HILARY BOYLE'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY REFLECTION 2025
General Assembly:2025 (May 17-22)
The General Assembly convened on May 17 in Edinburgh. This year we had two Commissioners, our Minister, Rev Justin Taylor, in person at the Assembly Hall whilst I had opted to attend online.
‘After worship conducted by the Right Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson, BSc, BD, MSc, DPT, the retiring Moderator, the General Assembly, proceeded to the election of a Moderator. It was unanimously agreed that the Rev Rosie Frew, MA, BD, be appointed Moderator. The appointment was intimated to Mrs Frew who was welcomed by the Moderator, and, after the Prayer of Consecration, took the Chair.
His Majesty’s Commission to The Right Honourable Lady Elish Frances Margaret Angiolini, LT, DBE,PC, KC, appointing her to represent His Royal Person in this Assembly, was received and ordered to be recorded.
His Majesty’s Most Gracious Letter to the General Assembly was read with all due honour and respect and ordered to be recorded.
Her Grace, The Lord High Commissioner, addressed the General Assembly in a speech and the Moderator made suitable reply.
The Moderator thanked the Retiring Moderator, the Very Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson, BSc, BD, MSc, DPT, for his distinguished and valued service during his year of office. The Retiring Moderator then addressed the General Assembly.
A Committee was appointed to prepare an answer to His Majesty’s Most Gracious Letter’.
Attending the General Assembly can be daunting for first time Commissioners because one feels the weight of history, spanning hundreds of years. There is pomp, there are processions and a formality of proceedings which can be daunting. I have copied in part of the first morning’s session. In official speak, it can seem dry and does not convey the warmth of welcome in the speeches. For instance the Moderator, the Right Rev Rosie Frew in her welcome to the Lord High Commissioner said that Lady Elish was the first female Lord Advocate in Scotland and the first Catholic to attend the General Assembly as the Lord High Commissioner and because she was Catholic, an Act of Parliament had had to be quickly passed, especially for her. Lady Elish’s speech had been extremely witty and very well received by everyone.
Whilst most Commissioners, attending in person, went to St Giles Cathedral, on Sunday May 18, I preached back in Guernsey, on Jesus’ Great Commission and the difficulties the Early Christians faced as they sought to spread God’s Word. For the Church to grow beyond the Jewish faith they needed to Baptise the Gentiles who were regarded as unclean, for they were uncircumcised and there were cultural differences with the food they ate. Some of the Disciples such as Peter and Paul had already started baptising Gentiles but any change brought dissent. Many Christians were very unhappy. At the Council of Jerusalem, Peter explained his vision which had shown him that Christ’s message was for all. After much discussion the Council decided that the growth of believers was far more important than following archaic rules such as circumcision. They knew that Salvation was dependent on faith in Christ, not keeping the old Jewish customs. Their letter following this meeting, stating this, effectively ended the conflict.
At the General Assembly this year we were reminded that 1700 years ago in 325AD, Emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea to address issues of disunity amongst those who professed their faith across the Empire. Then as now the Call to Unity was heard within the context of a troubled, unequal divided world. It was a defining moment within the Christian Church. The Nicene Creed brought ‘Unity of faith’ in the Triune God.
For me, sitting online throughout the week, there was a feeling of déjà vu as I listened to debates at this year’s General Assembly. Decisions were made that would affect the Church for years to come. Rightly or wrongly, in my mind, it felt like the Council of Edinburgh. The Rt Rev Rosie Frew chose as her theme for the week, ‘Extravagant Love’, ‘How wide and long and high and deep, is the love of Christ.’ (Ephesians 3: 18) Her Services were moving and there has been much to commend this week but over arching everything was the fact there was no money.
Falling membership, a steady decline since the pandemic and church closures meant the church had to make difficult decisions which no one wanted to make. The total number of Ministry posts for 2026 remains at 600 Ministry posts with 60 vacancies but a different method of distribution will be brought to the 26 General Assembly. Currently there are 307 vacancies, but this will decrease as congregations get permission to Call. In future, all charges will be reviewable tenures with honest appraisals of ‘Can the congregation pay’ for their Minister. One third of all charges are net contributors whilst two thirds are net recipients. Given funding cuts and reduction of posts with increased work- load, there is naturally concern for Minister’s pastoral care. Many are taking early retirement: Many don’t take their days off or claim all their entitlements such as expenses and study leave. Congregations, especially Session Clerks, are urged to be vigilant.
