Trend: Removing Religious References From Names

Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) will become the third organization in as many years to remove references to Christ from its name.  By next year Campus Crusade for Christ will simply be known as Cru to simplify and to overcome “existing barriers and perceptions inherent” in its current name.  According to The NonProfit Times, the name was selected from more than 1,600 potential names and has been used locally on college campuses across the country since the mid-1990s.  The removal of Christ from the name was incidental not intentional they were looking to specifically remove Crusade, due to its negative associations, and Campus, as their ministry is not limited to college campuses.  Per  the organizations website the reiterate the fact that they are still a Christian organization by making the following statements “It is true that we care more about effectively proclaiming the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ than we do about having the word “Christ” in our name.” and “ For those who may be concerned we have lost our moorings, please rest assured that we are the same organization that has shared the gospel billions of times.”  To learn more about the organization and their thoughts behind the name change visit their website at ccci.org.

 The Y and ChildFund are the other two organizations that have modified their names.  The Y was formerly known as Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and has rebranded themselves as just “The Y” for simplicity.  Follow this link for more information http://ymca.net/news-releases/20100712-brand-new-day.html.   Christian Children’s Fund is the previous name for the ChildFund who changed their name in 2009 in a response to their shift from an orphanage model and religious teachings per The NonProfit Times.  Please see http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/article/detail/religious-group-drops-christ-and-crusade-from-name-3991 for more information on these changes.