How the church is responding to the call for a radical action plan.

MINISTERS and elders from across Scotland gathered in Clydebank on October 31 for a two-day presbyteries conference, convened by the Council of Assembly. The aim of the conference was to help lay the groundwork for a radical action plan to guide the future of the Church as it meets the challenges of mission in the 21st century.

The call for a ‘radical action plan’ came from the 2018 General Assembly, which rejected a proposed 10-year strategic plan, instead directing the Council of Assembly to return in 2019 with a more radical plan for 2019-22. Church members were also asked to consider the ideas of the Glasgow University theologian the Rev Dr Doug Gay, expressed in a series of lectures in 2017 and his book ‘Reforming the Kirk’.

The proposed over-arching theme of the action plan is Jesus’ call to ‘Follow Me’, to run over the three years, encouraging people to develop and deepen their faith, supporting churches engagement with their communities, and discovering new ways of being witnesses to Jesus with the courage to leave old ways behind.

The presbyteries conference was one of many local and national events which are contributing to the discussions taking place across the Church this year.

While the Council of Assembly was tasked with presenting a plan to the General Assembly in 2019, presbyteries, and kirk session were urged to pray, listen to God’s call and reflect together on their mission and vision for the next three years.

Church structures and governance are also under review from a Special Commission, tasked with making recommendations aimed at ensuring the Church’s national structure is ‘lean and it for purpose to lead reform’.

The recommendations will be debated at next year’s General Assembly along with other proposals for the radical action plan, and, if accepted, will guide trustees, councils and committees of the Church.

At national level the Church has established a project team, and three work groups to look at local church, discipleship and inance. Going forward, plans are in motion to bring together a smaller representative group from presbyteries which will act as a reference group to help the council with speciic action planning.

There will also be a second one-day presbyteries conference in early 2019 in preparation for the General Assembly.

Around 55 representatives from 41 presbyteries attended the conference, along with representatives from each of the Councils, the Panel on Review and Reform, Ecumenical Relations, the General Trustees, Stewardship and Finance department and the Communications department, and took part in large and small group discussions.

“These two days together highlighted a common desire for change and a wide diversity of views as to how that change can best happen.

Several key themes emerged during the discussions. There was a call to reduce the burden on local congregations of administration tasks and building maintenance in order to free people up for missional activities. It was suggested that dealing with GDPR, Safeguarding and building issues could be handled by staff devolved to presbyteries.

At the same time there were calls for presbyteries to have more lexibility over deployment of ministers and interim ministry teams and for resources to be devolved to the local level for mission and outreach.

Several people advocated for Kirk Sessions to be reduced in size, with governance rotated among the group of elders and limited to speciic terms of service. Others said this would not work for their congregations. A number of people said responsibilities should be shared based on talent and inclination so that some elders might focus on pastoral care, others on safeguarding, youth work or leading worship.

At the end of the conference, Sally Bonnar, convener of the Council of Assembly, said: “None of us are in any doubt about the huge challenges facing the Church of Scotland at this time.

“These two days together highlighted a common desire for change and a wide diversity of views as to how that change can best happen.

“We all have a part to play in shaping the future that we believe that God is calling us into. This will involve courageous decisions and a deep reliance on the Spirit of God.

“At the heart of the action plan must be a commitment to prayer, prayer for guidance, prayer for one another and, above all, prayer that we will hear and act upon what God is saying to the Church at this time.”