Assembly 2024

Thomas Baldwin rounds up the key debates and decisions taken at this year’s General Assembly, which took place in Edinburgh in May.

‘A FRESH VISION’

The Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Faith Action Programme Leadership Team (FAPLT) has told the General Assembly that the Church needs ‘a fresh vision’.

The Rev Tommy MacNeil said that the Church continues to do ‘truly remarkable work’ but acknowledged that it was ‘in the midst of a deeply challenging and uncertain moment’ as it struggles with shortages of money and ministers, and falling membership.

He said: “In our hurt and pain, we need to know Christ as our healer and restorer if we are to have any hope of having a different future.

“I am convinced this is the need of the hour for all in our church. A fresh encounter with God. A fresh vision of who God is, where God is, a fresh vision of what his plans and purposes for us are. When God enters the occasion, everything changes… We’re in a moment of crisis, but God is not.”

He finished with a plea for members of the Church to respond to God’s call: “Our plea as FAPLT to you today, with all humility and all sincerity, is that we respond like Isaiah and say to God: ‘Here am I, send me, equip me, envision me, fill me, use me.’ And if we do that, we’ll reveal Christ to our world.”

REFORMS AND FINANCE

The Assembly Trustees were told to bring proposals that will mean the Church is breaking even financially within four years.

The motion, introduced by the Rev Scott Rennie and passed by a wide margin, urged the Trustees to bring proposals to next year’s Assembly which will deliver the Church of Scotland Unincorporated Entities (the national charity which includes the Church’s central services, Faith Action programme and CrossReach) a balanced budget by the end of 2027.

The instruction followed a report from the Assembly Trustees which warned that, on current trends, the Church’s available reserves will be exhausted by 2032.

Mr Rennie said that although the Trustees had made ‘remarkable progress’ so far in delivering reform, he felt the wider Church still did not appreciate the urgency of balancing the budget.

Much discussion focused on the fact, revealed in the Trustees’ report, that 71% of charges in the Church do not contribute enough to cover their ministry costs, and are supported by the other 29%. Convener of the Assembly Trustees, the Rev David Cameron, said that it was ‘a key illustration of the challenge we face as a Church’.

Mr Cameron said that the majority of the reforms instructed from 2019 had now been delivered, with new presbyteries in place and initial savings targets met at the National Office. However, he said that ‘we have a way to go, because the hard truth is that limited resources are becoming ever scarcer’.

The Rev Christopher Rowe, minister in a Priority Areas parish in Milton, Glasgow, said he feared that a review of Priority Areas (the church’s mission to the most deprived 5% of areas in Scotland) was a euphemism for cuts, and called for people experiencing poverty ‘to be at the root of any consultations taking place’.

“Priority to the poorest feels as though it is part of our denominational DNA,” he said. “I want to thank the 29% who support the 71%, because that includes the bottom 5%.”

However, there were also calls for the 29% who do pay for their ministries to be protected. The Very Rev Prof David Fergusson said that his own Edinburgh congregation was contributing enough money to the centre to pay for three ministries, but was not itself allowed to call a minister, with the ‘predictable’ result that it was ‘losing members and money’.

“Support for the poorest and most remote congregations is necessary and desirable, but it was never envisaged that this number would include 71% of our charges,” said Prof Fergusson. “The 29% are crucial to our future.”

The Rev William Wilson said that the Church must ‘allow congregations which are thriving to thrive’.

On Assembly Tuesday, commissioners approved an Overture from the Presbytery of Lothian and Borders which will reduce the national church’s influence over presbytery mission plans.

The rules agreed in recent years had stated that the annual review and development of presbytery mission plans must be approved every year by FAPLT and the General Trustees. Under the Overture, those bodies must be consulted but presbyteries will only need to gain approval every five years.

Introducing the Overture, Lothian and Borders Presbytery Clerk, the Rev Norman Smith, said it was in the spirit of reforms meant to move power from the central Church to presbyteries.

A separate Overture from the Presbytery of Glasgow, asking for churches to be given permission to call ministers even while the Presbytery was over its allocation (due to ministers in unrestricted tenure being reluctant to move), was defeated.

