SU has distinctive character, attitudes and values. Here are some of the ingredients that have been identified in the ethos of Scripture Union.

1. A recognition of our dependence on God
   Recognising our dependence on God, we acknowledge the place of prayer and of God.s provision of different gifts for different people through which his ministry is accomplished.
2. Being biblical
   We advocate the use of the Bible and accept its authority. We try to evaluate all that we are doing and plan to do in the light of biblical teaching and principles.
3. Valuing people equally
   We regard all people, whatever their age, race, gender, social position or physical or mental ability, of equal worth in the sight of God. We therefore try to value them equally.
4. Quality relationships
   We aim to build relationships that are more than superficial. We favour relational evangelism. We want to see children discover faith in the context of caring relationships. The focus of our family ministry is quality relationships. We are concerned about the pastoral care and development of our own staff and volunteers, and describe the worldwide SU movement as a family.
5. Holistic theology and Christian world view
   We have an understanding of God as three-in-one: Father, Son and Spirit. We value him as our creator, a living God who redeems and restores us. Through the Biblical teaching on the Kingdom we see God encompassing the whole of life and that laughter and humour, tears and pain, success and failure are all important parts of being Christian. We do not support views that tend to divide life into 'spiritual' and 'secular'. Therefore we aim to communicate a holistic Gospel, which relates to every aspect of people.s lives. So, for example, we encourage a very positive attitude to the arts, a deep concern for social justice as well as evangelism, and a concern for school life as a whole and not just school Christian groups.
6. Quality and growth
   We aim for quality and effectiveness, in our face to face evangelism, literature, publicity and administration. We aim to encourage the growth and development of our volunteers and our staff through research, self-evaluation and training, and in the exploration of current issues.
7. Passing our ministry on
   We work to build a partnership between a small number of staff and a much larger number of volunteers. We emphasise equipping and enabling others to do what God has called them to do. We do this by training volunteers as well as by demonstrating good practice to those with whom we work.
8. Working with churches
   We endeavour to work in partnership with local churches wherever possible. We seek to strengthen the wider church through our ministry.