General Assembly 2021 - ‘not an easy ask’

THE Church of Scotland must keep up its current pace of change or the sacrifices made so far will be for nothing, the 2021 General Assembly was repeatedly told.

Only the Moderator, conveners and officials were in the hall in Edinburgh for the Church’s first full General Assembly in two years, while Commissioners spoke and voted remotely. They heard multiple stark warnings about the current state of the church and the urgent need for reform.

The Convener of the Assembly Trustees, the Very Rev Dr John Chalmers admitted that the proposals would cause pain throughout the Church. He said: “We are well aware that this is not an easy ask. Every one of us is a member or minister serving in parishes that will be affected by this. We know reshaping the Church around this will involve painful decisions. But in the goodness and grace of God we trust.”

The Rev Rosie Frew, Convener of the Faith Nurture Forum, said: “We are draining the resources of the Church - people, morale, finance - just to keep this broken system going. Without a radical treatment plan the Church of Scotland will not survive.”

And the outgoing Moderator, the Very Rev Dr Martin Fair, spoke powerfully about there being ‘work for [the Church] to do’ while there were still issues such as poverty, sectarianism, refugees, mental health problems, nuclear weapons and violence in the Holy Land, but warned that ‘there will be hardly any Church left to do all of that’ if it doesn’t make the necessary reforms and reverse its decline in numbers.

Yet, by the end of the Assembly, the new Moderator, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, was able to say that ‘significant progress’ had been made. “The challenges are very real and five days of debate, deliberation and deliverances do not make them disappear,” he said. “But our prayers and our hopes must be that as we emerge from this Assembly we are better equipped and better prepared to deal with them.”

CHURCH REFORMS 

In a debate which stretched over three days, the Assembly passed a new Presbytery Mission Plan Act which will see the number of ministry posts in the Church cut to 600, plus 60 vacancies, by 2025 –a number the Assembly was told was both financially affordable and also reflected projections for the near future, with over 35% of ministers reaching retirement age within five years.

A motion for the Forum to bring alternative proposals, with a breakdown of predicted financial impacts, to a Commission of Assembly later this year was defeated by 374 votes to 163.

Mrs Frew argued that tinkering with the weightings to change ministry numbers would make very little difference, and that the church couldn’t know how finances would be affected.

She said: “If you wish to claim more for your presbytery, you must tell the Church which other presbyteries should have fewer.

“We know there is no easy or painless way forward. But we can choose our pain: the short, sharp pain of surgery, with the prospect of recovery; or long, debilitating, decline with no hope of getting better.”

In response to concern that closing churches could lead to reduced givings, she said: “This is a major challenge before us and we all have to play our part in it.

We are a church with far too many buildings. We are a church who could be doing things in a far more creative, far more joined up way. I would just pray that people will be generous in giving for the glory of God and for the good of the Kingdom, not just for the building they like worshipping in.”

Until new Presbytery Plans have been approved, churches will only be given permission to call a minister with the approval of both the Presbytery and the Faith Nurture Forum, and where both parties deem this to be a strategic priority. Churches already given permission to call have until December 31 for a nominee to preach, after which the Forum must be consulted before the process is allowed to continue. All new calls during this period will be on the basis of reviewable rather than unrestricted charge. A lengthy debate on ministerial tenure concluded with the Forum being instructed ‘to keep questions around call and tenure under review’.

Presbytery reform continued with the General Assembly agreeing to three mergers, combining Edinburgh with West Lothian, Hamilton with Lanark, and six presbyteries in south west Scotland. It rejected an Overture from the Presbytery of Lewis which would have put a year’s pause on the process of Presbytery reform.

Photos: Andrew O’Brien for the Church of Scotland

Disquiet was expressed over the proposal to delay a decision on the future of the Church’s administrative offices in Edinburgh for another two years, although Dr Chalmers committed that no more than £100,000 would be spent on maintaining the buildings before the end of 2022. He said that nothing pained him more than the lack of progress on this issue.

FINANCE

Dr Chalmers told the Assembly that progress had been made, including reducing the costs of central administration by 30 per cent, but that it would be for nothing unless the work of reforming presbyteries and ‘radical reshaping of local church’ is completed.

The Assembly passed a budget with a deficit of £11m, and approved a new scheme to replace the system of Mission and Ministries allocations.

It also agreed to the establishment of a new Pioneer Mission Fund to support local church growth, with a particular emphasis on church planting and the establishment of new worshipping communities. Proposed by the Rev Christopher Rowe, this is intended to partly fill the gap created by the suspension of the Growth Fund following the pandemic. While Mr Rowe suggested the fund would be supported by ‘individuals, businesses and outside bodies’, Dr Chalmers announced that the Church was likely to be able to use some money from unrestricted legacies as ‘seed’ funding.

