Campus Crusade For Christ Changes It's Name To "Cru" Removes Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the largest Christian ministries in the world, announced on Tuesday that it is ditching its old name and adopting a new one – Cru.

The 60-year-old organization decided on the name change partly because of the negative associations that the word "crusade" carries.

"It acts as a barrier to the very people that we want to connect with. It’s also a hindrance to many Christians who would like to partner with us but find the word Crusade offensive," the ministry said in a statement.

As many as one in five persons who were willing to consider the Gospel became less interested in talking to CCC after hearing the name, the organization found.

"We are changing the name for the sake of more effective ministry."

Over the past two years, a team of 30 staff worked with branding agencies and came up with hundreds of new name suggestions. In all, there were 1,600 names that were proposed.

The Board of Directors signed off on the name Cru this year.

While Cru – a nickname that began at the local level in the mid-90s – effectively removes the word "crusade" and its negative connotations from the organization's name, it also does away with the word "Christ."

The ministry insists that they are not trying to eliminate "Christ" from its name. In fact, the name change allows them to more effectively serve its mission of taking the Gospel to the world, the organization maintains.

"Cru enables us to have discussions about Christ with people who might initially be turned off by a more overtly Christian name."

Steve Douglass, president of CCC, stressed, "Our mission and DNA remain the same." That mission, he explained, is "to give every person on the planet the opportunity to say yes to Jesus."

"It is all about fulfilling The Great Commission."

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