SECTION 1: THE PURPOSE OF PRESBYTERY

1. What is a Presbytery for?

1.1 History

The Reformers set out three marks of the Church which are also in the Articles Declaratory – the Word is purely preached, the sacraments administered according to Christ’s ordinance, and discipline rightly exercised. In the later sixteenth and early seventeenth Church government was developed with a focus on these three marks. The Church of Scotland’s Articles Declaratory (which might bedescribed as its Constitution) says “its government is Presbyterian, and is exercised through Kirk Sessions; Presbyteries, and General Assemblies.” Presbytery was therefore developed as part of a system of Church government which prized good order.

1.2 The Future

This is from the Radical Action Plan approved by the General Assembly of 2019:-

“Presbytery is the gathered life of the Church of Scotland in a particular area. It brings together, in a mutually accountable and supportive relationship, the recognised ministries and elders representing local Christian communities in parish, education, chaplaincy and national church administration.

In Presbytery the leaders of the local church come together to:

• discern the Holy Spirit’s leading of the Church in their context;

• respond appropriately to Christ’s call to follow;

• oversee the work of the local church; and

• be responsible for discipline and good order.”

The same report went on to say of the “new” Presbyteries that would be created:

• become the natural place to which resources, funding, and decision-making are devolved;

• be able to employ and deploy staff to meet regionally identified needs and

opportunities (e.g. around buildings, finance, church planting, partnership and

mission);

• have the capacity to retain and make better use of a higher proportion of the funds

raised in the area for the mission of the local church;

• have the increased capacity to support and encourage those who are in recognised

ministries or are office bearers, engendering resilience and the spirit to develop

church life;

• free up time and energy for local mission including by reducing the administrative

and legislative burden;

• have increased capacity to speak with a collective voice to other regional centres of

influence in civic life;

• have the capacity to take risks and learn from mistakes; and need less input from the

national offices, allowing a reduction in central spend, enabling increased devolution of funding and resources.