The Trustees’ proposal for a National Giving Day during harvest season this year was supported, although some commissioners were concerned that it might clash with local harvest appeals, or that it might not coincide with harvest locally. Dr Chalmers said that it had never been the intention to fix a specific date.

A section of deliverance encouraging Presbyteries to use their discretionary funds to help struggling churches meet their mission and ministry contributions was resisted by some commissioners, who argued that the central church should not be seeking to influence decisions on that money, and that it could mean money being taken away from other projects. However, Dr Chalmers said: “If you don’t have some urgent and imaginative ongoing project that needs to be supported, remember that your national Church and congregations across the Church need to be supported as well.”

FOSSIL FUELS DISINVESTMENT 

The General Assembly welcomed the fact that the Church no longer holds investments in oil and gas companies.

During the debate on the report into the Faith Impact Forum, the Assembly also gave thanks for the ‘passion of the young people’ in the Church who have campaigned for disinvestment from fossil fuels, and welcomed the agreement that ‘in principle’ no future investments would be held in fossil fuels companies unless those companies’ strategies align with efforts to keep global heating below 1.5C.

A number of attempted amendments from David Laing, an elder from the Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside, to remove elements celebrating the disinvestment in principle were all defeated, although each attracted over 100 votes.

Mr Laing pointed out that the disinvestment had been made, according to the Investors’ Trust, for financial reasons, that it was contrary to decisions of previous General Assemblies which had voted against disinvestment, and that welcoming the move was divisive.

He also said that in disinvesting from fossil fuels companies the Church had lost leverage as a shareholder in those companies. However, Faith Impact Convener the Very Rev Dr Susan Brown said that leverage had ‘failed miserably’ in the past. Mr Laing did succeed in adding a new section instructing the Forum to work with the General Trustees to negotiate an improved rate for electricity, which could help churches switch their heating from gas to green electricity. Dr Brown told the assembly that the Trustees had already begun such negotiations.

Churches were encouraged to sign the Scottish Churches CoP26 Pledge in addition to the other ways the report urged them to engage with the climate change conference. Congregations and presbyteries were also urged to join Eco-Congregation Scotland as part of the Church’s commitment to reach Net Zero by 2030.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

The solemnisation of same-sex marriages by Church of Scotland ministers is a step closer after the General Assembly voted to send draft legislation brought by the Legal Questions Committee to presbyteries for consideration.

The proposal defeated a counter-motion, which would have delayed the legislation while it was considered by the Theological Forum, by 320 votes to 211. The legislation will now be considered by presbyteries later this year and, if a majority agree, by next year’s General Assembly for final approval.

The legislation, brought in response to an instruction of a previous General Assembly, will require ministers and deacons who wish to preside over same-sex weddings to apply for approval to do so, without compelling anyone who does not wish to. Proposing that it be approved, the Rev John Purves said it was ‘not a threat to anyone’s stronglyheld beliefs’ and showed the church’s ‘willingness to allow our theology to grow and evolve, and to recognise and respect our differences’.

Arguing for the counter motion, Eric Smith, an elder from Falkirk, said that the legislation represented a ‘de facto change in the church’s position on the definition of marriage’ and that it therefore needed further thought and consideration. 

However, the convener of the Theological Forum, the Rev Dr Donald MacEwan, pointed out that the Forum produced a report on the theology of same-sex relationships in 2017.

In response to concerns about the possibility of ministers facing legal action for refusing to conduct same-sex weddings, the Procurator, Laura Dunlop QC said that the legislation had been carefully drawn up to prevent that. She added that the work had gone on for many years and ‘we are all discussed out’.

SAINT ANDREW DECLARATION

During the report of the Ecumenical Relations Committee, the Assembly approved the St Andrew Declaration, in which the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church recognise each other as sharing the same faith and being ‘true churches of the Gospel’. The two churches also acknowledge each other’s ordained ministries and commit to respond together to ‘our common calling to proclaim the reign of God to all the people of Scotland by strengthening our partnership in ministry and mission’, welcoming each other’s members to worship and committing to work together ‘in practical and prophetic ways’.

Should the Declaration also be approved by the Episcopal Church’s General Synod, it will be signed later this year.

The Assembly was addressed by the Primus of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Mark Strange, who said: “This Declaration doesn’t ignore the things that seem to make us different from each other. Some of those differences will need to be worked through or, dare I say it, simply accepted as differences we will always have. Remember, unity is not the same as uniformity. What I believe we’re trying to do is to encapsulate the working together that we have already achieved while also informing the communities we serve; that we aren’t here to compete for your loyalty, we are here to share with you our vision of a Scotland still served by the church, with all its breadth, history and prayers for the future.”

