Francis Chan Cautions Campus Crusade for Christ

Yesterday my wife and I made the short drive from Denver to Fort Collins to visit friends of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) at their biannual staff conference.  Since 2001, I have never missed a staff conference and deeply enjoy the rich times with friends in an environment designed to lift up Christ.  With the surprising swirl of media attention given to their recent announcement of a name change, I wasn't sure I would find the same atmosphere.

In my previous post, I mentioned I'd share my thoughts on the name switch.  I won't add much to the enticing controversy since I think the change is a good one.  Unfortunately, the media loves controversy, so they focus on the disappearance of "Christ" from the name.  Even my wife's grandmother gasped, "Did you know Campus Crusade for Christ took Christ out of their name?!"  The issue seems somewhat humorous given that most churches don't use Christ in their name.  Suffice it to say that the moment Cru loses their deeply held commitment to sharing the clear message of Jesus Christ with the world, they will be holding their staff conference in the coffee shop rather than in the basketball arena.  After the announcement of Cru Global, Steve Sellers, VP of the Americas, held several more Q&A times to reassure the staff of that commitment and all that goes with it.

However, the morning before Sellers introduced Cru to the world, author and speaker Francis Chan spoke to the 5,000 staff gathered in Moby Arena.  Midway through his talk, he broke from his planned message to share Revelation 3:1, a verse impressed upon his heart during his time of preparation: "These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."  In an attitude of great humility, Chan challenged the missionaries toward personal holiness and a genuine love for Jesus.

In an interview backstage immediately afterward, Chan had this remark when asked what he would say to Campus Crusade moving forward:

"It's kind of hard to say this because I don't know that I've ever said this to a group.  If I'm perfectly honest, I feel like the Lord really took me to the passage I went to because...there's so much more for Campus Crusade and for these people and their walk with the Lord.  And I think that some of them have gotten caught up in a routine or position or just the way we've always done things.  I'm not confident that they're really hearing from the Lord and willing to believe Him in this.  And some of them are just hiding behind a movement that has a rich history, and by just being a part they can feel like they're doing the will of God, rather than really seeking their own personal calling before God."