Vision Statement
Children and youth following Jesus Christ, filled with hope and transforming the families and
nation of Sierra Leone.

Mission Statement
“Scripture Union of Sierra Leone is a national autonomous inter-denominational Christian
Organization that nurtures children and youth holistically, strengthening family life and helping
people to engage with God through the Bible so that they may follow Jesus and be instrumental
in transforming Sierra Leone”

Aims
Like all Scripture Union National Movements, SUSL adopts the Aims of SU International
“Working with the Churches, Scripture Union Aims:
 to make God’s Good News known to children, young people and families and
 to encourage people of all ages to meet God daily through the Bible and prayer
So that
 they may come to personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
 grow in Christian maturity and
 become both committed Church members and servants of a world in need”

STATEMENT OF BELIEF
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 fulfills his sovereign purpose – in creation, revelation, redemption, judgment, and the coming of his
kingdom by calling out from the word 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 now 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 savior, 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 make the death of Christ effective to sinners, declaring that they must now 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.
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.
The Church and its Mission
We recognize 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 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
spreading Christ’s justice in an unjust world…until he comes again.

WORKING PRINCIPLES
We seek to exercise the ministries God has given us in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and in
reliance on the Holy Spirit. We therefore aim to follow Biblical principles in all that we do and
to emphasize the vital importance of prayer. We approach our work in the following ways: Evangelism and Teaching
We are committed to teaching basic Christian truths as an essential part of evangelism.
We aim to express God’s Good News to Children, young people and families, not only in words,
but also, by building caring relationships with them.
We make every effort to communicate the Gospel in contemporary language and in ways
appropriate to the context.
We emphasize that faith should always lead to action and to growth in Christian character and
service.
We acknowledge that the Gospel has inescapable social dimensions and therefore it involves us
in service to others and a concern for social justice. In view of our specific aims, we have a
specific responsibility for children and young people who are poor, deprived or exploited. We encourage children to follow Christ in ways that are appropriate to their age, culture and
background, taking special account of their home and family situation and level of maturity. We believe that the new birth is a profound supernatural experience, brought about by the Holy
Spirit. So we invite people to respond to what He is doing in their lives and guard against calling
for superficial responses.
We are committed to working in ways that reflect our beliefs, in appropriate cooperation with
organizations and institutions, such as schools, that welcome us

Bible Ministries
In encouraging people to meet God through the Bible, we emphasize the significance of the
Bible as a whole.
 We encourage people to read it so that they come to repentance, faith, obedience to God
and worship.
 We prepare systematic programs and materials for children, young people and adults,
appropriate to their age and situation.
 We are committed to Bible reading which is thoughtful, prayerful and regular and which
enables the reader to respond to the message of the whole Bible rather than to isolated
passages.
 We are concern to interpret the text in a way which enables people, in their contemporary
situations, to hear for themselves the message of the Bible from its original context.

Churches
 We recognize our part in God’s worldwide family and seek ways of working positively
with a variety of churches.
 We encourage people who come to faith through our ministries to take part in the life of a
local church fellowship.

Equality and Unity
 We believe that all human beings are of equal worth in the sight of God and that all those
who put their faith in Christ are one in Him.
 We are therefore committed to exercising our ministries without discrimination as to
race, colour, gender, language or social position.
 We recognize that Scripture Union worldwide is a family of national movements in
which resources can be shared in a responsible way on a basis of trust.
 We express our Christian commitment in varied and creative ways since we are drawn
from diverse backgrounds.

Volunteers and Staff
 We work with a relatively small number of staff who recruit, motivate, train, equip and
support a larger number of volunteers with whom they work in partnership.
 We believe that the Holy Spirit confers gifts of leadership on Christians of all nations
without discrimination. So, we encourage national leadership of Scripture Union
movements, while recognizing the contribution of those from other countries.
 We, as staff and volunteers, from a variety of backgrounds, are united in our commitment
to the aims, belief and working principles of Scripture Union We agree that, while we are involved in Scripture Union activities, we will handle
controversial issues, such as baptism, spiritual gifts and church order, in ways that
promote harmony.

Biblical Standards
 We aim to follow Biblical principles in all that we do. This includes, for example, our
administration, our publicity and the way we care for our staff and volunteers.
 We seek to honour God in carrying out our ministries by combining prayerful reliance
on him with the use of the best available means, and maintain the highest standards
possible.
 We believe in praying for financial support, in dependence on God, and telling the
Christian public of our needs, without distorting the truth or using undue pressure.