The Assembly also approved the Church of Scotland’s participation in the Scottish Christian Forum, the national ecumenical body which is to replace Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS).

PRINCE WILLIAM

For the first time, one of the Queen’s grandchildren served as Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly. Prince William, the Earl of Strathearn, told the Assembly of his abiding affection for Scotland, the setting of happy memories including family holidays, training as a pilot in Inverness, studying and meeting his wife Catherine in St Andrews; but also his saddest, as he was staying at Balmoral in 1997 when he was informed that his mother had died. “Still in shock, I found sanctuary at the service in Crathie Kirk that morning, and in the dark days of grief that followed I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will always run deep.”

In his closing speech, he thanked the Church for its witness and service during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: “Over this past year local communities across the entirety of the UK have experienced a period of profound loss, challenge and change. They have found support in the values of community life that perhaps we may have previously taken for granted. These values provide us with the strength and ingenuity to adapt and meet the challenges we place now and ahead.

“And that is why I believe we can be confident about the future. A future embracing change yet holding those values close.”

KEY DEBATES AND DECISIONS

• The convener of the Faith Impact Forum, the Very Rev Dr Susan Brown, urged Kirk Sessions to take part in the training offered on violence against women. While there was some dismay expressed that the Church no longer has a dedicated gender justice officer, Dr Brown assured the Assembly that the work was still being taken forward. The Rev Fiona Smith added that: “Domestic abuse is not just about violence. There are so many different areas to it.” She also warned that women within the Church were still ‘finding it difficult to have our voices recognised within all areas’, more than half a century after the Church began ordaining women to leadership roles.

The Assembly supported the Faith Impact Forum’s motion urging the UK government to ensure Covid-19 vaccines are available all over the world. Joel Hafvenstein, the executive director of the United Mission to Nepal, who was an overseas delegate to the Assembly, said that ‘all over Nepal people are drawing their final breaths today’ and that the country had only managed to vaccinate three or four per cent of its population. He said: “With our commitment to global justice, we must make this a priority.”

A section calling on the UK Government to restore the commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas aid was strengthened, adding that the Assembly ‘deplore(d) the decision of the UK Government to cut overseas aid programmes’.

• The convener of the Social Care Council (CrossReach), the Rev Thom Riddle paid tribute to the ‘amazing’ CrossReach staff who had worked throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to support some of the people most challenged by it, ‘and most importantly to make them feel loved’. He warned that the pandemic had ‘exposed the cracks in a social care system where neither supported people nor the people who support them’ are properly valued.

• Mabel Wallace, the National Convener of the Guild, reported that the money raised for its six partner projects for 2018-2021 had risen to £551,434, and with United Nations match funding for the Malawi Fruits project to £638,000.

• In paying tribute to the work of the Military Chaplains, Air Marshal Richard Knighton, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, said that despite technological changes, people would remain vital to the UK’s military capability. He said: “I cannot over-emphasise enough the role of chaplaincy… in over 30 years’ experience, I have seen at any moment of need soldiers, sailors and airmen turn to their chaplains to provide morale, camaraderie and spiritual wellbeing.”

•A section was added to the Faith Nurture Forum deliverance instructing the Forum to explore the possibilities of developing a three-year Gaelic Language Plan, including a particular emphasis on Gaelic ministry and mission to young people.

• Presenting the report of the Special Commission on the Effectiveness of Presbyterian Governance, the Very Rev Dr Derek Browning said that the Special Commission had agreed that no system of Church government was inherently more effective than any other: “The key thing is not to do with our structures but to do with our attitude. Until we get our culture right and our attitude right at every level then tinkering with the structures will not affect very much.” The Church was invited to study and engage with the issues raised in the report, and a webinar is to be organised before the end of the year to help members engage with it.

• The chairman of the Pension Trustees, Graeme Caughey, said he was ‘delighted’ to announce that all the church’s pension schemes are in surplus. “This is the gold standard… It’s the news we have been waiting for and a significant milestone,” he said. The positive impacts will endure for decades.”

• The chairman of the General Trustees, Raymond Young, admitted he was repeating himself as he urged the Church to get to grips with its oversupply of buildings. He said: “Every year we say that the Church has too many buildings, too many of poor quality and too many in the wrong place, and every year the General Assembly agrees. But over the last 10 years we have sold 162 churches or halls – an average of 16 a year, less than one per cent of the churches we have.” However he pointed to Shetland, which is radically cutting its number of buildings, as an example of what can be achieved.

• Following the Theological Forum’s report into the place of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Church’s subordinate standard, Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions are to be asked to discuss the options presented by the end of the year.

The Forum will bring firm proposals to the 2022 Assembly, but has said its preferred option would be an approved book of confessions, to include the Westminster Confession along with other confessions and creeds.