Our presbyteries

“UNLESS you are here, I don’t think you can appreciate the sheer size of the presbytery and how far we reach,” says Amanda Anderson, support officer for Clèir Eilean Ì, the presbytery of the Highlands and Hebrides.

The distances really are mindboggling: the Church’s newest presbytery stretches from the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre (which is south of Glasgow) all the way to the northernmost mainland church at Canisbay, a seven-and-a-half hour journey by road. It incorporates most of the west coast and the western Highlands, the entire mainland north of Inverness (and a fair bit south and east of there, to the Cairngorms), and around half of Scotland’s 94 inhabited islands.

It was the last of the new presbyteries to be formed, which is hardly surprising considering the geography, and that it brings together more ‘legacy’ presbyteries than any of the others.

According to the Rev Rory MacLeod, the presbytery clerk, that wasn’t the original plan. “During the first discussions in the Presbytery of Lochcarron-Skye, the assumption was that Skye would join the Outer Hebrides and Lochcarron would join with the northern presbyteries. There would be a third presbytery for the Eastern Highlands and maybe a fourth for Argyll and Lochaber,” he says.

But as discussions advanced, opinions turned in favour of one large body, and ultimately it looked like all 10 of the presbyteries involved would be merging – until the Presbytery of Lewis decided to ‘keep its distance’. “The Leòdhasaich have always been fiercely independent, but fiercely loyal as well,” smiles Rory, emphasising that relations remain cordial.

So how do you go about supporting ministry to an area covering 40% of Scotland’s land mass but only 10% of its people? Despite all the challenges of geography, weather and transport, they are determined to keep the focus on supporting the local church. According to Rory, “in creating a larger entity, it wasn’t about top-down management but to bring resources closer to the frontline of mission and ministry.”

“Technology is wonderful but nothing substitutes for personal contact, so from the very beginning it was agreed that presbytery would not have an office or physical location, so no community would feel marginal. Presbytery would just happen where it needs to happen.”

The emphasis on the local has also driven the work of the Rev Monika Redman, convener of the presbytery’s mission planning committee. “She and her team have worked really hard at getting out, doing the hard miles, drawing alongside people, consulting and reflecting,” says Rory. “She has taken what sometimes feels negative and turned it into something much more constructive.”

Amanda, who Rory describes as ‘the public face of the presbytery’, adds: “We are a people presbytery, and we are pushing good news, pushing mission. Everyone is really welcoming, really accepting that we are trying to shake things up and get the new running alongside the old.”

The other full-time member of staff is Tom Jordan, the presbytery finance officer. With the business committee, he is currently consulting on a strategic plan for the next five years, which he says “Can make the presbytery into a resource that serves congregations and is a real force for good. I felt that the transition document lacked vision, and I was worried that the presbytery would end up reacting, moving from crisis to crisis, issue to issue, without advancing an agenda for what we want to achieve. We aim to get as many ideas as possible from people, for how Clèir Eilean Ì can help them to equip their congregations.”

“The strategic plan is vital,” says Rory. “Instead of groping around in the dark and trying to do this and that, here and there, we will be careful to make sure we allocate our resources in the most effective way.”

The name Clèir Eilean Ì, literally translates as ‘Presbytery of the Isle of Iona’, a title chosen to recall the mission of St Columba and the other saints who were responsible for the spread of Christianity in Scotland through the medium of Gaelic. A Gaelic name also emphasises the importance of the language both historically and as a missional opportunity today.

“The last census showed, for the first time since these records began, that there is an upsurge of interest in speaking Gaelic,” says Rory. “People are interested in maintaining Gaelic or learning it, and our churches should be on the front foot so Gaels can come to church and find their language is present in what we do.”

Plans are underway to produce learning and teaching resources which will be used to train a new generation of preachers and missionaries in Gaelic. Indeed, Gaelic is at the heart of one of the most eye-catching initiatives to grace the Church of Scotland in recent years, which uses Lego to tell the Christian message. The Gaelic Committee and the Scottish Bible Society have already produced videos telling the Easter and Christmas stories and several parables, and Gaelic bibles for children are available with QR code-activated narration.

There are now plans to expand the initiative by sending volunteers into congregations, schools and hospitals, with a gift of Lego to all the children who take part. “It’s wonderful, and it will involve so many people,” says Amanda. “It’s about getting people of different generations together and chatting about the Bible.”

This is just one story in what the presbytery staff say is a positive future for the Church of Scotland in the Highlands and Hebrides. “We’re driven by a sense of purpose,” says Rory, “which is to spread the good news of Jesus and enable the church to be salt and light in our communities, wherever possible working alongside neighbouring churches and denominations. That’s what gets us up in the morning and gets us over any obstacles we face. It’s a thrill to address each day as an opportunity to make a positive difference.”

As the Presbytery’s website (www.cei. presbytery.org.uk ) puts it: “In 21st century Scotland, our methods may be worlds away from the coracles and manuscripts of Iona, but our hearts, minds and souls are still Christ’s. Our mission call is the same, gaining strength from uniting the languages, cultures and heritage of the communities we serve with the call to live the message and the life of Christ.”