Campus Crusade for Christ, an international Christian organization, has decided to change its name to Cru in an effort to eliminate some of the issues they faced with the original title.

Mike  Mehaffie , campus director for Campus Crusade for Christ at  N.C . State, said the organization’s original name was given when they were primarily a campus ministry, but they have since added many types of ministries ranging from prison to military to athletes.

“Our leadership decided it was time to change the name and brand to better represent the scope of who we really are,” Mehaffie said.

Mehaffie also noted the term “crusade” was off-putting because some have tried to associate their organization with the religious crusades that occurred between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries.

“Over the years the word ‘crusade’ has carried a negative overtone,” Mehaffie said. “Our name never had any ties to the crusades of  old.”

Some may question whether the new name, Cru, will still bear the connotations associated with the term “crusade”, but Mehaffie says the new name is not short for anything.

“The branding process of who we are would be like Google, FedEx, or Starbucks; their names represent their company, but the meaning of the word is neutral,” Mehaffie  said. “Cru is our new name in a similar fashion. It’s not short for anything. It’s just  Cru.”

Several locations outside the U.S . have already changed the name to better represent their ministries, according to  Mehaffie .

“Worldwide, some countries have long ago changed the name,”  Mehaffie  said, “For example, in Slovakia we are ‘Students Voice for Christ,’ and in England we are  ‘Agape.'”

According to  Mehaffie , though the name is changing, “Cru” will represent the same organization with the same mission and vision.

“Our purpose to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to our campus, nation, and world has not changed,”  Mehaffie  said, “Our mission remains the same: radically transformed by Christ; impacting the campus; impacting the  world.”

Mehaffie  said his personal feelings on the changing of the name are difficult to process, but that he knows it is for the best.

“There’s a lot of history for me in the name, but I see the need for change and I have embraced the name change,”  Mehaffie  said. “It will take awhile to process, but I am excited about the  future.”

Mehaffie  does not expect the name change to upset or greatly impact Campus Crusade’s student participation at  N.C . State.

“The core of who we are has not changed,” said Mehaffie. “I don’t think that it will matter to our students at  N.C . State or will affect their  involvement.”

In order to avoid confusion at N.C. State,  Mehaffie  said they will not make an immediate switch to the new name.

“At  N.C . State, we will be called both Campus Crusade for Christ and Cru for a year so new students can find us,”  Mehaffie  said. “Then we will just be called Cru after this  year.”

In addition to the new name, the organization has also introduced its new logo, which prominently displays a cross. The Campus Crusade Vice President for the U.S ., Steve Sellers, said that the addition of the cross to the logo was necessary in the acceptance of the new name.

“Just as our new name, Cru, visually points to the cross, everything we do as a ministry is intended to point others to the cross of Jesus Christ,” Sellers said.

Campus Crusade for Christ is a worldwide, interdenominational Christian evangelist and discipleship organization that was founded by Bill and  Vonette Bright in 1951.