Student Christian Movement of Great Britain (or SCM) is a British religious charity led by students, past and present. The movement is an
ecumenical
Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...
and inclusive community that recognises
unity in diversity
Unity in diversity is used as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups. It is a concept of "unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation" that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance ...
and explores faith through worship, discussion and action. SCM's vision is that "every student can find a vibrant, open and inclusive Christian community, where they can explore faith and be inspired to put faith into action."
History
SCM began in 1889 as the Student Volunteer Missionary Union and set out to unite students with an interest in overseas mission, but it rapidly broadened its aims and became the largest student organisation in Britain. It went on to help establish the
National Union of Students and the
World University Service. Its first General Secretary was Tissington Tatlow. Without SCM, the
Edinburgh conference, which was to give birth to the modern ecumenical movement, would never have taken place.
SCM went on to play a vital role in the formation of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
and continued to be a leading voice on
ecumenism
Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...
. It founded the
SCM Press which became one of the leading Theological publishers in the UK, attracting controversy with the publication of
Honest to God in 1963.
In 1928 the
Inter-Varsity Fellowship was formed by members of the SCM who disagreed with its liberal position.
Until the 1980s, SCM covered the whole of Britain and Ireland, but subsequently split into two organisations. However, both remain members of the
World Student Christian Federation
The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCM) forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement. The Federation includes Orthodox, Protestant and Cathol ...
(WSCF). This period also saw the growing participation of Catholic students in what had previously been a Protestant organisation.
Present day SCM
University groups
SCM has links in approximately 60
universities
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
and other higher education establishments across the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, taking the form of either a student group or
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
cy who subscribe SCM's aims and objectives. Some of the student groups carry the SCM name (for example, SCM Sheffield and SCM Leeds) whereas others do not (for example, Christian Focus York and Durham JAM). Some groups are
denominational societies and are connected to a particular church, whereas many are ecumenical. The characteristics of each link vary, with SCM making no determinations as to how groups should be run, however, most SCM affiliated student groups follow the principle of student leadership. SCM also has a number of individual members (present or recent students) who want membership independent of a local group or chaplaincy; either because they want to support the movement, get more involved in the movement, or there is no local group for them to join.
Link churches
SCM has a number of "link churches" that support the aims of SCM with the aim of administering to students and young people. Each link church varies in how they support SCM, but many run student groups, promote SCM and its events, and celebrate Student Sunday.
Management
In February 2020, SCM appointed the Revd Naomi Nixon as
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
.
Social issues
Responding to the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
's pastoral statement on
civil partnerships
A civil union (also known as a Civil partnership in the United Kingdom, civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. Civi ...
in 2019, SCM made an official statement which reiterated its commitment to the full affirmation of
LGBT+
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...
people.
In August 2022, at the
Greenbelt Festival, SCM launched its Honest Church campaign, whose purpose is to encourage churches to be transparent about their inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. In September 2023, the Oxford Safe Churches group published advice on which churches are "safe" for LGBT+ students, based on resources developed for the Honest Church campaign.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Christian student societies in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in Birmingham, West Midlands
Religion in Birmingham, West Midlands
Christian organizations established in 1889
Student organisations in the United Kingdom
Student organizations established in 1889
1889 establishments in England