Seeing an Opportunity, Praying & Working to Bring Change
In 2002, Christian Union launched its first leadership development ministry at Princeton, one of the nation's foremost universities. The ministry's founder and president, Matt Bennett, had long observed the influence that top secular universities possess when it comes to producing many of the nation’s most prominent leaders. He had a conviction that US culture could and would be changed as the Gospel influenced these schools.As a student member of Cru in the 1980s and later as a staff member and director at Princeton for more than a decade, Bennett (’88, MBA ’89), a Cornell alumnus himself, saw firsthand the impact a campus ministry could have if it were tailored to the spiritual, intellectual, and relational needs of highly intelligent, goal-oriented students.
The ministry launched its first Bible course at Princeton University with just three students. Today, the ministry at Princeton engages more than 400 students in its weekly Bible courses.
On each campus where it operates, Christian Union’s highly credentialed ministry and teaching fellows mentor students and lead challenging, academically oriented Bible courses designed to help students develop a robust understanding of Scripture and Christian worldview. The ministries also host conferences, leadership lecture series, and evangelistic outreach events as they seek to change the spiritual climate at very secular institutions.
Thanks to the early lessons learned at schools like Princeton, and God's gracious provision at every step, each campus launched in the years since 2002 has experienced steady, fairly predictable growth patterns.
The natural progression of supporting alumni of the ministry as they transitioned into careers in major cities such as New York and the strategic impact of such cities led to the launch of the Cities ministries, which serve alumni and professionals.
Christian Union's most recent ministry, Christian Union Day & Night, now called Christian Union America, was launched in 2016. Christian Union America's mission is to promote spiritual strengthening in Christians across America, helping them thrive and impact an increasingly secular culture by covenanting together for successive spiritual initiatives. Given the nation's spiritual state, nothing less than the full power and presence of God will enable Christians to glorify him in all his splendor.
To view our partnerships, you can click here.
Historic Timeline
| Christian Union Founded | 2002 |
| Princeton ministry launched | 2002 |
| Harvard College ministry launched | 2008 |
| Yale ministry launched | 2010 |
| Columbia ministry launched | 2011 |
| Dartmouth ministry launched | 2011 |
| Christian Union New York launched | 2012 |
| Cornell ministry launched | 2012 |
| Harvard Law ministry launched | 2013 |
| Penn ministry launched | 2013 |
| Brown ministry launched | 2014 |
| Stanford ministry launched | 2016 |
| Christian Union Day and Night launched | 2016 |
