The Big Picture of Cru

Discussion/Reflection Questions

What in this video stands out to you?
What did you learn from this video?
What action can you take this week as a result of watching this video?

Cru is Here to Help!

Our role is to pray for you, hear your vision, and coach you. Here are some ways we can help and some strategies we provide to help you make an impact on your campus.

Call the Coaching Center

Give us a call and we will assign you to a ministry coach. We want to assist you as you seek to reach your school for Christ. Having a ministry coach will help you win students to Christ, build them up in their faith, and then send them back to their campus equipped with the knowledge and training to reach others for Christ.

Learn More about the Coaching Center

Build a Team

Do not go alone. One of the primary things you need is to establish a team around you. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. Remember, do not go alone.

Have a volunteer information meeting

Observe the Campus

After you establish your team, go to the campus and observe. Look for natural groups that are on the campus. Do you see football players, the drama club, a specific group of guys or girls?

Learn to See your Campus
Get to Know Your Campus

Meet with Students

Now that you have observed the campus, start interacting with students. You can do this casually on the campus or see if they are willing to meet with you so you can begin having spiritual conversations and ultimately explain the gospel to them.

You want to spend quality time with students. Hang out with them and get to know them. After a while, it will feel natural to explain the gospel.

It’s great to reach students one-on-one, but your coach will help you reach students in their natural group settings too.

Best Practices for Relating to Minors

Having a ministry coach will help you win students to Christ, build them up in their faith, and then send them back to their campus equipped with the knowledge and training to reach others for Christ.

Try Some Team Talks

To reach some natural groups of students, you need to approach teachers and coaches. They can help you find opportunities for you to present motivational talks to different student groups on campus.

After you get the okay to give a motivational talk, invite students who are interested in learning more about their spiritual journey to come back again.

At the next gathering, maybe the next day over pizza, you can share with students how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus. Then encourage them to come together as a small group.

Sample Team Talks

Lead a Small Group

As interest is generated among students, you will want to gather them together in small groups to study the Bible.

How to Lead a Small Group

Start Cru Meetings

After you have several small groups going or about 25 students involved in your ministry, you can launch a larger Cru meeting. At this meeting, students will have some fun together, hear from each other about what God is doing in their lives, and listen to a short message from God’s Word.

Refreshments always make for a great meeting!

Attend Cru Conferences

The High School Ministry of Cru hosts two conferences a year- one in January or February and another in June.

At these conferences, students hear from speakers and other youth who share their faith on campus. Students learn how to share their faith. As students mature, you can use conferences to encourage them to see how God can use them to reach their friends in their natural groups at school.

Learn more about our Conferences

Go Global

Lastly, you will send students to reach the world. Cru offers short term international missions for students to go and share the love of Jesus all around the globe.

Learn More about International Missions

Hopefully, this big picture has given you a bigger vision of how God could use you.

Has God laid it on your heart to reach out to your local school?

For what are you waiting? Go and reach the lost on your local campus for Christ!

Next Step

Is this your desire for your campus? Click on the Coaching Center link and get started. We have a coach ready to help!

Coaching Center

Next Step

Who are some students you work with that might make good leaders? Make a list of 5 students and begin praying that God would show you opportunities to help them step into leadership.

5 Key Features of the Claim Your Campus App

Pray Now:
This section is designed to lead any student through a daily 15-minute prayer time for their school. The format is simple: Listen, Thank, Ask. Each day students read a passage of scripture, thank God for something specific He is doing in their school, and ask Him for help at their school and schools across the country.

21-Day Challenge:
Habits take time to build. The 21-Day Challenge can help you and your students build the habit of praying together daily.

Share Your Story:
Students from all over the country are using Claim Your Campus at their schools. This video feature gives students one minute to capture what God is doing at their school and then share it.

Groups:
Use the Groups section to form your own prayer group and/or join other groups. Students praying together in community for their school(s) is the foundation of CYC. The group feature keeps students connected, motivated, and encouraged to keep pressing on!

Prayer Walk Your Campus:
This feature describes how to prayer walk a campus in three easy steps. Invite. Pray. Report. It includes a brief tutorial and a downloadable prayer walk guide.

Social Media:
Stay connected through Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube pages; News and Updates can also be found in the app.

Cast the Vision: Prayer Equals Change

Use these videos to get excited about how God could change your campus through prayer and how He could use you to build a prayer movement at your school.
General Promo video
Marion School video

Invite Students to Be One in the Million

Students download the app using the QR code graphic & claim their campus!

We encourage all campus movements to emphasize prayer and the Claim Your Campus app is a great way to engage students in prayer.

4 Different Ways Students Can Claim Their Campus

Start a Weekly Prayer Group. The CYC app provides prompts that change weekly.
Host a prayer walk around your campus. The CYC app features a Prayer Walk Guide.
Embed 5-10 minutes of Prayer into Your Weekly Cru Club Meeting. Build a CULTURE of prayer. CYC has done all the work for you. Click here for the Leader’s Guide and here for premade slides for up to 20 weeks. That is enough for an entire school year. CYC’s GRAB-N-GO resources make praying EASY.
Participate in Annual National Events such as SYATP.

