SCRIPTURE UNION – BASIS OF FAITH

As the Scripture Union family throughout the world, we accept and

1. 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, judgment, 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 Himself, we are now 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 all his forces, rising from death with a glorious body, being taken up to be with His Father,
one day returning personally in glory and judgment to establish His Kingdom.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and
judgment; who makes the death of Christ effective to sinners, declaring that they must turn to
Christ in repentance, and directing their trust towards 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 grasp the truth of Scripture, producing in them His fruit, granting to them
His gifts, and empowering them for service in the world.

2. 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 are fully trustworthy in all
that they affirm and are our highest authority for faith and life.

3. The Church and its Mission: We recognise the Church as the body of Christ, held together and
growing up in Him; both as a total fellowship throughout the world, and as the local congregation in
which all 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.

We acknowledge the command 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.

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ETHOS STATEMENT

(This outlines the kind of organisation SU Scotland seeks to be. Those who work or volunteer with us
are asked to uphold this ethos).

Scripture Union Scotland, as part of an international family of SU movements, is fully committed to

SU Scotland works to help all the children and young people of Scotland explore and respond to the
significance of Jesus Christ for their lives and to encourage people to encounter God through the
Bible and prayer. We hold this as our aim because we believe all human beings regardless of gender,
sexuality, ethnicity, ability or disability, age, political or religious persuasion to be of equal worth
before God and that all have the right to hear about his love for them as expressed in Jesus Christ. We
also seek to encourage everyone to live in daily personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a relationship
nurtured by both personal and corporate prayer and Bible engagement.

As an organisation our twin underlying values are dependence on God and deepening relationships.
In these values we affirm our prayerful dependence on God and our commitment to change as we
open ourselves regularly to Him through the Bible. Dependence on God is expressed through a
commitment to corporate prayer and study of the Bible which are integral to the life of SU Scotland.

We believe the message of Jesus Christ should be evident in our relationships as well as in our
teaching. Therefore, the working environment of SU should be one in which relationships deepen and
where care and support, encouragement, the development of gifts and the realising of potential are
all fostered. A spirit of forgiveness should also characterise our relationships.

We believe following Jesus Christ demands a distinctive lifestyle which impacts upon attitudes to
money, possessions, time, work, leisure, social action and relationships. In relationships we strive to
respect one another, to be accountable to one another and to seek unity without compromising
individual integrity. The lifestyle we affirm is based on the teaching of the Bible and commends the
Christian faith rather than seeking to bring it into disrepute. In the Bible there are clear statements of
what this lifestyle entails which sometimes challenge contemporary cultural norms. Concerted action
is called for so that we avoid things like falsehood, theft, anger, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
desires, greed (Ephesians 4:17-5:21; Colossians 3:5). In our present culture we feel the need to
emphasise that SU staff and volunteers display distinctiveness in the area of sexual purity, avoiding
even a ‘hint of sexual immorality’ (Ephesians 5:3) and living out God’s intention for human flourishing
in sexual relationships.

We commit ourselves to the nurture, protection and safekeeping of all. In particular, we seek to
ensure the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and development of children and young
people. Within this context we are committed to the protection of children and young people from all
forms of abuse. We aim to create a partnership amongst staff and between paid staff and volunteers
in which there is mutual trust, respect and cooperation.

We define ourselves as working as part of the church but having a distinctive role. We will seek to
work collaboratively with all Christian Churches and with other Christian organisations where there
are areas of common interest and concern. We express this partnership practically by encouraging
SU Scotland staff to be actively engaged in a local church.

Within SU Scotland, there are roles which have key spiritual elements to them. These roles can only
be carried out by those who are committed to a living faith in Christ and therefore roles of this nature
will be held by those who have such a faith.

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We are committed to the pursuit of excellence with integrity in every area of work:

 As a mission organisation we will be relevant, practical and relational

[We are happy to discuss this in more detail with anyone who is seeking to determine whether they
wish to seek a staff or volunteer post with us.]

