Buildings survey deadline approaching

HAVE you completed the survey about ‘Well equipped spaces in the right places’? You have until October 31 to make your views known.

The survey follows the General Assembly encouraging the General Trustees to develop a plan for the Church’s estate with the view to recommendations being brought back to the Assembly in 2020. The General Trustees are keen to gather a wide range of opinions and views so the final consultation report is as useful as possible.

The overall vision is of a Church estate which has ‘well-equipped spaces in the right places’. We already know that there are many buildings which are getting this right, but there are some fundamental concerns that still need to be addressed to meet the needs of congregations going forward.

The plan that emerges from the consultation report will not be a detailed plan for each building in the Church’s ownership – but will steer the direction, principles, policies and processes for the future. It will act as a framework for action by presbyteries, local congregations and the General Trustees.

Like the Radical Action Plan which was agreed at this year’s General Assembly, it will be designed to liberate the local church to be as eff ective as possible.

Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, encouraged everyone to get involved with the process, saying: “At the General Assembly this year there was an overwhelming endorsement of the need to change. The work of the Special Commission and the Radical Action Plan were adopted and work to implement them has already begun. However, it was stressed at the Assembly that there was a third aspect to this work which aff ects the land and buildings we use and the need for ‘well equipped spaces in the right places’ as a resource for worship, mission and outreach.”

“Buildings are hugely important to everyone in the Church and we all have strong feelings about the buildings we know best. We need to get this right. So I very much welcome the General Trustees consultation which asks all of us to complete the online survey on how best to manage our land and buildings. This can be completed by individuals, kirk sessions and presbyteries and input at all these levels will be immensely helpful.”

“This consultation is important so I encourage everyone who cares about the Church to take time to work through the survey and make their views known. This will ensure that the plan that will go to the 2020 General Assembly will be the very best plan we can make for the future of our congregations as well as for the mission of the Church.”

To ensure the report is completely anonymous and impartial the General Trustees have engaged Built Environment Forum Scotland to manage the project. The full report will be made publicly available once it is complete. 

The survey is only online; to access it please type the following address into your Internet browser: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/COSBuildingsPlan