The Assembly passed an amendment to the rules of the Seeds for Growth fund which will allow it to be accessed for work in existing congregations, as well as establishing new worshipping communities. There were also calls for the reform of the General Assembly itself on the opening day after it was revealed that the estimated cost to the Church of this year’s gathering is over £800,000 (including staff costs and Commissioners’ expenses). The Rev Dr Alan Hamilton said that it could be done ‘twice as effectively at half the cost’, and that the body had ‘diminishing credibility, effectiveness and status’.

The Assembly voted against Dr Hamilton’s motion, which would have cut the budgets for the 2025 and 2026 meetings to 75% and 50% respectively of this year. However, the convener of the Assembly Business Committee, the Rev Michael Mair, said that the committee had ‘great sympathy for the viewpoint and motion’ and pledged that budgets would be looked at as part of conversations about the future of the Assembly.

There were several comments on behalf of the newly-qualified ministers who have been serving as assistant ministers under special arrangements while churches have not been allowed to call during the presbytery mission planning process. Those arrangements are expected to come to an end by the end of 2027.

One of those affected, the Rev Douglas Reid, said: “There is a great deal of anger within the cohort… who feel they may have to look at options for employment outside the Church of Scotland.”

The Rev Angus Mathieson, the Presbytery and Partnership Manager, told the Assembly that with nearly all the mission plans approved, there would be enough vacancies coming over the next few years to match the supply of candidates, including the current assistant ministers.

MINISTRY TRAINING

Significant changes to the education of ministers were agreed which will allow new ministers to qualify through an Apprenticeship Route. Presenting a Supplementary Report from the Faith Action Leadership Team (FAPLT), the Rev Tommy MacNeil told the Assembly that the proposals would ‘ensure our ministers are better equipped and prepared for the challenges of 21st century secular Scotland’, providing more routes for people into the ministry and speeding up the process from first discernment to ordination.

Initial proposals had encountered resistance among the Church’s academic providers, but were changed following discussions. The Rev Prof Alison Jack, Principal of Edinburgh’s New College, said that the University of Edinburgh was ‘deeply committed’ to working with the church to meet its needs in the 21st century.

GAZA AND PALESTINE

A young Palestinian Christian told the General Assembly of her heartbreak that she is unlikely to see the land of her ancestors.

As the Assembly discussed the sections of the FAPLT report on the situation in Gaza, Joanne Billeh, of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, who lives in Jordan, said that her family had been forced to leave Palestine in the 1948 war.

Ms Billeh said: “The chances of me going to see the land that I spent my whole childhood hearing about are slim, which obviously breaks my heart.

“I speak on behalf of Jordanians for whom Palestine is a place we only know from photos and stories of our ancestors.”

The Assembly passed the sections of the FAPLT Deliverance calling for prayers for peace in Gaza, to share their voices of Palestinian Christians and for the UK Government to recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.

It added sections calling on FAPLT to ‘publicly and explicitly’ call on the UK Government to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and to stop granting export licences for weapons to Israel; and one urging them to consider restoring Church of Scotland funding for the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI), which was withdrawn this year.

Maureen Jack said the Church ‘should have said more’ than it has on the situation in Gaza. “Within three days of Hamas’s shocking attack the convener of the Assembly Trustees and Moderator absolutely rightly made strong statements condemning it,” she said. “The Moderator issued a statement welcoming the temporary ceasefire. Then we had five months without a single statement from the leadership…. We should have done more. We should have said more.”

The Rev Alistair Cumming, FAPLT Resource and Presence vice-convener, said that the Moderator had signed 20 documents and statements on behalf of the Church of Scotland.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

The Assembly Trustees are to explore how the Church conducts its external affairs work, and were invited to consider proposals for a new committee to oversee such work.

The committee, if agreed, would have responsibility for the Church’s work on social justice, ecumenical and interfaith relations, and work with international partners.

Following the reforms since 2019, the work of the former World Mission and Church and Society Councils are now overseen by FAPLT. However the Rev Peter Johnston, who moved the motion, told the Assembly that ‘capacity to consider and scrutinise’ such issues had been limited under the new arrangements. “My view is FAPLT’s remit is too big to be able to manage this vitally important work effectively.”