Invite the adults in your community to support SYATP by signing up for The Prayer Walk Project. This project offers a way for caring adults to join hands in prayer on the Saturdays before and after SYATP.

Prayer is the real power in any campus movement. Make it a non-negotiable in your ministry to emphasize prayer with adults and students and see how God moves.

Next Step

Download the Claim Your Campus app and consider how you could use it on your campus today. Do you have a prayer strategy for your plans? If not, send the app to a few student leaders and invite them to start praying for their campus!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

4 Ways to Prepare for a Prayer Walk

Prepare Your Heart

Surrender the Prayer Walk to the Lord. Ask the Lord for one or two scriptures to help prepare your heart. Jot them down. If you like, use them to inspire the people you invite, or share them with your team the day you meet to prayer walk. Pray for:

Divine appointments with people.
Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help.
God to guide your steps.
Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Team

Pray for Names. Ask the Lord to bring to mind specific names of students, volunteers, parents, pastors, and/or faculty you can ask to join your prayer walk. Keep in mind, this is not about numbers. Even one prayer partner is enough. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”

Invite the People that He brought to mind. Decide what mode of communication is best: text? social media? phone call? Give them a brief description of what a prayer walk is and what they can expect that day. Share what has motivated you to gather a team to pray. Be sure to tell them the date, the start and end times, and the location. Give them an RSVP date.

Send them any final details on the day before. Remind your team what time you will begin and end and the location to meet. Let them know what to bring and any adjustments needed due to weather or other factors.

(During a Prayer Walk) Pray for: Divine appointments with people. Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help. God to guide your steps. Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Campus

Check with an Insider at Your School. Once you choose your campus and gather your team, you may want to check with an insider at the school to see if there is anyone you need to notify ahead of time. Most likely, it will not be an issue if you are prayer walking after school or over the weekend on the parts of the campus that are open to the public. Avoid prayer walking on campus during school hours without permission.

Prepare Your Details

“WHO” DETAILS: By now, you know WHO is coming. But here are some other “WHO” questions to think about if you have a larger group. Who will…

begin the prayer walk (introduce/explain it)?
end the prayer walk?
lead smaller groups (if your team is large)?

“WHAT TO BRING” DETAILS: You may want to bring copies of the Prayer Guide and the Leader Guide.

“WHERE/WHEN” DETAILS: Make sure everyone knows the date and time you will meet. Include starting point (address of meeting spot) and ending point (time and meeting spot).

“HOW” DETAILS: For your convenience, this Campus Prayer Walk Leader’s Guide provides a general flow and includes sample scripts of what to say from start to finish. If you can read it, you can lead it. But you may need to think through the unique needs of your prayer walk.

Would you like the prayer walk to be more casual or more organized? Do you have people who are comfortable prayer walking or more new people who may need more instruction?

You have prepared your part. Time to grab your walking shoes. Let’s do this!

Next Step

It is time to get on the campus to pray. Text one friend today and ask them if they would be willing to go to the school to prayer walk with you this week. Get your feet on the campus and pray together. Once you have done it yourself, it will be a lot easier to gather others to do it with you.

Prayer Walking

After the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert, God called Joshua to bring His people into the land He had promised them. The commander of the army of the Lord appeared to Joshua with instructions essentially for a prayer walk around the city of Jericho. And let’s just say the Israelites’ obedience to his words, made history. (If you are unfamiliar with this incredible story, you can read the whole story here.)

What is Prayer Walking?

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk. And you can do it anywhere: around your neighborhood, through your city, or even on your daily commute. Invite others to join you! As you walk together, let the Spirit of God use what you see to guide your prayers. Then, trust God to respond in His perfect way and timing.

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you. It puts you right where the students are—like God’s boots on the ground—allowing you to connect your heart to that specific location as you pray. And who knows? It might even lead to a chance meeting with a key person on campus. Many ministries have started with a simple “Hey there!” to a student or administrator during a prayer walk. A casual stroll can open unexpected doors!

If you have never done this before, no worries! Joshua—the young leader from the Bible—had not done it before either. It was his willingness and availability to God that mattered most. And the same goes for you—no experience required!

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk.

Prayer Walk in Three Easy Steps

Meet Up (5 minutes)

Grab a friend or two and meet on campus- ideally after school or on the weekend. Select and read a meaningful passage from the Bible together. Take a minute to pray a blessing over this time, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers.

Walk & Pray (10-20 minutes)

Start walking the perimeter of the campus and let the Holy Spirit use who/what you see guide your prayers. Here are 5 ways you could begin praying:

Ask God to move by His Spirit on this campus and be glorified.
Pray people here would hunger and thirst for God.
Pray for the believers here to live wholeheartedly for Jesus and make others feel seen, known, and loved by God.
Pray for leaders in this school’s community (students, parents, administration, faculty, coaches, etc.)

