Picture by Derek Fett

Thursday May 21

general assembly 2015 - Thursday

Decision on ministers in same-sex marriage will be sent to Presbyteries

Warmth for Youth Assembly and Military Chaplains

Church to consider recognising youth ministry as a distinct ministry

The General Assembly today took a step towards allowing congregations to call ministers in a same-sex marriage.

Today’s move is an amendment of the Motion passed on Saturday, which meant churches could call a minister in a same-sex civil partnership. It had been brought to the Assembly by the Theological Forum and Legal Questions Committee, to clarify the position of the church in relation to ministers in same-sex marriage, which was introduced into Scottish law last year.

A counter-motion by the Very Rev Albert Bogle, which would have deferred the decision for two years, was narrowly defeated by 213 votes to 205.

However, the decision will have to be ratified by presbyteries as it was agreed to send it down under the Barrier Act.

The convener of the Theological Forum, the Very Rev Prof Iain Torrance, who brought the original motion, argued that this was not primarily a theological issue but simply about extending the benefits offered to people in a civil partnership to those in a same sex marriage.

He said: “The reason for such an extension is not equivalence [between civil partnerships and same sex marriage]. What we are saying is rather simple and certainly minimalist.

“We understand and acknowledge benefits conferred by civil partnership… a public framework within which to express a committed love, and a series of legal protections.

“Now after much discussion and consideration and prayer we believe same sex marriage infers sufficient overlapping benefits for the Assembly within our notion of constrained difference to extend act to include ministers and deacons engaged in same sex marriage.”

Mr Bogle’s counter-motion was to “Defer consideration of the amending act and remit consideration of same sex marriage to the Theological Forum and instruct it to report to the General Assembly of 2017.”

Introducing it, Mr Bogle said: “My heart is for the peace of this church and unity of God’s people and for us to journey together in consensus and understanding. The people in parishes will only hear ‘church has agreed to same sex marriage’. Now that’s not what we are doing but that is what’s going to be said.

“We have not had a decision about this new institution (of same sex marriage) but now we are saying it’s okay? I understand completely what Professor Torrance is doing but I think it will be misunderstood and I think those of us who go back into parishes will struggle to explain it to people.”

A section was added by the Very Rev John Chalmers confirming that the position of ministers, appointed before May 2009 (when a moratorium on ministers in same sex relationships was introduced) who are in a same-sex marriage would not be affected before a decision is made.

Earlier in the day, the Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council told the Assembly that the Council aimed to bring hope to the Church through its work.

The Rev Colin Sinclair said: “Today we face a choice: you can either live by hope or by fear. Hope energises us, fear paralyses us; hope empowers us, fear weakens us; hope lifts us up, fear drags us down.

“I am told that, in the New Testament, the word “hope” only occurs once before the resurrection and somewhere between 50 and 70 times afterwards. Hope may be the most neglected of the Christian graces‐ faith hope and love, but the Bible, from start to finish, is a textbook of hope.

“Hope, in God’s language, means to dare to swim against the tide. It means daring to lose to gain something better, learning to give to become richer, investing in lost causes, loving without expecting anything in return.”

Among the decisions taken was one instructing the council to develop its engagement with the rural church and consider the appointment of a rural development worker. The Rev Stewart Goudie said that the Council now does less to help rural parishes than it used to; and that rural parishes faced extra challenges on top of those faced by urban ones.

Another new section instructed the Council to pursue ways of encouraging and inspiring congregations to release members into new forms of church, including pioneer ministry. Dr Sinclair said that the Methodist Church of GB had 11,000 volunteers working on Fresh Expressions of church, and that it was a great way of releasing people’s gifts in the service of the Church.

The Council is to consider with other councils and committees the forming of a Disabilities Task Group to support local churches in the inclusion of disabled people.

The Rev Tommy MacNeil, whose church in Stornoway is one of those growing, supported the section encouraging Commissioners to send representatives to attend the ‘Going for Growth’ summer school event of the council: “God’s heart is that every church would grow. I would encourage commissioners, if they are serious in challenging issues of decline then the conference and the summer school would be an excellent place to start.”

An affirming morning for the Life and Work team, in which the magazine was praised fulsomely by both the Moderator and Business Convener, the Rev Dr Derek Browning, saw a motion passed welcoming the report of the Review Group into the magazine’s business. Mr Sinclair said “Life and Work reminds us we are a Presbyterian Church, a global church, an ecumenical church and an incarnational church. It reminds us we are not just us doing our own things in our ways.”

Youth rep Gigha Lennox said the ‘How Will Our Children Have Faith’ resource was a ‘great resource’ and had a motion passed urging presbyteries and Kirk Sessions to make use of it ‘ to stimulate conversation about the place of children and young people in our Church today’.

Another new motion instructed the Council to enter into discussion with the Ministries Council to consider the possibility of recognising Youth Ministry as a strand of Ministry of Word and Sacrament.

There was the customary warmth for the National Youth Assembly (NYA) and its Moderator, Rachel Hutcheson. She told the General Assembly that she would no longer be in the Church of Scotland if it wasn’t for her involvement with NYA, and urged Commissioners to encourage young members to get involved.

Miss Hutcheson also said that the Very Rev John Chalmers and herself had raised over £19,000 for earthquake relief in Nepal through their Moderators' Munro Challenge in May, during which they climbed Ben Lomond. Although she said that as she'd had to listen to Mr Chalmers 'whinging about his knees for eight hours' she was hopeful they could get over £20,000.

Earlier, the Chaplains to HM Forces also received a warm welcome from the Assembly. The Rev Dr David Coulter, who is a Church of Scotland minister and Chaplain General to the Army, said: “I’d like to thank the General Assembly and Committee of Chaplains to HM Forces for their unfailing and instinting support of chaplains to all three forces. I’d also like to acknowledge the ongoing prayerful support of the work of the Armed Forces and the life of services personnel.” He also expressed hope that a representative of the Church of Scotland would sign the Armed Forces Covenant, as the Church of England has done.

A new section was added to the report ‘commending to the prayers and practical support of local congregations all service personnel and their families in transition back to civilian life and the challenges they may face’. The Convener, the Rev Gordon Craig, said he had been shocked by the number of homeless people on the streets of Edinburgh who are ex-military.