around the World

Cru operates under different names in various countries. For example, in Korea, it's known as Korea Campus Crusade for Christ.

International Growth

Cru's international work began early. In 1954, a Nigerian student at UCLA, Idowu Johnson, became Cru's first overseas representative. He later became an evangelist in Nigeria. In 1958, Dr. Joon Gon Kim from South Korea became the first permanent overseas staff member and started the group's first international mission. By the end of the 1950s, Cru was active in three countries.

In the 1960s, Cru expanded to 45 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The British branch became known as Agapé, and the Canadian and Australian branches became Power to Change Ministries.

Building on the success of Explo '72, Cru organized Explo '74 in Seoul, South Korea. This event reportedly attracted 300,000 delegates, and one evening meeting had an estimated 1.5 million people attending.

In 2011, The New York Times reported that Cru had 25,000 missionaries working in 191 countries around the world.

See also

• College religious organizations
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Student Venture
• International student ministry

Images for kids

• Arrowhead Springs Hotel.jpg

  The former headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ in Arrowhead Springs, California.