Dave Newton took over as National Director of Scripture Union (SU) in March. Now he has his feet under the desk, Evangelicals Now asked him about his vision for its future.
SU was originally founded in 1867 to help adults and children know God through the Bible. Today, its 1,500 volunteers run over 60 camps and missions a year.
He was first asked about the claim that SU is a movement, not an organisation, and what exactly that means. He said: ‘Scripture Union is so much more than an organisation or simply a staff team. Rather, it is a mixed bag of staff, volunteers, partner charities and so on, all pressing on to the same goal and purpose’.
His strategy for reaching the 95% of children who do not yet know Jesus takes place under the banner ‘Revealing Jesus’. This four-stage framework enables churches to make contact with children and young people they don’t currently connect with, through opportunities such as training, coaching, resources and holidays. Mission enablers then work through the framework with those churches to Connect – Explore – Respond – and finally – Grow those young people in discipleship.
Newton was asked about the cultural challenges SU faces, such as the other pressures young people face on their time, for example sport on Sunday mornings. He said: ‘Maybe instead of competing with those cultural pressures and seeking to attract people away from them, what would it look like to take a more mission-focused approach? How could we start to see a Christian presence in places that have traditionally been seen as a distraction for Christians? How could we mobilise sports coaches, dance and music teachers? Could a Christian car mechanic with two 16-yearold apprentices somehow introduce them to Jesus? SU’s latest research initiative looks at how to engage young people online – how could the church be present there, revealing Jesus to them?
He also addressed another key issue, mental health, saying: ‘Sometimes switching off the phone and doing something different can really help. We run a range of holidays that do a week’s youth work in a weekend. They range from mountain biking to sailing and paddle boarding, to Bake Off competitions to go-karting and computer programming. More recently we have introduced holidays targeted at young children and young people with additional needs as well as those from looked-after families. It is our desire to reveal Jesus to children and young people everywhere.’
Newton also points to a number of successes already. More than 350 churches have joined ‘Revealing Jesus’.
