Scripture Union Ministries Trust

As the Scripture Union family throughout the world, we accept and proclaim the historic truths of the Christian faith, including the following:

God and the human race
We hold that the Lord our God is one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
and that he fulfils His sovereign purposes
– in creation, revelation, redemption, judgement,
and the coming of his Kingdom,
by calling out from the world a people
united to himself and to each other in love.
We acknowledge that though God made us
in his own likeness and image,
conferring on us dignity and worth,
and enabling us to respond to him,
we are members of a fallen race;
we have sinned and come short of his glory.

We believe that the Father
has shown us his holy love
in giving Jesus Christ, his only son, for us,
while through our sinfulness and guilt,
we were subject to his wrath and condemnation;
and has shown his grace
by putting sinners right with himself
when they place their trust in his Son.

We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God;
as truly human, born of the virgin Mary;
as Servant, sinless, full of grace and truth;

as only Mediator and Saviour, dying on the cross in our place,
representing us to God,
redeeming us from the grip, guilt and punishment of sin;
as victor over Satan and his forces,
rising from death with a glorious body,
being taken up to be with his Father,
one day returning personally in glory and judgement
to establish His Kingdom.

We believe in the Holy Spirit
who convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgement;
who makes the death of Christ effective to sinners, declaring that they
must turn to Christ in repentance,
and directing their trust toward the Lord Jesus Christ;
who through the new birth makes us partake
in the life of the risen Christ,
and who is present within all believers,
illuminating their minds to the grasp of Scripture,
producing in them his fruit,
granting them His gifts, and
empowering them for witness in the world.

The Scriptures
We believe that the Old and New Testament Scriptures
are God-breathed, since their writers spoke from God
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit;
hence they are fully trustworthy in all that they affirm,
and are our highest authority for faith and life.

The Church and its Mission
We recognise the Church
as the body of Christ held together and growing in him;
both as a total fellowship throughout the world, and
as the local congregation in which believers gather.

We acknowledge the commission of Christ
to proclaim the Good News to all people,
making them disciples, and
teaching them to obey Him.

and

We acknowledge the command of Christ
to love our neighbours,
resulting in service to the Church and society,
in seeking reconciliation for all with God and their fellows,
in proclaiming liberty from every kind of oppression; and
in spreading Christ's justice in an unjust world...

...until he comes again.

This statement was adopted by the Scripture Union International Council at Harare, Zimbabwe in May 1985.

Lifestyle
We believe that the Bible calls us to a distinctive lifestyle of discipleship . Our ministry requires us to demonstrate that, especiall y as we are likely to influence others. Such a lifestyle includes regular Bible reading and prayer and active involvement in a local church. It is marked by a selfless attitude to money, possessions, time, work, leisure, social action and relationships. It demonstrates moral standards including an acceptance that the only appropriate place for a sexual relationship is within a marriage between a man and a woman.

Whilst we recognise that as fallen people we often fall short of this ideal, we believe that grace and forgiveness are always available to those who repent. We nevertheless expect that all working with us will be committed to work towards achieving such a lifestyle with God’s help.

Our child protection policy statement

Scripture Union is a movement made up of volunteers and paid staff. We believe that all human beings are of equal worth in the sight of God and aim to follow Biblical principles in all that we do.

Therefore:


We commit ourselves to the nurture, protection, and safekeeping of all, especially children and young people.
It is the responsibility of each one of us to protect children and young people from physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and to report any abuse suspected or discovered.
In order to achieve this, we are committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with children and young people. We will provide appropriate supervision and recognise mutual accountability.