April 2026: Rev Stuart Love

For April, Rev Stuart Love looks back at his first decade in ministry and what led to his becoming Scotland's youngest minister when he was ordained in October 2016.

How did you find your training for the Church of Scotland?

I did two years at New College in Edinburgh and then my training placements. One of the strengths of training for me was the diversity of opportunities. My discernment placement was in Claremont Church in East Kilbride and my supervisor, Rev Gordon Palmer, is now my father-in-law because I met my wife Ruth at Claremont.

I then went to Cranhill Church with Rev Muriel Pearson, which is very much a priority area, and seeing and experiencing ministry in one of the most challenging areas of Glasgow.

I was part of the chaplaincy team at HMYOI Polmont near Falkirk for a summer and that was fascinating. Polmont probably differs from other prisons because it is a young offenders' institute and the attitude of a lot of the staff was that they had to try their best for these young guys because this was possibly the only opportunity to help them before they end up in adult prison and the "revolving door" of the prison system.

For my final placement and probation, I did two years at Dalziel St Andrew's Church in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire with Rev Derek Hughes. This was a special placement, and not just because of the longer period of time. While here, Ruth and I got married, and we built up a close relationship with Derek and his wife, as they mentored us both in the journey toward my ordination to ministry. Derek marked my transition from student to probationer by leaving me in charge while he was on holiday for three weeks. This was a helpful decision as it highlighted I was ready to begin ministry full-time.

What attracted you to Clincarthill?

Over the course of several months, we whittled down the number of vacant parishes we felt drawn to, to two. My memory is being at Ruth's parents' house for lunch and Gordon sharing that one of the churches was about to invite someone to preach as sole nominee.

On the drive back to Motherwell, we agreed we weren't too bothered about this, and wondered what if it had been Clincarthill? We realised if it had been, we would be really upset. For me, this was the moment I felt clarity about where God was calling us, and this sense of call is one of the things that has sustained us in the last 10 years.

Other things drew us to Clincarthill, which some might overlook. Clincarthill was a union and as a result, the building had been renovated, which included removing the side pews in the sanctuary to create two glass-fronted rooms. From a purely practical sense, these have been such a blessing because it allows gatherings in the sanctuary, even if you are just in this little side room. But to us, that is just one indication that here was a congregation who were able to think creatively and are not wholly wedded to tradition for tradition's sake.

When you were ordained, you were the youngest minister in the Church of Scotland. Did that make any difference?

Other than making for the occasional headline and getting to do a couple of radio interviews, it was never an issue, and I am grateful for that. It shows that people recognised my experience and training were significant enough that being in my 20s was not an issue.

What have been you highlights in ministry?

I feel I am quite a gifted communicator, so I get a lot of fulfilment from leading worship and preaching. Connected with that, I have been assured by a great number of people that I do a good funeral. Being able to come alongside people who have been bereaved and support them and love them and then lead a service for them, which they come away from thinking that was a good service, that is healing, I hope.

Outside of that, it is often the unexpected that I find most enriching. I love having conversations with people about faith. I have come away from some pastoral visits where someone has been having a real moment of crisis, or they are emotionally and spiritually troubled. That can be difficult and draining but also fulfilling because I can come away from those conversations and think that I really made a difference and hopefully helped them to see God in their situation.

What lessons have you learned over the last 10 years?

If there is any lesson I have learned that I want to pass on, I would sum it up as: ‘God's hands are bigger than ours.'

I have a better awareness of what we, as ministers, truly are responsible for. I probably did struggle in those first few years of thinking that everything was my responsibility. COVID was a real nightmare, but it helped me realise I can be responsible for the things I need to be and need to leave the rest to God. A wonderful example is that we have seen a steady growth in the number of families at Clincarthill over the years, but in the last couple of months, suddenly three or four other families have just turned up, while we have not done anything differently. They have come because God is doing something – though this does make me wonder what God might do, if we did do things differently?

What keeps you motivated through the challenges?

I've talked a lot about a sense of call. I feel I am doing what God has called me to do and it is a responsibility, but also a privilege to be obedient to that call.

If I think of ministry in the sense of serving my congregation, there haven't been any major lows, but the presbytery planning process was difficult. We really had to think and pray very hard about remaining at Clincarthill because that is where we still felt God was calling us, yet it was unlikely my tenure would be continued.

In what felt like something of a Christmas miracle, just before Christmas 2024, presbytery came to us, suggesting we might begin discussions with Maxwell Mearns Castle Church. We had our first joint elders meeting in January 2025 and the feedback from the kirk sessions was: ‘We've just met you, but it feels as though we have known you for years.'

That affirmed for us that God really did have our best interests at heart, even if it didn't really feel like it at the time. Our discernment was right when God said: ‘You are where I need you, trust in Me.'

Now I am ministering in two congregations where we are valued, loved and I am able to exercise ministry as I am called, but the thing that sustained me through all that was my congregation. The relationship we built with the folk at Clincarthill, we are now building at Maxwell Mearns, and it is exciting seeing that relationship deepen as we journey with God together.