View from the pulpit

The Rev Justin Taylor describes how the Church of Scotland in Guernsey is discovering ‘our God-given voice’.

IF you were like me, you might have asked why the Kirk has any churches outside of Scotland. With all that is happening in the Kirk, what has it to gain from congregations in the Channel Islands?

That question became even more important when I moved to Guernsey in 2022 and realised it has a population of 60000 with 50 churches on the island.

So why is the Church of Scotland here, and what value does our denomination bring to this island? Interestingly, because of Guernsey’s relationship with France, the dominant church in the Channel Islands used to be Presbyterian. However, the main denomination became the Church of England due to its affiliation with the Crown. Sadly, we are one of two Reformed congregations on the island, with the URC not likely to call a minister for the foreseeable future. So, our role is historic in keeping Presbyterianism alive on the island. Apart from our historical identity, what does our Kirk bring to Guernsey?

The congregation of St Andrew’s of the Grange comprises remarkable people passionate about seeing our church flourish and make an impact. We are unique as our congregation includes Scots, Guerns, English, Welsh, Irish and members from across the globe. We have a wealth of expertise; some members have worked in government, the finance industry, electricians, teachers, doctors, and others are unemployed. It is remarkable to see the sheer variety and backgrounds of our members.

Like the churches in the UK, we also face similar struggles. Ageing congregations and lack of children are our primary concerns. There are no easy answers, and we have had some hard conversations, but I am proud of our little kirk on this island as we have been on a journey. We have worked hard and ensured our policies and procedures are in place; we have worked with Rob Rawson at 121 doing Future Focus and engaged the services of Place For Hope to help us work better together.

The result is that we have started to redefine our identity in the community. We have a Mission Group looking at ways we can reach out of the building and into the heart of our island, and we can see some fruit from this. As a minister, I also work as a chaplain in the hospital, and we get to meet people in the most profound moments of need. We are one of two churches on the island that do same-sex marriages. This means that pastorally, we are at the epicentre of a mission that other churches cannot do. Surprisingly to some, Guernsey has high poverty levels, and we as a congregation are trying to find ways to help those most need it. Although being a church in the 21st century is difficult, we are discovering our God-given voice on the island.

Our presence outside Scotland is a gift to those on this island and those back in Scotland. The danger with all the changes is that the Church of Scotland becomes the Church in Scotland at the expense of all the excellent work congregations like ours do in the name of the Kirk. What is often forgotten is that we are educating people about who the Church of Scotland is. So, our success reflects well on the denomination. ¤

The Rev Justin Taylor is minister of Guernsey: St Andrew’s of the Grange.

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