Church of Scotland
MISSION AND DISCIPLESHIP COUNCIL

2007 HIGHLAND CONSULTATION
24 to 26 April 2007: Stornoway


1. Introduction:

The Mission and Discipleship Council arranged the 2007 Highland Consultation from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 April 2007 in the Caladh Inn, Stornoway.

Over 70 participated in the event including representatives from congregations in the Presbyteries of Caithness, Lewis, Lochcarron-Skye, Ross, Sutherland and Uist, and representatives of the Council of Assembly, the Church and Society Council, the Ministries Council, the Mission and Discipleship Council, and the Church of Scotland Guild.

All costs of the event were met from the Council’s Highlands and Islands Trust.

2. Programme:

The 48 hour programme included:

- Three Bible Readings offered by the Rev Dominic Smart, Aberdeen
- An address entitled ‘The Great Commission and the Ministry of the Word’ from Prof David F Wright, DD
- An ‘All Things New’ session with contributions from Evanton, Stornoway, and Wick
- An address on ‘The Role of the Council of Assembly’ from Mrs. Helen McLeod, Convener of the Council
- Four optional ‘Late Night Extras’ on ‘New Initiatives in Education and Nurture’, ‘The Use of Gaelic in the Church’, ‘Work of the Ministries Council’, and ‘Parish Development Fund’
- Evening Worship each day and\a Communion Service in St. Columba’s Church conducted by Stornoway Ministers
- A coach tour of Lewis conducted by Rev Dr Angus Morrison, Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council.

3. ‘Thinking About Resources’:

On the Wednesday an opportunity was given in groups for Consultation delegates to think about resources; and the following is a summary of the responses:

a) What in your experience are the key opportunities at this time for mission and discipleship?

Mums and Toddlers Groups (2); Welcome Packs; Parish Ministries; access to Schools (3); storytelling; visiting team; testimony meetings; new buildings mean new homes mean new people; openness to reassessment (2); new thinking about forms of worship and methods of outreach; influx of population with different ideas; new insights through CWW with ‘permission’ for ‘new’ things, lay leadership (2) and using gifts of congregation; growing number of overseas people and opportunities for mission (eg English classes); more interest in ‘values and virtues’ in companies and for work-based ministry; web-based communication (3) for study, exchange and fellowship; we can go out and meet people where they are; our heritage; people still have ‘warmth’ for national Church; we can be family for the isolated; youth work; older people; coffee and chat (Fair Trade); infant baptism; funerals; weddings; hospital chaplaincies; Sunday worship.

b) What in your experience are the key challenges at this time for mission and discipleship?

Youth work; people willing to take leadership responsibility; older people; transformation of Sunday worship; participation in mission overseas (youth exchange); SU Camps; tent mission; reaching unchurched with gospel; reaching people between 20 and 50; to leave our comfort zone and shake of shackles of negativity; re-uniting mutual cross-encouragement between generations; separation of church from community; finding the most effective medium; materialism/comfort/prosperity; problems of rural communities – time (to travel, etc); need to get out, not expect people to come in; communicating in a simple and understandable way; making the gospel relevant; indifference and apathy of both church and unchurched people (2); using the internet and modern ways of communication effectively; resources, money and people; many congregations have too few young people and congregations with younger people find them too short of time; growing number of holiday homes; diminution in number of resident community leaders; reduction in number of Christian leaders; proliferation of people of other faiths; absence of Health Centre reduces confidence; people retiring to area often don’t want to integrate; problem of unemployment; loss of esteem; drugs, alcohol and high suicide rate; new depth of ignorance about Christianity; decreased number of ministers and elders; to get into schools.
 
c) What resources have you found of value over recent years?

SU materials for Sunday Schools and Holiday Clubs (4); YFC ‘Rock Solid’ materials; Mid-Week Bible Study Groups; Family Meal/Congregational Meal; Alpha; Christianity Explored (3) and ‘Discipleship Explored’; Websites; ‘Leading Worship’ Course; Bereavement Counselling; work of Regional Development Officer (3); Gould’s ‘First Communion’, Marjory Maclean; Richard Gibbon’s material; McGregor Trusts; Iain Johnston; Consultations like this (3) and conferences like ‘Re-Energise’ (3); Evangelism Conference at All Soul’s, Langham Place; ‘The Because Approach: Innovating Church for All’ by Andrew Barghen; using Project Groups in congregation (to which office-bearers can devolve work); PDF; ‘Coming Alive’ and ‘Staying Alive’; Ministries Council funding of an Associate; IT generally as means of communication (eg Powerpoint) (3) and as source of resources (web) (2); things that draw others in, eg Dornoch’s Labyrinth; electronic resources for hymns and music; Songsearch; teamwork; Easter Communion; church signs outside church; Minister; ‘Urban Saints’; welcome pack (with DVD); Millennium outreach.  

d) What further resources would you welcome to meet the opportunities and challenges of this time?

