Church of Scotland online editorial features
MAY FEATURE
The General Assembly: a guide to what goes on
The annual highlight in the Kirk's
business calendar takes place in May when the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland meets in Edinburgh.
Here we give an introduction to its history and how it
works.
An introduction
The General Assembly is the supreme court of the
Church, and is its annual national business meeting.
It has the power to make laws and set the agenda
for the coming months and indeed years for the administrative
councils, committees and departments of the organisation.
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The Assembly was first held in 1560, the year of the
Scottish Reformation which marked the beginning of the
Protestant Church of Scotland as we now know it, and
takes place each year at the Assembly Hall on the Mound
- an imposing 19th century building in the heart of
Edinburgh which was home to the newly reformed Scottish
Parliament from 1999 until 2005. Further information
about the Assembly Hall and its history is available
here.
The procedures and terminology used at the Assembly
can seem daunting to those who are new to it, or even
to seasoned commissioners, but it is an exciting time
for the Church, providing a buzz of activity in the
build up to the week-long event. Many who attend or
watch or listen online to the live worship, speeches
and debates are profoundly touched by the strength and
warmth of fellowship within the Kirk at all levels of
its organisation.
Who attendsThe General Assembly
comprises around 800 commissioners who are ministers,
elders and members of the diaconate (a form of ordained
ministry) from across the Church's 48 presbyteries. As well as spanning the length of Scotland, they also
include
England, Europe and Jerusalem. Visitors
are also invited from partner churches and denominations
from around the world. |
The Assembly has a colourful opening ceremony
steeped in history
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David Lunan
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Chairing the daily business is the
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland. While the position of Moderator Designate
is announced early each year, it is up to the Assembly
to approve the appointment. Moderators can be male
or female and ordained ministers, deacons or elders.
The Moderator Designate for 2008 to 2009 is the
Rev David Lunan. |
When Her Majesty the Queen is unable to attend the Assembly
she sends her Lord High Commissioner in her place. This
year, The Right Honourable George Reid will undertake
the role.
Reports, deliverances and debates
The Assembly's reports are printed
each year in what is known as the Blue
Book. Each resolution for action in these
reports is called a deliverance and the commissioners
have the right to debate and amend these deliverances
prior to voting on them. Sometimes the debates can
be complex with many votes taking place about one
issue, even down to the minutia of how a deliverance
is worded.
As the deliverances dictate
how the Church of Scotland will operate, debates are an
important part of business and enable commissioners to
vote as their conscience tells them.
Getting to grips with Assembly
terminology
One of the most confusing aspects
of the General Assembly can be the range of legal
language and Church terminology used. Here are
some of the main terms you are likely to hear
during the week:
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The report: this
provides the overview from each council or committee
about their work over the past 12 months, and
highlights future plans and direction. This report
is officially delivered with a speech to the Assembly
by the convener or chairman, prior to approval
being sought on the report's deliverances. Sometimes
the Assembly will also ask a council or committee
to report back on a specific subject, or set up
a committee or commission to consider an issue
of importance to the Church. |
Last year's General Assembly |
Deliverances: each
report to the General Assembly contains a number of
deliverances which commissioners vote to approve, amend
or reject according to personal conscience. These deliverances
set the agenda and direction for each council or committee
over the coming year and can change or establish new
Church law.
Motions: commissioners
can propose motions from the floor of the Assembly about
the report currently being discussed. Motions, like
deliverances, are for commissioners to approve or reject
and are offered as an alternative to the original deliverance
proposed in the report. Motions belong to three categories:
- Counter-motion:
counter-motions are brought by commissioners from
the floor. They are contradictory proposals to the
deliverance. As there can be more than one counter-motion
to each section of the deliverance, no vote is taken
on them until the whole discussion is closed and
all counter-motions have been brought before the
Assembly.
- Amendments: these
are proposed deletions, alterations or additions
which are not substantially different from the original
deliverance contained in the report. In effect therefore
the original deliverance is more
or less acceptable but the commissioner proposing
it will have a comparatively minor change to 'improve'
it.
- Addendum: this
is a form of amendment but differs slightly in that
the proposer fully accepts the original deliverance
with no changes as far as it goes but wants it to
go further with an addition. An addendum does not
change the meaning of the deliverance but just adds
a slight section, normally by just a word or sentence.
Sometimes an addendum adds a whole new section to
the deliverance, without changing the wording of
any existing part of it.
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Overture: this is a
method by which one court of the Church (for example
a presbytery) brings a matter before another (e.g. the
Assembly). Once the matter has been introduced, it is
debated just like the reports - already described above.
Overtures are printed in the Order
of Proceedings booklet.
Petition: this is a
mechanism by which any individual or group can bring
before the Assembly a matter that affects them personally,
asking the Church to take action. When their business
has been introduced and questions asked of them, the
petitioners take no further part in the debate, and
the Assembly can dispose of the matter in any way it
wishes.
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Be a part of it
You don't have to be a commissioner of the Assembly
to be able to enjoy the worship, reports and debates.
By visiting our General
Assembly pages you can watch live on our webcast or
listen to the archived event highlights from your desktop,
or on your iPod or MP3 player wherever you are in the
world.
Contact us
Please contact the webteam
using our feedback form.
Archived features
You can read our archived features list
online here.
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