Adopted by the SU Scotland Board March 2019

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Support Raising Summary

In common with many other organisations, and as set out in SU

There are three aspects to our understanding of support raising:

 Prayer
 Volunteering
 Finance

Each staff member is encouraged to make prayer needs known among friends, family and within
their church fellowship. Various resources, both online and in print, are available for this task.

More than 2,000 volunteers participate in SU Scotland ministry each year. Many more opportunities
could be pursued if new volunteers joined the SU Scotland team. We encourage staff to be
proactive in communicating volunteer opportunities with others – whether as a minibus driver, a
caterer or a volunteer working with young people in a school group, a residential event or in a
church-based holiday club.

As a charity, SU Scotland relies on the financial giving of hundreds of individuals from across
Scotland and beyond. Each staff member helps to share organisational financial needs as well as
the needs of their own role to friends, family and church community.

Our support development team help staff by offering training, providing resources when required
and creating (for some roles) a personalised leaflet to communicate these aspects of support
raising.

For those in frontline ministry roles (national ministry workers, managers), support is given before
employment commences, by producing a leaflet and beginning the process of creating a team of
supporters who offer prayer and/or financial support.

This area of ministry will be addressed during interview and candidates are encouraged to raise any
questions at that point.

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Verification of Eligibility to work in the UK

Every employer in the UK is required by Government legislation (Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996
and associated) to make basic document checks on every person they intend to employ. By making these checks,
employers can be sure they will not break the law by employing illegal workers.
The types of documents which require to be checked are for three key reasons:

 to make it harder for people who do not have permission to work in the United Kingdom to obtain work by using
forged or false documents;
 to make it easier for employers to ensure that they employ people who are legally permitted to work in the United
Kingdom;
 to strengthen the Government’s controls on tackling illegal working by making it easier for the United Kingdom
Immigration Service to take action against employers who deliberately use illegal labour.

To comply with this legislation, every new potential employee must provide proof of their eligibility to work in the UK.
This proof can be either a photocopy of one of the documents in List 1 (attached) or photocopies of two of the
combinations of documents given in List 2 (attached).

Please note: If you are selected for interview you will be required to bring the original documents with you.
List 1

Any one of the following documents:

 A passport showing that the holder is a British citizen, or has a right of abode in the United Kingdom.

 A document showing that the holder is a national of a European Economic Area country or
Switzerland. This must be a national passport or national identity card and has before 30 June 2021
a pre or full settled status (verification code will be required for checking)

 A residence permit issued by the Home Office to a national from a European Economic Area country
or Switzerland. and has before 30 June 2021 a pre or full settled status (verification code will be
required for checking)

 A passport or other document issued by the Home Office which has an endorsement stating that the
holder has a current right of residence in the United Kingdom as the family member of a national
from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland who is resident in the United Kingdom and
has before 30 June 2021 a pre or full settled status (verification code will be required for checking)

 A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay indefinitely in the
United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay.

 A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder can stay in the United
Kingdom; and that this endorsement allows the holder to do the type of work you are offering if they
do not have a work permit.

 An Application Registration Card issued by the Home Office to an asylum seeker stating that the
holder is permitted to take employment.

List 2

Any two of the following combinations of documents:

First combination

A A document giving the person’s permanent National Insurance Number and name. This could be
a: P45, P60, National Insurance card, or a letter from a Government agency.
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Plus one of the following documents listed in sections B-H:

B A full birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom, which includes the names of the holder’s
parents; OR

C A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland; OR

D A certificate of registration or naturalisation stating that the holder is a British citizen; OR

E A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can
stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay; OR

F An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement
indicating that the person named in it can stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time
limit on their stay;

G A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can
stay in the United Kingdom, and this allows them to do the type of work you are offering; OR

H An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office to the holder with an endorsement
indicating that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom, and this allows them to do
the type of work you are offering.

Second combination

A A work permit or other approval to take employment that has been issued by Work Permits UK.

Along with a document issued by Work Permits UK, you should also check and copy one of the
following documents listed at B-C below:

B A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is able to stay in the United
Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question; OR

C A letter issued by the Home Office to the holder confirming that the person named in it is able to
stay in the United Kingdom and can take the work permit employment in question.

2021

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