See how God stretches you to grow when you take a step of faith! As an intern, you’ll work alongside Cru® Inner City staff for 1-2 years, meeting practical needs and reaching inner-city residents with the life-changing hope of the gospel.
As you discern where God is calling you full time, get plugged in with ministry as a Cru intern.
To see firsthand what an internship would be like, join us for one of our preview events. Each of these events, either in-person or virtual, are an opportunity to get a feel for the work we’re called to do.
You’ll have an opportunity to share the Good News and serve those in need. You’ll spend time with our church partners, staff, and volunteers, learning more about the internship program and getting answers to any questions you might have. For in-person participants, you’ll also have a chance to enjoy some free time in the city.
Housing (if needed) and meals are FREE! There is a refundable $50 deposit for in-person preview events, and you are responsible for transportation to and from the event.
Cru internships are open to college students, recent college graduates, or young adults interested in full-time ministry in a U.S. city. If you’d like to be part of God’s work in the inner city, apply below.
You may contact us at inner-city-missions@cru.org with any questions.
Learn what it’s really like to intern with Cru Inner City from former intern Amanda Kaufman.
How Does Fundraising Work?
Raising support can be faith-stretching, but with Cru’s Allied Support Raising Model, you’re not alone. You’ll join a cohort of fellow interns to raise support together. Through the process, you’ll learn to trust God to provide. Watch the video to see how it works.
Interns serve for 12 months. An intern may choose to serve a second year, but cannot serve for more than 24 months. At this point, an individual would need to choose between joining Cru in another capacity (such as full-time staff, part-time staff, or volunteer) or other opportunities.
Our internships begin on September 1 and end on August 31. Applications are due by March 1.
Interns serve on an experienced team of Cru Inner City staff. We are a resourcing ministry, so our teams primarily serve the local urban church in an indirect resourcing capacity such as planning our Boxes of Love® Thanksgiving outreach.
Each staff member also serves in a more direct one-on-one capacity such as volunteering as a mentor at one of our partners’ S.A.Y. Yes! Centers for Youth Development® or teaching English at a Christian Refugee Center.
An intern’s type of work within their team will vary based on city, personality, and passions, but the general breakdown is as follows:
Yes. When you apply online, there is a place to indicate your city preferences. After you’ve been accepted to do the internship, we take your city preferences, the information that we glean from your application, and city interviews conducted by you to determine which cities might be good matches for you. We utilize all of this information to help discern the best match for you, as well as for our cities’ needs.
Living expenses vary from city to city. As Cru Inner City Interns, you have the unique opportunity to work together to raise your financial support as a “circle” of teammates. Your circle will be made up of 3-5 other interns working as a team so that you all report fully funded to your respective city.
Our interns are required to attend an Intern Kick-off weekend conference in mid-April or early May that will orient you to the process of raising support. After attending the conference, you have the tools needed to begin raising your support and will have the next 3-4 months to raise it.
Yes. You can learn more about our partner cities and their ministries on our Partner Cities page.
All applications are submitted online at apply.cru.org. When prompted to designate your preferred ministry, select Cru Inner City.
March 1 is the deadline for receiving your completed application, including completed references.
We have a list of qualifications for potential Cru staff that include God’s leading, a walk with God, spiritual maturity, moral conduct, character, emotional maturity, effectiveness of witness, and others.
Many parents have concerns about the future career with Cru that their son or daughter might be considering. We hope to answer some of your questions and give you a clearer picture of who we are and what we do. Click here to learn more.
If your parents would like to talk to one of our Cru Inner City staff about their concerns, they can contact Veronica Palma at veronica.palma@cru.org.
Coming out of college, there are many opportunities to choose from — diving into the competitive world of the field you studied, traveling, further education, full-time ministry, a job outside of your field of study… With all of these options, which will you choose?
Interning with Cru Inner City for a year or two after graduation may be the most ideal option for those who would like the opportunity to gain a wide variety of skills that can prepare them for most vocations including:
There are many opportunities to work with and learn from people of different cultures and different skill sets. There is the freedom to take risks and to fail in an environment where people desire to help you grow in your skills, your knowledge of your passions and giftings, and in your relationship with the Lord.