The 2024 General Assembly tasked the Assembly Trustees to achieve financial sustainability by 2027. A new financial model will be brought in for 2026. They have had to make several difficult decisions in recent months which they had hoped to avoid. They have introduced a voluntary exit scheme followed by compulsory redundancies in the national administration, the Seeds for Growth budget allocations have decreased and there are changes to the funding during a Vacancy.
The Assembly was shocked to learn that the decision has been made to close ‘Life and Work’ after 146 years of production. L&W had been central to the communication work of the whole church throughout this time. It was another casualty, in the need to save money for they made a loss of £250,000 last year with a falling circulation and a reduction in advertising revenue. There was concern that the L & W Archives would no longer be accessed but the Assembly was assured that this resource would still be available. Lynne McNeil, the Editor for the last 22 years, spoke movingly and said, “It has never been a job, always a calling.” It was pointed out by a commissioner that with all the impending change in the Church, the need for communication was even more important. A member of the Assembly Trustees said that the landscape was changing towards communication that supports the whole work of the church, reflecting momentum and renewal. The focus going forwards must be from within, whilst responding externally when needed. A communication forum will be set up to find an integrated strategy for all communications.
During the Assembly, a joint report of the Theological forum and the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team on Assisted Dying was presented.Following an emotional debate, both for and against Assisted Dying, members voted for the following Deliverance, ‘Acknowledging the diversity of sincerely held theological views within our broad Church, re-affirm the Church of Scotland's opposition to assisted dying’.
Not all the Assembly Sessions were doom and gloom. The Chaplains Report, the Ladies Guild and the Social Care Report are always well received. Personally, I felt uplifted by the Bible Society Report. The Convenor said that there are over 7000 different languages in the world but that 48% of languages still did not have a Bible translation for their language. However 6.1 billion people now have access to their own language edition.The availability of a Bible in their own language has been aided by digital translation with editons stored in the Digital Bible Translation Library. She mentioned that staff on the Board of the Bible Society had gone to Ukraine to speak to the soldiers. One soldier had recently lost his Bible in warfare and was given another copy.He had told them that many soldiers had come to speak to him about getting a Bible as they recognised after twenty years of fighting, God must have saved him. President Zelensky has visited Bible House to thank them.
Research has shown that attendance in church for 18-24 year old has tripled in the last eight years. Apparantly this age cohort are exploring the Bible online and are coming back to church. She said that, “Scotland needed a church that is alive, vibrant and focussed on Jesus, for he is at work!”
The Moderator was presented with a New International Readers Version of the Bible.
Christian Aid is celebrating its 80 Anniversary year. Its theme this year is the ‘Unstoppable Power of Hope.’ Christain Aid grew out of the compassion shown by Rev Douglas Lister, a Church of Scotland Minister who was serving as a Forces Chaplain in Luneburg, Germany at the end of WW2. It was his work for justice amongst the poorest and most vulnerable societies that compelled him to make a difference. Martin Luther once said, “ Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would want to plant an apple tree.” In this anniverary year congregations are being encouraged to plant a tree of ‘Hope’ to mark what has been achieved . Maybe an apple tree at the Manse?
The Moderator, the Right Rev Rosie Frew at the closing of the Assembly this year commented that the past week had been challenging but also inspiring. Having the Lord High Commissioner, Lady Elish Angioloni at this years Assembly was a really positive message of unity and friendship, a real living out the St Margaret’s Declaration (a historic declaration of the friendship between the Kirk and the Catholic Church in Scotland.)
In conclusion I must just mention the video produced by the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team (FAPLT) called ‘Vivid Vision’. The future of the Church of Scotland lies in God's hands. They believe this to be true, and so they took their time to look ahead with faith. Their Vivid Vision is captured in this film. It is a picture of what they believe might be, as the Church follows the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit in witnessing to Christ in our nation and beyond and for us too in Guernsey. It is a picture from their perspective; congregations and Sessions are encouraged to work out their own vision. That is the challenge being set for all of us and one no doubt that will be discussed at a café style Service, once the building work is finished.
Hilary Boyle. Commissioner 418