Mr Cameron accepted the amendment while saying that such conversations were ongoing with the relevant FAPLT programme group.

SOCIAL CARE

Members of the Church were urged to lobby their MSPs about the crisis in social care in Scotland.

Debating the report of the Social Care Council (CrossReach), the Assembly agreed to ‘express alarm about the cuts to vital care services being experienced by CrossReach and other care providers in the social care sector and ask CrossReach, working with FAPLT, to raise awareness about the crisis in social care with Presbyteries and congregations and to make representations to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government’.

Convener, the Rev Thom Riddell, said: ‘If we don’t do something about (social care) the whole system is going to collapse’.

The Assembly also approved calls for further work on the issue of fair work in social care. The campaign highlights that average pay in the sector is considerably lower than equivalent positions in the NHS, which makes recruitment and retention of staff harder for organisations like CrossReach.

TRANSGENDER PEOPLE WELCOME

The General Assembly approved, and speakers mostly welcomed, the Theological Forum’s report on Transgender People in the Church of Scotland.

The convener of the Forum, the Rev Dr Liam Fraser, said: “Despite a wide range of theological and political views being present on the Forum, we are unanimous in reaching the following conclusions. First… we believe that transgender people should be loved, and respected, and welcomed in our congregations. It is the foundation of Christian ethics that all people are made in the image of God, and are worthy of our respect and love, and this is true of transgender people also.

“Yet second, and based on our exploration of gender in the Bible, the Forum is also unanimous in believing that transgender people should not only be welcomed into our church, but allowed to serve in our Church. That the Church should not treat transgender people differently from others, but after considering their giftings and callings, should admit them to office if we believe God wills it.

“By focussing on the importance of welcome, and the ability every Christian to be used by God for service, we believe our report offers the Church a route through a debate that has, at times, become toxic, and allows us to model a better way of engaging with issues of gender.”

The Rev Dr Donald MacEwan said that he had shared the report with a number of transgender Christians, and all of the responses were positive.

The following day, FAPLT accepted an instruction to consider the implications of the recently-released Cass Review into gender identity services for under 18s, and report to a future General Assembly.

CHAPLAINS SHORTAGE CONCERN

The Assembly was warned that the shortage of Church of Scotland ministers serving as military chaplains was ‘now a big issue’.

The convener of the committee on Chaplains to HM Forces, the Rev Scott Brown, said: “The issue, and we want to be clear with the Church, is that the Church of Scotland could more or less disappear from the chaplaincies of the three Services. That would, in our view, be a disaster.”

The Assembly was also addressed by Air Vice Marshal Tim Jones, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in the RAF, who spoke of his upbringing in the Boys’ Brigade at St John’s Church, Inverkeithing, without which he said ‘I would not have gone on to do what I have done in my career’.

He said that chaplains played a ‘vital role’ in the work of the services: “Let me assure you friends, that it would simply not be possible to navigate Service life without the ability to talk, to confide, to reflect, to laugh, to cry, or to remember. And that’s what our Service chaplains help us to do.”

DUKE OF EDINBURGH THANKS CHAPEL ROYAL

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, this year’s Lord High Commissioner, thanked the people of Scotland and the chaplains of the Chapel Royal for their support following the death of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He said: “Who could forget the scenes following the passing of my mother? The outpouring of emotions, the demonstrations of respect, love and grief was overwhelming, and a privilege to experience and behold.

“I think I can speak for my whole family when I say we will remain forever grateful for that support…

“I was really touched and comforted by the manner in which the chaplains made us all feel behind closed doors and away from public scrutiny.”

KEY MOMENTS

• The Assembly closed with the Moderator, the Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, encouraging the Church to ‘keep moving forward’. He told the Assembly that it had been ‘a wonderful experience’ being Moderator, and told the Commissioners not to become despondent as they returned to their parishes. “Keep moving forward,” he said. “We don’t know where God’s spirit will lead us. But let’s step out in faith, following the example and commandment of our saviour Jesus Christ.”