Wrap It Up (5 minutes)

Select a spot to close your time together. Talk about how it went. Was there anything that stood out as significant or meaningful? Take a few minutes to thank God for this time. Express your love for Him and your confidence that He will respond to the prayers He heard today.

Other Prayer Walking Guides

If you would rather have a more specific guide to help you in your prayer walk, try one below:

CYC Prayer Walk Guide
Locations on Campus Prayer Walking Guide
The Launchbox Prayer Walking Guide
Make a list of prayer requests to pray about your specific campus
Just invite people to pray for things that come to mind as they walk

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you.

Why Do It?

Prayer Walking Knocks Down Walls

What effect did Joshua’s and the Israelites’ obedience have on the fortified and powerful ancient city of Jericho? Well, the God of the Universe infused their faith-filled feet with power, causing the otherwise insurmountable walls of the city to collapse. That’s how they fought and won the battle of Jericho—without ever throwing a punch!

Now, maybe you are not planning to tear down any physical walls around your school—in fact, let’s definitely avoid that! But in the spiritual realm, every school is a battlefield for souls. On every campus, there are barriers to the gospel that need to be broken down. Inside every person, there are walls that separate us from God or keep us from fully experiencing the abundant life He wants for us.

Looking for a more current example of a battle fought and won with prayer? Check out this powerful story of what happened when a group of students in Marion, Indiana consistently and prayerfully put feet to their faith and watched God win the battle for their campus. If you want to read about more victories won with praying feet, check out Exodus 14 and 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

Some Other Great Reasons to Prayer Walk Your Campus

It is a place to gather other believers who have a heart for the campus.
It is a way to be on campus with a purpose.
Sometimes God uses these times to introduce us to key gatekeepers on campus.
It might surface some needs on the campus with which you could help.
It helps your team become more familiar with the campus and less fearful of going there.
It is better than doing nothing. Sometimes God moves when we take action.

Within the campus ministry of Cru, prayer walking has actually been shown to be the single most effective strategy in seeing new gospel movements started.
– Dan Allen, Director of Mission Expansion

The powerful presence of God always has and STILL does mix with our prayers and supernaturally connects us more deeply to God, ourselves, and others. Prayer breaks down barriers that lie between us and wins the battle for souls.

Prayer walking can be your lead foot on any campus. Ready to grab a friend and step into the unknown with Him? Prayer walking is something anyone can do.

Next Step

Plan 15 minutes this week to stop at your local high school, walk around, and pray for the school. Bring a friend or do it alone; just get your feet on the campus and pray. Ask God to show you what next steps He would like you to take.

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More to Explore

You might be a student, teacher, youth pastor, college student, or a concerned adult with a vision to reach your local school. But you might be thinking, “Where do I start?”

Cru is Here to Help!

Our role is to pray for you, hear your vision, and coach you. Here are some ways we can help and some strategies we provide to help you make an impact on your campus.

Call the Coaching Center

Learn More about the Coaching Center

Build a Team

Do not go alone. One of the primary things you need is to establish a team around you. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. Remember, do not go alone.

Have a volunteer information meeting

Observe the Campus

After you establish your team, go to the campus and observe. Look for natural groups that are on the campus. Do you see football players, the drama club, a specific group of guys or girls?

Learn to See your Campus
Get to Know Your Campus

Meet with Students

You want to spend quality time with students. Hang out with them and get to know them. After a while, it will feel natural to explain the gospel.

It’s great to reach students one-on-one, but your coach will help you reach students in their natural group settings too.

Best Practices for Relating to Minors

Having a ministry coach will help you win students to Christ, build them up in their faith, and then send them back to their campus equipped with the knowledge and training to reach others for Christ.

Try Some Team Talks

To reach some natural groups of students, you need to approach teachers and coaches. They can help you find opportunities for you to present motivational talks to different student groups on campus.

After you get the okay to give a motivational talk, invite students who are interested in learning more about their spiritual journey to come back again.

At the next gathering, maybe the next day over pizza, you can share with students how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus. Then encourage them to come together as a small group.

Sample Team Talks

Lead a Small Group

As interest is generated among students, you will want to gather them together in small groups to study the Bible.

How to Lead a Small Group

Start Cru Meetings

Refreshments always make for a great meeting!

Attend Cru Conferences

The High School Ministry of Cru hosts two conferences a year- one in January or February and another in June.

Learn more about our Conferences

Go Global

Lastly, you will send students to reach the world. Cru offers short term international missions for students to go and share the love of Jesus all around the globe.

Learn More about International Missions

Hopefully, this big picture has given you a bigger vision of how God could use you.

Has God laid it on your heart to reach out to your local school?

For what are you waiting? Go and reach the lost on your local campus for Christ!