For Elders, Directors & Denominational Leaders
A ministry partnership, not a program to approve and forget.
A single youth pastor can recommend a student. Building something your whole church or network can rely on — year after year, across staff turnover — takes a different kind of answer. Here's the institutional case, not just the personal one.
The questions leadership actually asks
Before you endorse anything
How do we measure the impact of a ministry partnership like this?
Start with what you can actually observe: does the student come back more grounded, more responsible, more engaged in church life? Cross to Life tracks completion, church involvement during the year, and post-program direction — not a formal impact study, but real, checkable outcomes you can ask about directly.
How do we vet a discipleship program for doctrinal alignment?
Ask directly: what do you teach, who's teaching it, and what happens if a student pushes back on core doctrine? Cross to Life is evangelical, Bible-centered, and built around daily Scripture, group study, and a local church cohort — not a substitute for your church's theology, but built to reinforce it. Talk to the Program Director before recommending anyone.
How do we budget for sending students?
You may not need to. Cross to Life pays participants $12,000+ per year, plus housing, meals, and transportation, for a $100/month training fee the student covers — there's typically nothing for the church to budget beyond your own discretion in supporting a student relationally.
Should our denomination or church network endorse this?
That's a real conversation worth having directly, not something to decide from a webpage. Cross to Life isn't tied to a specific denomination — it's evangelical and doctrinally straightforward enough that most denominational leaders find it easy to evaluate on its own terms.
How do we build a referral pipeline that doesn't depend on one pastor?
Make the relationship institutional, not personal — give multiple staff (youth pastor, college pastor, discipleship director) a direct line to the Program Director, and build it into your normal graduating-senior process rather than one person's individual recommendation.
What's the long-term strategic case for investing in young adults this way?
The years right after high school are where most churches lose people, not gain them. A structured, paid, discipleship-first year is a concrete way to interrupt that pattern before it becomes permanent absence — not a guarantee, but a real intervention at the exact point where most churches have none.
From a partner church
I've sent three students to Cross to Life. Every one of them came back more grounded in their faith and ready to lead.
Straight answers
Questions for leadership
Is Cross to Life affiliated with a specific denomination?
No. Cross to Life is evangelical and non-denominational, operating out of Pine Valley Bible Conference Center. It partners with churches and leaders across denominational lines.
What does Cross to Life actually teach, doctrinally?
Core evangelical Christian doctrine — Scripture, the gospel, discipleship, and Christian community — taught through daily devotions, group Bible study, and theology and worldview training. Contact the Program Director for specifics before recommending a student.
Does sending a student cost our church anything?
No. Cross to Life pays the student directly — $12,000+ per year, plus housing, meals, and transportation — for a $100/month training fee the student (not the church) covers. There's no institutional cost to your church.
Can multiple staff at our church stay involved with a student during the year?
Yes. There's no restriction on who stays in touch with a participant — youth pastors, college pastors, and other staff are welcome to stay connected throughout the year, not just the person who made the original referral.
Making a referral for a specific student? See our page for pastors. Want the broader discipleship picture? Read about Christian young adult discipleship or learn more about the program.
Let's talk institution to institution
Considering this at the leadership level?
Program Director Curtis is glad to walk through doctrine, logistics, and fit directly with your team before any student applies.
Email Curtis