Name Changes and Game Changers

A campus ministry is changing its name, a name it has been known by for decades. We send best wishes to our colleagues at Campus Crusade for Christ, which will be known officially as Cru beginning in 2012.

On many U.S. college campuses, staff from both InterVarsity and Cru — as it’s already popularly known on many campuses — are diligently at work, sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We operate independently, except in the case of major campus-wide outreaches such as the Price Of Life Invitational, held at Ohio State University in April 2010.

The question is often asked: what’s the difference between InterVarsity and Campus Crusade? Our corporate personalities are quite different. While InterVarsity focuses mainly on campus ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ has a variety of outreaches that includes campus ministry. InterVarsity traditionally relies more heavily on student leadership. And there are other differences, particulary on a campus by campus basis.

But both of our ministries desire to see students and faculty come to know Jesus Christ personally and be transformed by the power of the gospel message. How we pursue that vision varies on each campus. Forty years ago, the leaders of InterVarsity, Campus Crusade, and several other campus ministries came together to sign an agreement that defined our non-competitive commitment to campus ministry. Just a few months ago that agreement was updated, and more groups signed on.

InterVarsity and Campus Crusade both believe that the campus is an important location for Christian outreach because today’s college students are tomorrow’s leaders. We believe God is already at work on campus, in the lives of students and faculty; our purpose is to follow Him and join in that work. There are 18 million college students in the U.S., and the work of reaching them with the gospel is more than enough for any one campus ministry organization to handle.

For all of these reasons, we offer best wishes to Campus Crusade (Cru) on this step forward for their ministry.