Powerpoint Training; youth outreach activities; youth workers; non-Church user-friendly gospel message ‘tracts’; homegroup/small group materials; contemporary music resources; more conferences sharing positive encounters/ventures; more use of prophetic ministries looking at the wider picture and not only local area; fairness and equality across Presbyteries, ie, Parish Assistants; communication with Presbyteries needs to be improved; resource to fund Gaelic ministry; CH3 Music copies; sources of good midi files for churches with no organists; more resources for PDF to support outlying areas and areas of rural deprivation; information on Emmaus; administrative support for ministers; advice on how to find and finance Interns, Project Workers, etc; help with setting up congregational websites; contact person in ‘121’ for resources; resources on elder training; more conferences such as this consultation; central record of available locums; circulation of resources from USA and Anglican Church; less cost for vacancy advertising in ‘Life and Work’; more training programmes (like ‘Leading Worship’) that can be rolled out across country; support with contact with children and young people; target the ‘middle aged’; help to release gifts of the people.

4. ‘Follow-Up’ Forms:

Twenty completed ‘Follow-Up’ Forms were returned and responses are summarised as follows:

a) Comments on Consultation:

Overall the comments offered on the ‘Programme’, ‘Accommodation’ and ‘Any Other Issues’ were extremely positive and by and large echo the comments printed below in ‘Other Points’.

The only reservations shared by more than one person were the three who thought that the ‘Late Night Extras’ were too ‘late’; and beyond that there were individual comments about ‘inclusivity’, accommodation and ‘too much food’.

For future Consultations suggestions were offered by one person each that there should be ‘more opportunity to raise issues of interest, concern and help required’ and that an ‘invitation should be extended to spouses’.

b) Resources and Support from Council:

The following suggestions were offered for resources and support which the Council could offer:

- More IT resources and recommendations, such as music midi-files and good DVD’s
- A reprint of Gould’s ‘First Communion’
- Programmes for various kinds of congregations leadership which can be adapted to different Presbytery situations
- Consideration to future of the use of Gaelic in Church of Scotland 
- Information on who to contact in ‘121’
- Elder Training options
- Newsletter of good practice for those of us who find creativity elusive
- Training in use of Microsoft Power Point
- Supply of midi music files for use in worship
- Web connection for all Ministers using midi music in worship to encourage file sharing
- Similar Consultations like this one for Highlands and for other areas, eg, Moray, Gordon and Buchan  

c) ‘New Developments’:

The following ‘new developments’ were noted:

- ‘Soundwaves’ club for children with 30+ attending (Strath and Sleat)
- New format in weekly Prayer Meeting (Strath and Sleat)
- Opportunities for mission developing in Gaelic student community, with ‘beyond-Skye’ implications (Strath and Sleat)
- New Youth Club for Secondary School pupils – up to 35 attending – local congregation co-operating with the Christian Fellowship and Free Church (Lairg)
- Members of congregation involved in a local Youth Café which has a strong Christian basis (Tain)
- Trying to encourage ‘adherents’ to consider membership of the Church (Tain)
- Two new Prayer Meetings (Fearn Abbey and Nigg linked with Tarbat)
- ‘Congregational Mission Design’ still in use after ten years – ‘it has proved to be very successful and it has enabled us to use the gifts that are in our congregation. We are working on another ‘phase’ at present which will give more responsibility to more people’ (Gairloch-Dundonell)
- Encouraging more people to be involved in preaching (Gairloch-Dundonell)
- Easter Ross Interchurch Group – Church of Scotland, Catholic and Anglicans sharing Bible Studies, Speakers, Passover Supper, Barbecues (Kilmuir and Logie Easter)
- Pastoral care for those no longer able to attend services (Kilmuir and Logie Easter)
- Start up of Mother and Toddlers Group (Benbecula)
- Start up of over 60’s group (Benbecula)
- ‘Coffee and Chat’ on Monday mornings which has proved to be a good source of outreach in community (Rothes)
- Music Group for youngsters in parish – 40 youngsters on a Friday evening, for 75% this is their only connection with Church (Rothes)
- Youth worker (Berneray and Lochmaddy)
- Development of Parish Grouping (Unsigned form)

d) Other Points:

The following other points were made:

- ‘teaching was excellent – more of this as it refreshes ministers’
- ‘thank you for inviting ‘Guild’ representative – thoroughly enjoyed experience and fellowship’
- ‘loved the tour – pity about the rain’
- ‘enjoyed sightseeing tour – especially moved by Psalm 23 in Chapel’
- ‘thank you for an encouraging and inspiring conference – thanks for coming to the Western Isles’
- ‘thank-you for the tour round the island – very much appreciated’
- ‘thanks for a good consultation’
- ‘I have strong feeling that this exercise was very successful and affirming’
- ‘I would hope that future Consultations would have the same balance of pastoral spiritual nourishment and passing on of information’
- ‘a very special and encouraging and helpful time’


DN: May 2007
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