Supported Staff Qualifications for Cru Careers
We use the following list of qualifications in our process to select missionary staff for Cru.
Please note these criteria are not for judging a person's standing with God or their worth in the Body of Christ. They are simply to evaluate if a person is ready to serve in the midst of the spiritual challenges and unique pressures they'll face in full-time ministry with Cru.
God's Leading
Applicants must be able to state clearly how and why they believe God is calling them to serve with Cru. They must be able to explain how they have been prepared and led by the Holy Spirit. Married couples will each need to express how God is calling them to serve with Cru.
Walk with God
We are looking for people who maintain a lifestyle of personal holiness. In the Bible, God places some restrictions on a mature believer's liberty in Jesus – that those leading others to follow Him must act with a high level of consideration for those around them.
As a result, we ask our staff members to be sensitive concerning their behavior and to refrain from particular actions that could trip up less mature Jesus followers. Examples of sensitive behavior would include controlling the usage of alcohol, tobacco and questionable activities that might discredit the work of Jesus.
Spiritual Maturity
Each applicant must be a Christian for at least six months before beginning the application process, and one year before being accepted to Cru staff.
They must understand and be in full agreement with Cru's statement of faith, our emphasis on the Bible, its application to daily living, and our emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They should also be mature enough in their walk with God to build into the lives of others.
Moral Conduct
As a ministry we must evaluate the moral character of applicants in light of biblical standards for sexual purity. Any breach of these standards may affect the timing of acceptance to Cru staff.
Character
An applicant must have leadership qualities, be attractive to others in personality and character, or manifest potential in these areas. Priority is placed upon dependability, willingness to assume responsibility, a teachable spirit, a good reputation and moral purity. These qualities help demonstrate that an applicant is faithful, available and teachable.
Emotional Maturity
The demands of support development and an initiative-oriented ministry necessitate that each staff person have a reasonable degree of self-assurance and an ability to handle pressure.
Effectiveness of Witness
Applicants must demonstrate concern for others and willingness to learn how to introduce others to Jesus.
Knowledge of the Bible
Applicants must have a basic knowledge of the Bible and are expected to attend Cru's 10-day New Staff Orientation, two weeks of intensive Bible training and complete a 10-week correspondence course.
Tongues Policy
Because of the divisive nature of speaking in tongues, and because it is not essential in communicating the good news of Jesus to nonbelievers, Cru asks staff members who believe they have the gift of tongues not to promote or use this gift in public. Staff members may use this gift in their own private worship if they so desire.
Skills and Training
Applicants must have a high-school diploma or equivalent training and experience, and have been out of high school for at least one year prior to acceptance as a staff member.
Applicants for student ministry should have a four-year college degree. Completion of a three-year Bible course or a three-year nursing course is also an acceptable equivalent.
Availability for Training
We want our new staff members to have the best possible resources and training, to be effective in their ministries as they work to lead others to Jesus. New Staff Orientation and the Institute of Biblical Studies are important pieces of this preparation, with Bible and ministry training for life on Cru staff.
Personal Appearance
To make sure every area of our lives – including appearance – doesn't hinder our effectiveness in ministry, applicants must appear neat, well groomed and willing to dress appropriately.
Marriage/Engagement
We consider every married couple within our ministry as a husband and wife team. Therefore, couples must be in agreement on their leading to the Cru ministry, and both must apply and be accepted as staff. For couples without dependent children, both husband and wife should be committed to full-time ministry involvement with Cru. If an applicant is engaged and plans to marry prior to joining staff or within the first year on staff, their fiancé must submit an application as well.
If only one spouse desires to join our staff they must complete the application process similar to any other new staff applicant, but their non-staff spouse agrees to be a “Spousal Affiliate.” A Spousal Affiliate must meet Affiliate Staff acceptance requirements, but they won't be required to participate in Cru ministry activities. Spousal Affiliates stay connected with Cru by once a year meeting with their spouse's supervisor or a local H.R. leader and once every three years, they must attend their spouse's staff conference or Cru's biennial national conference.
Divorce
Divorce may be a disqualifier depending on the circumstances, but need not be. Two years of consistent Christian living must elapse between the time of divorce and submission of a staff application.
Single Parents
Cru desires to honor all applicants who desire to join our staff. We recognize single parenting comes with unique challenges, which need to be considered. Through the application process, we will consider the context of each situation in light of the whole story of each person. Likewise, each applicant needs to understand the unique demands of full time ministry with Cru [such as regular travel and work hours that fall outside of the traditional 9 to 5 job and a significant amount of emotional engagement]. Some roles and positions may not be healthy for each family situation.
Tenure
We expect all applicants to spend at least two years in the ministry of Cru after reporting to their initial assignment, assuming they continue to meet the standards for staff.
Right to Work
Citizenship in the United States is not required to be a U.S. staff member. However, applicants who are not citizens must have a permanent resident visa prior to submitting an application for U.S. staff. Applicants without permanent resident visas may submit their applications to the Cru ministries in their home countries.
Personal/Consumer Debt
We do not want a person to join Cru staff with indebtedness that would prove to be a hardship based on our salary scale. New staff applicants must meet debt limits in two areas:
- Personal debt. This includes credit card, bank loans, and other consumer debt, but excludes mortgages.
- Total monthly payment for all debt, including educational, auto and personal.
There are three sets of limits, depending on the applicant's stage of life.
