From The Editor

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A SATURDAY in late May marks the beginning of the Church’s annual gathering, as it comes together as a General Assembly to discern God’s will in some of the big challenges which lie ahead.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, this year will be no different, although the Assembly will be wholly online. Like the mini General Assembly which took place over a Friday and Saturday in October, only a very small number of people will be physically present in the Assembly Hall and, to reflect its online nature, the business hours have been shortened. There will be no Assembly Fringe.

Whilst many big decisions will be made during the week, it will not be a ‘normal’ General Assembly, with commissioners taking part from the comfort of their homes via a screen and computer, laptop tablet or mobile phone, rather than physically present in the Assembly Hall, reflecting the experience of so many in our communities this year. Indeed, the Assembly could be a metaphor for life in our churches over the past 14 months.

As we begin to slowly emerge from a further lengthy lockdown across Scotland, some church buildings will begin to reopen within necessary restrictions.

The world – and our church communities – will, however, be changed forever. There will be no return to the days of early 2020.

The Church of the near future is likely to be a hybrid model – one which involves a physical presence at worship but also online. For perhaps the surprise of the last year has been the unexpected engagement with worship online – and the community of people engaging online who would not necessarily attend an ‘in person’ service.

“For perhaps the surprise of the last year has been the unexpected engagement with worship online.

There are no ‘set’ rules for how worship online should look – nearly every congregation taking part has found its own way of sharing with viewers every week. But what has been fascinating has been the numbers and reach, with worshippers joining some services from across the globe and dipping in to different services in different places each week (and at different times). Online worship also offers flexibility – viewers can usually watch later if they miss the traditional time of a regular service.

As commissioners to this year’s General Assembly prepare to meet together, perhaps the best way of reflecting on this time and on the work ahead lies in Ecclesiastes 3: ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

Editor