Starting in early 2012, the U.S. chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ will be known simply as “Cru.” We are excited about this decision, and we stand by our leaders and believe it will better serve the mission of taking the message of the Gospel to the world.

Erick and I want to address you — our ministry partners, family, friends, and alike — because you are a part of this movement. We want to assure you that we have not lost our commitment to Christ or to the Gospel. We love, live and breathe for Jesus, everything we do is so people will respond to the Gospel and Christ will be glorified.

“Our mission remains the same. To help fulfill the Great Commission and to give every person a chance to say YES to Jesus. It’s the same mission that God gave to Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951.” Steve Sellers, appearing July 25, 2011 on Fox and Friends.

In the last few years, it became apparent to our leadership that our name was not helping us in our primary calling. The word “campus” does not adequately represent all our ministries in the United States and confuses our constituency as well as potential partners. The word “crusade” — while common and acceptable in 1951 when we were founded — now carries negative associations.

Over the years, many of our campus chapters used a different name locally in order to increase effectiveness on campus. For example, our movement in Central Wisconsin is called, “Student Impact.”

We are not ashamed of the name of Jesus Christ.

This is not about political correctness. It’s not about hiding who we are and the God we serve. The only name that matters is Jesus, and what matters most is to connect people to the name that gives life.

Words matter. We have not changed who we are. Sometimes we have to change our language to continue to be who we’ve always been.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to connect with you.

For more information about this change, check out these resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• What Others Are Saying 
• Videos (from our Founder, President, Vice President, and U.S. Campus Ministry National Director)
• Press Release