How to Talk to Parents About Cru

Many Cru volunteers and staff feel nervous about meeting the parents of the students with whom they work. Some say they feel intimidated and are worried that parents will be suspicious of them and the work we do. However, it does not have to be this way. If you feel stressed about meeting parents, remember you and the parent have something in common–you both want their student to thrive!

This is why Cru exists on high school campuses. We believe the good news of Jesus Christ helps students thrive in their spiritual life and that overflows into EVERY part of their life. Many parents want the same for their children. Showing selfless, humble concern for their child will win many parents to your cause.

This is great advice, but how do you explain what we actually do?

Giving a Good Explanation

The best kind of explanations are concise, clear, and given with confidence. Learning to explain Cru to parents will build trust with them and the more you do it, the more natural it will feel.

It is true, Cru can be confusing to some parents. It is not well known, and we are a little different from other campus clubs or organizations. Some other organizations may focus on athletes, college-age students, or are just less focused on Jesus and talk more about values. Parents may not understand why or how we do the things we do.

In your explanation, you do not need to tell parents all the details of everything we do. If you do this, your explanation will be long, confusing, and really parents do not want to know everything. You need to give the parents the information they want to know, which is the information they need.

However, if you are vague and not too specific, this will just raise suspicion. A suspicious parent will not have the desired outcomes. Your goal then, is to answer the most important questions parents have and to answer a parent’s biggest question of all, “Can I trust you with my child?”

This is a delicate balance, but know your goal is not the perfect presentation. We may put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We may think that we can change people’s minds, but the truth is we cannot change people. That is God’s job.

Some parents may not like Cru and refuse to let their child attend. It is not our job to change their minds or their hearts. However, having a good explanation may help remove some barriers.

We want to be faithful to present our mission with Cru as best we can and trust God with the results.

Meeting parents to tell them what Cru does is the first step toward aligning with parents.

Prepare an Explanation

Using generalities such as “Cru is a Christian student outreach” or “We do student-led clubs” will only get you so far and may only be helpful for some parents. Instead of using these terms or clichés, it is best to just memorize a clear, concise explanation of your local Cru movement, one you can share anytime you get the “What is Cru?” question from parents.

Your local Cru ministry will have its own unique characteristics or strategies for reaching students at your local campus, but in general, you want to answer the big five: what, who, where, how, and why.

Here is an example of an explanation from a city that uses a student-led club strategy. It answers some of the questions that parents are going to have.

“I’m <name> and I’m a volunteer with Cru. Cru is a faith-based organization whose staff and volunteers help coach and support the student leaders for our after school Bible club. We want to provide safe spaces on campus where students can learn about faith in Jesus Christ, feel like they belong, and can live out their faith at school.”

After hearing this explanation, parents would know that Cru…

is faith-based
has staff, volunteers, and student leaders
is on-campus
has after-school clubs
wants students to learn about following Jesus and to be part of a community of believers at school.

This sample does not answer every question, but it gives parents some information they need to know. They can follow up with more specific questions. Listen carefully to the questions parents ask because this will reveal what they are most concerned about.

They may ask…

Is this part of a church? (I’m curious about what you believe/teach.)
When do you meet? (I want my kids to be there to check it out.)
How can you have a faith club at school? (I’m not sure this is legal.)
Who comes to these clubs? (I’m curious who else I can ask about this.)
Do you have a website or social media? (I’m going to do some research.)

These are good questions that parents may ask and you will want to have an answer for each one of them. Work with your local staff to find the specific answers to these types of questions. You may want to make sure you understand Cru’s local history in your city and other ministries in area schools and colleges.

Putting in the effort will help you craft a clear, concise explanation of your local Cru ministry.

The best kind of explanations are concise, clear, and given with confidence.

Good Parents Want Good Things

We believe Cru offers something good to students, but not everyone will see the value of the gospel.

Cru only works with students who are interested in growing in their faith. This is true for parents too. We cannot force parents to see the value in Cru. If parents do not think it is good for their kids to be involved, it is not our job to make them.

Christian Parents

We may be tempted to assume that parents who go to church will understand Cru’s mission and want their kids to be part of it. However, that is not necessarily the case. Some Christian parents worry that because Cru is not part of a local church (more specifically, their local church), their kids will distance themselves from the church.

If that is a concern for a parent, share how your local Cru ministry actively works to support local churches and promotes student involvement in their church. Talk about how we develop strong relationships with youth pastors and help connect new believers to their churches.

Non-Christian Parents

We may also assume that parents who are not Christians would not want their students to be part of Cru. Once again, this may not be true.

We do not need to be vague or nervous when talking to someone from another faith or from no faith background. In fact, parents are welcome to visit clubs, Bible studies, or large group meetings to see what we do. We do not hide what we do and many people may see it as good and valuable even if they do not believe in Jesus or the Bible.

If you meet a parent with a different faith, you may want to think of how you can explain Cru to someone without using terms that only Christians would understand. Terms like discipleship or fellowship may be confusing and sound questionable. Replacing those with words like “mentoring” or “community” may remove some of the confusion and help parents see how Cru could be valuable even if they do not share the same beliefs.

Showing selfless, humble concern for their child will win many parents to your cause.

Building Trust

Meeting parents to tell them what Cru does is the first step toward aligning with parents. You want to be on the same team to help their child grow and thrive in their faith.

If our goal is to help students thrive in every part of their lives, parents should be part of that goal. Never pass up an opportunity to meet a parent, because parents can be your best partner in your work on campus.

Take time to reach out to parents and keep the conversation going with them about helping their kids thrive. Care about parents and be a trustworthy person so you have the opportunity to work with parents toward long-term growth.

Additionally, if a student ever wants to go with us to a conference or summer mission, building trust with parents will make it much easier for the parent to decide if they can trust Cru with their child.

You do not have to be intimidated about meeting parents. If you want good, healthy things for their kids, then parents will definitely want you on their side to help raise their kids into mature adulthood—both physically and spiritually.

Next Step

Call a parent of newly involved student, introduce yourself and explain Cru. For more information on involving parents, go on to Five Principles for Connecting with Parents.

Five Principles for Connecting with Parents

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.