• Invited to speak on the final morning of the Assembly, the Archbishop of Canterbury celebrated the growing friendship between the Churches of Scotland and England. The Most Rev Justin Welby said that the two national churches ‘must be the mortar that holds together the diverse stones that so beautifully make up the United Kingdom’. He said that the Columba Declaration, signed by the churches in 2016, had ‘sealed but did not create the warm and appreciative relationship that exists between our churches’.

• In her address as outgoing Moderator, the Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton urged the Church to continue seeking to do justice, whether in work such as foodbanks, warm hubs and community spaces, in ‘demanding justice from those who might seek to withhold it’, or in work such as reckoning with the legacy of slavery.

• A special presentation was made to John Williams, who has worked on the audio visual systems of the General Assembly for 50 years. The Moderator, the Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, described it as ‘a huge achievement’ and thanked Mr Williams for his ‘dedication and commitment’.

• During the discussion on the interim Joint

Report of the Theological Forum and Faith Action Programme Leadership Team on Assisted Dying, the Assembly heard moving testimony from Susan Pym, who saw her sister die from a rare neurological condition.

Mrs Pym said that in her final months her sister had asked three times for help to end her life, but that she couldn’t do it. “In her final hours I considered what I might do (to ease her suffering)… I couldn’t do it. The final words I barely heard her whisper were ‘please help me’ but I couldn’t do it.”

“If you have walked in my shoes I know you will support my plea for the Church to (support assisted dying). If you haven’t walked in my shoes I pray you never will.”

The full report will be presented to next year’s Assembly.

• The chief executive of the Scottish Bible Society, Elaine Duncan, told the Assembly: “Research is telling us more and more people and particularly younger generations are genuinely interested in Christianity and genuinely interested to explore the Bible. One in five UK teenagers read the Bible at least once a month.”

• Rae Lind, national convener of the Church of Scotland Guild, revealed that that organisation has raised over £425,000 for its partner projects over the past three years, despite losing a year to Covid-19 disruption. Mrs Lind said: “This is a remarkable achievement for Guild members, bringing a lifeline and hope to many people and following in the tradition of 137 years of service at home and abroad.”

The Assembly was played a video produced by the steering group of the Young Adults Guild, which has been rebranded Love in Fellowship and Trust (LIFT), but is still working in partnership with the Guild. Initially meeting online, it is hoped the group might develop into local groups meeting in person, and they are planning to host a conference next year.

• During the report of the Safeguarding committee, the Assembly passed a motion from the Rev Lynn Brady inviting the committee to ‘consider its processes as relate to people who have been found not guilty in criminal proceedings but who are subject to Safeguarding procedures’. Mrs Brady said that the Church, as well as being mindful of victims, had to have ‘a care for people who are falsely accused’.

• The Assembly passed a new ‘support for survivors of historic abuse’ policy. In his speech, Safeguarding convener Adam Dillon said: “This year marks the culmination of many years of work in drawing together a policy for survivors of non recent abuse, and with the General Assembly’s approval, our commitment to ensure that survivors voices are heard, and that we can start to become a trauma informed organisation so that no one will ever be met with indifference or silence, again.”

• FAPLT agreed to review the support available to ministers from overseas with the ‘administrative and financial challenges’ of renewing visas. The Rev Everisto Musedza said he had had to pay £19,000 for visas for himself and his family, and will soon have to pay another £14,000 to renew them.

• The Assembly heard the first report of the Ethical Oversight Committee, which was formed following recent controversy over Church of Scotland investments in fossil fuels companies. The convener, Val Brown, told the Assembly that the committee had had ‘a full and interesting year’. Discussions had focused around trying to develop a more detailed brief for the church’s Investor’s Trust that is ‘more specific, more focussed (than the existing guidelines) without being unnecessarily restrictive’. The committee’s ‘front door’ policy, framed around the Five Marks of Mission, was agreed by the Assembly.

• The General Trustees accepted motions instructing them to give urgent consideration to artworks and to pipe organs in church buildings scheduled for closure, and to work with congregations in cases where redundant church buildings may be bought by local communities.