Saturday May 17 2025
The First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, the Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly, and Lord High Commissioner, Lady Elish Angiolini. Picture by Andy O'Brien/Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will be reduced from six days to four from next year.
The proposals presented by the Assembly Business Committee today will mean the Assembly meets from Friday to Monday instead of the current Saturday to Thursday. The ceremonial element will be reduced, and uncontroversial business will be taken as read unless commissioners request otherwise under new ‘consent agenda’ arrangements.
The proposals were passed by the Assembly this afternoon, despite some concern that they would restrict debate.
The Rev Gary Peacock said: “My concern with this new format (is that) with reduced amount of time there will be diminished opportunities for ordinary commissioners to engage in meaningful debate.”
“I hope we don’t lose the best of what makes us what we are but instead safeguard it, promote it and rejoice in it.”
Business Committee convener, the Rev Michael Mair, said that “There is undoubtedly going to be less time, but it is a question of how well we use that time.” He added later: “I’m very aware that a lot of business we stomp through. Part of what we have to get to is only bringing those matters that need a discussion and a decision... We want to give you more time and not less.”
A countermotion to move to a five-day assembly first was defeated, as was one asking the committee to look into moving the assembly around Scotland, but one instructing the committee to review the new arrangements and report to the assembly of 2027 was approved. The committee agreed to assess the viability of moving to a biennial gathering, and to consider asking for certain reports to only be heard on alternate years.
Under the first ‘consent agenda’ arrangements, this year the reports of the Delegation of the General Assembly, Church Hymnary Trustees and Chalmers Lectureship Trust will be taken without debate unless five commissioners request otherwise by Monday.
-
The Church of Scotland’s new Book of Confessions was agreed after a process lasting seven years since the Theological Forum was asked to review the place of the Westminster Confession of Faith as the Church’s subordinate standard. The book will include the Westminster Confession alongside other creeds and confessions.
The convener of the Theological Forum the Rev Dr Liam Fraser, said: “These reforms not only resolve a centuries-long disagreement within the Church of Scotland but more importantly meet the present needs. At times of debate and disagreement and change, what is unchanging and held in common becomes crucial… and it is these doctrines… that are clarified and championed by the proposals before you now…
“When we know what unites us, and celebrate it, we have the strength to weather the storms that beat against us, safe in the knowledge that we weather them together.”
-
The Rev Moira McDonald, convener of the Presbytery Review Committee, warned that the committee had encountered ‘weariness and exhaustion’ within the church during its work. Reporting on the first year of the committee, in which the presbyteries of Edinburgh and West Lothian and Perth were reviewed, she added that there was ‘eagerness to get on with being the church rather than reorganising the church’.
Her comments were echoed by elder David Inglis, who warned that a great amount of the church’s work was being carried out by volunteers, many of them in their 70s and 80s. “If we continually overload these volunteers we won’t get replacements for them,” he added.
However, the review process itself was praised by representatives of both the presbyteries reviewed. The Rev Dr John Ferguson, clerk to the Presbytery of Perth, said: “It was constructive, well thought-through and as well as encouraging us they challenged us as well… generally we thought it was a well worthwhile exercise.”
The Very Rev Dr Derek Browning, business convener of the Presbytery of Edinburgh and West Lothian, said: “Yes, it is a huge amount of work… but one of the most positive experiences I’ve had associated with presbytery.
“It was carried out with graciousness, kindness and insight and we learned some things about ourselves we would not have learned without this review.”
A motion that would have required the review committee to pay at least one visit in person to the presbytery being reviewed was defeated, although the Rev Dr Marjory MacLean, the convener of the Legal Questions Committee, said that the review committee had visited both the presbyteries reviewed last year. The Principal Clerk, the Rev Fiona Smith, reminded the Assembly that making such visits compulsory would have an impact on the budget for the committee.
-
Elaine Duncan, chief executive of the Scottish Bible Society, told the Assembly of reasons for hope, in research showing an increase in church attendance and scripture reading among young people in England and Wales. She said: “Amongst the younger generation people are exploring the Bible, people are checking out church online, people are turning up at church in unexpected ways.
“Don’t take your eyes off the fact that God is at work in Scotland. Is the tide turning?... People are turning to scripture; they are turning to the church.”
General Assembly 2025 - full coverage
Post Tags: general assembly 2025
Read More >
Read More >
Read More >
There are currently no comments on this post
All fields are required. Email address will not be published.
Life and Work
121 George Street
Edinburgh
EH2 4YN
T: 0131 225 5722
E: magazine@lifeandwork.org
Scottish Charity Number SC011353
Copyright © The Church of Scotland, 2025. All Rights Reserved
Website by Adept
