Monday at General Assembly 2025

GA2025 Monday highlights (using the term “highlights” very loosely)

Assembly Trustees Convener’s speech:

Critical decisions need to be made; income is falling in real terms; redundancies sadly are now taking place; financial stewardship is integral part of our mission; we are not here to serve the institution but to serve Christ (nice words but I reckon we are still institutionalised); greater control in finance being given back to congregations (is it really? I don’t think so); the key question is this - does this serve the mission of Christ? Ask this in all work and approach. If not, let it go. Stop managing decline, have courage to leave old ways, find the new life.

And now what happened…

o   Commissioner asked about the situation for a minister when a congregation goes insolvent. He/she is made “redundant”. Yes, that’s the harsh news. A little waffle about support mechanisms in place, including Presbyteries, to help a minister in such a situation, but basically, you’re in the soup, very thick soup!

o   I brought an amendment to ask for Giving to Grow scheme to be simplified which would allow self-supporting charges to retain more in order to grow more and thus still enable ministry in needed places: vote for 59, vote against 258, but watch this space for what the Assembly Trustees bring to GA 2026 on fundamental change!

o   We have £569 million in some bank, but most of this we cannot use. What happens when the Kirk goes down the swanny? Does this cash go into cold storage or do all members get a dividend? 😊

o   600 ministry posts with 60 vacancies still the aim. Apparently the Act covering this requires us to state a number. Is this going to be sustainable, Convener? Probably not. Let me make a wild prediction now: we cannot afford 600 posts; it will be significantly less.

o   Reviewable charge template is going to be the way forward, with proper review procedures put in place. Those Churches who have already agreed their Basis of Adjustment and allowed to call will be able to call on secured tenure, only congregations making agreement after 1 June will call a minister on a reviewable basis. Basically, that means that every minister in the future can have tenure recalled at 6 months notice.

o   Commissioner tells of his united Church where Giving to Grow allocation was unrealistic for the newly united charge – it’s happened before when Churches unite and one plus one does not equal two, it is probably nearer one and a half. No solution is offered to this; you just have to struggle on and try to find the extra cash to pay up. One of the many little annoying nuances in our Church system! It has always happened at unions, but bloody annoying for the congregation involved!

o   Tried my best to get stipends revised, benchmarking with the teaching profession, but lost 157-136. My sincere thanks to all who voted for and who saw the merit in facing this question. The FACT that stipends have fallen in real terms over the last decade is appalling (and the Assembly Trustees did not acknowledge this) and the financial restraints of the Church have now, amongst other areas, landed upon the shoulders of our ministers, ministers are in fact easy collateral damage, they won’t strike! The cost of living has risen significantly; your stipend has not kept pace. You are still asked to live in a big hoose and pay very high fuel bills in the winter. (or as I do, put the heating low during the day in winter and wear my coat and woolly hat!) It is apparently OK to pay 20 folk employed centrally between £60,000-£100,000, but not to consider upping stipends! Thank goodness we are all equal; it seems some are more equal than others! The Assembly Trustees say, “A well-supported ministry is essential for the Church’s future.” They should have been the ones bringing this motion, not me, instead their noble words are empty, poor show! And the Convener actually said that the Assembly Trustees speak for ministers. Do they sisters and brothers?

o   Gaza and the plight of the Palestinian people highlighted as it was at the start of the Assembly day. How is it that we have highly important subjects like this just slotted into the likes of an Assembly Trustees report? We should still be having a day to discuss and debate world issues; these are the things people outside in the world care about! We never hear “the Church” speaking out on world issues now, our social media and website are damp squibs.

o   What a ‘typical’ congregation looks like:

173 members, 10 adherents, 4 children associated with the congregation, none of whom receive communion, 45 people worshipping in the church, 8 people worshipping online, 0 professions of faith, 6 funerals, 0 baptisms, and 0 weddings, a leadership of 16 elders. How long is this typical Church going to last? And should it have a full-time minister? Only asking the questions!

o   10 pages dedicated to the constitution and remit of the Assembly Trustees. The Pharisees once again welcomed the detailed rules and regulations and unanimously approved them!

o   Debate on Assisted Dying. The Report is available to read and study and use to instigate dialogue. My only comment is the importance of the deliverance calling on the Scottish Government to prioritise development of excellent palliative care. I leave you for your own thoughts on this.

Tuesday and FAPLT await, try not to get too excited, get some sleep!

Mon the reformers!