June/July 2020

The Commission of the General Assembly convened remotely at 4pm on Tuesday 7 July to consider a report and deliverance from the Legal Questions Committee.

The Commission of Assembly, appointed by the General Assembly of 2019, is formed from around one-tenth of that body's commissioners. In special circumstances the commission is empowered to take decisions in place of the General Assembly.

Due to the COVID-19 health crisis the 2020 General Assembly had to be postponed, so alternatives have been put in place to deal with important and time-sensitive matters. A special service was held in May to install the 2020-21 Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Martin Fair.

The current Commission of Assembly met in November 2019 and was again consulted in April/May 2020. A short General Assembly for 2020 was held on 2-3 October to deal with urgent business.

The Commission of Assembly meeting in July considered temporary measures to alleviate blockages to filling vacancies and conducting the business of the Church during the current COVID-19 crisis. The deliverance was approved and you can read the Minute of the Commission of Assembly here.

The membership of the current Commission will continue in their appointments until another General Assembly is held and a new Commission is appointed.

A small number of key personnel will attend the Commission of Assembly in person at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh. The event will be livestreamed on the Church website.

Read the full Legal Questions report and deliverance

You can download the full Legal Questions report and deliverance as a PDF file.