It’s hard to believe that the Presbytery of Perth has existed for almost four years now.
In reflecting on this major change to the structure of our Church, I’m conscious that there are a number of positives, but that people still see some negatives in the new system.
One of the biggest challenges has undoubtedly been the importance of creating fellowship. A Presbytery spread over such a vast geographical area with over 100 congregations is never going to be able to create the fellowship experienced in a previous much smaller Presbytery.   We have sought to do our best however, and one area has been through the Connections Lunches.  While numbers have been fairly small, those who have come along have really appreciated them.  I would want to encourage you to think about going to any future events if you have never been before.
Another challenging area with a large Presbytery is the risk of Presbytery feeling remote and distant to congregations. Again, I have tried to help towards this aspect by visiting congregations. I’ve always been keen to get across that Presbytery is made up of those who are already serving in our congregations and who are facing the same issues as everyone else. I really hope that people will have come to see those who help run our Presbytery as friendly and supportive.   The reality is that we are all in this together, that we all have the same aim of celebrating and passing on the Good News of Christ and that there should be no them and us.
A further area which could have been an issue is that of communication in such a large Presbytery. Here we are very fortunate to have an excellent set up, with the Friday Round Up, the web site and superb use of social media. Karen, our Communications Officer, has a real talent for producing some excellent videos and is keen to develop Digital Ministry.   However, it needs people to engage with what she is doing and actually take a look – as well as using the videos where appropriate in worship. Please do take a look – it’s well worth it!
This leads me on to one of the areas where I do believe the larger Presbyteries have benefited the Church is through having a professional team of people employed to support congregations. I believe our Presbytery is very fortunate to have such an excellent team. It has been a real privilege and indeed a pleasure to be working with our Team, all of whom I know are dedicated to resourcing, supporting and encouraging our congregations.
The Presbytery will never be perfect and I certainly know that as Clerk, I’ve not always got everything right. But we need to accept that all of us as servants of Christ seek to do our very best for the Kingdom and  that all we want is to see the Church flourish and grow in the Presbytery of Perth.
John Ferguson.