At Scripture Union, Jesus is not just a belief but a living reality. He is our first and foremost priority. We strive to embody His teachings in our actions and activities, inviting others to experience His love and life. Our commitment to Jesus is not passive but active. We serve Him, relying on His transformative power in our lives and the lives of those we work with. In everything we do, we seek to honour Jesus and advance His kingdom.

We seek to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit by being submissive to His will and making His desires our desires. God is in charge of Scripture Union, so being in step with the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance is essential for how our staff and volunteers play their part and do their day-to-day work.

With a name like Scripture Union, it’s no surprise that we value God’s Word. Bible engagement is in our DNA. It’s why we advocate for and equip people of all ages to read, reflect, remember, and respond to God’s Word. It’s why we meet as a staff team every week to consider and contemplate God’s Word together. And it’s why all our resources are rooted in the Scriptures.

We are powerless without God. So, in every situation, we present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6). Prayer isn’t something we occasionally do. We constantly look to Jesus to guide, provide, and strengthen us. When you see us at work, you’ll also see us praying. And we pray for everything—for our church partners, faithful supporters, volunteers, interns, online and in-person ministries, and much more.

The most significant mission field is the 4/14 Window (children between four and fourteen years old). About sixty percent of Christian adults came to faith in Christ before twelve and about twenty percent before eighteen. Children’s primary faith nurturers are their parents. That’s why we equip and encourage churches to support parents, and urge parents to prioritize family faith formation.

The salvation of Canadians matters to us because it matters to God. We want people to encounter Jesus for themselves. So, we go all out to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom, reaching and rescuing children, youth, and families. That’s why we do sports ministry—to provide opportunities for everyone everywhere to ask Jesus to be their Coach (Lord and Saviour) and join His Team (faith community/church).     

We do our best to root and release children, youth, and families to grasp their inheritance in Jesus and follow Him. One way we do this is through our mid-week sports clubs, which major in teaching children how to follow Jesus. Another way is to resource families with Bibles and Bible reading guides that help them meet with God daily.

We’re better together. We’re committed to interdependence, community, connectedness and collaboration with others around our common oneness in Jesus. Our staff works nationally and internationally with the Global Children’s Forum, Sports Movement, Forum of Bible Agencies, 4/14 Movement, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and other like-minded Christian organizations/entities.

We aim to be mutually responsible to one another and Jesus. Scripture Union is audited operationally by the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities and financially by an independent firm of Chartered Accountants. The president reports to the Scripture Union Board, which provides oversight of operations and finances. Donors, business partners, and funding agencies receive reports and updates on the use of funds. Staff performance is periodically reviewed, and the organization aspires to the highest level of spiritual integrity and ministry transparency.

We delight in resourcing and working with everyone in Christ, i.e., with all whom God has accepted. We work trans-denominationally, partnering with local churches to connect Canadians with Jesus and His Story. Our non-denominational stance is informed by the dictum attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.”

Relationships are essential, and we invest deeply in them. Methodologically, we prioritize people over programs. We research children’s and family ministry to hear from and respond to the needs and challenges that pastors, teachers, parents, and others are experiencing. We recognize that we humbly share, through various complementary ways, in the mission to connect Canadians with Jesus and His Story.

We value honesty, trustworthiness, dependability, and truthfulness in our relationships with each other and Jesus. We are well aware that the integrity and righteousness of our staff guide and guard the ministry of Scripture Union (Proverbs 11:3, 13:6). And we know that our preaching, teaching and modelling emerge out of who we are.

Spiritual health and growth are desired outcomes. We develop new ministry initiatives and resources as opportunities arise to reach, rescue, root and release Canadians in Christ. Our online bookstore (Christian Books Canada), the online School of KidsMin, and the School Sports Chaplaincy are recent examples of ways we facilitate growth.

Creativity is connected to God’s nature. We encourage sanctified imagination, ministry inventiveness, and strategic resourcefulness. Humility and vulnerability are partners in the creative process. We know we’ll make mistakes along the way, and the creative process will take a while. But we step out in faith, trusting God—as has happened with our blogs—now inspiring and informing more than 15,000 people monthly.

We’re dedicated to incarnating Jesus through everything we say and do. New projects are only initiated with the Lord’s leading. Ongoing development is always undertaken prayerfully and thoughtfully. And God’s Word informs our plans and priorities.