Moray’s newest minister brings healing message to the whole community

A familiar face officially takes up a new role in Forres with the induction of Rev Stuart Finlayson as community pioneer minister.

Employed by the Presbytery of Inverness and West Moray rather than an individual church, his role will not only help local congregations adapt to a time of change, but also look at new ways of sharing the Christian message with the community.

A familiar face officially takes up a new role in Forres with the induction of Rev Stuart Finlayson as community pioneer minister.

Employed by the Presbytery of Inverness and West Moray rather than an individual church, his role will not only help local congregations adapt to a time of change, but also look at new ways of sharing the Christian message with the community.

It is a community he has known all his life, having been brought up in Forres and the nearby village of Dyke. Mr Finlayson even played a few first team games with local Highland League side Forres Mechanics, a football club he now serves in a very different capacity as team chaplain.

"I always said I wouldn't be able to minister in my home town, but actually being local has opened many doors," he admitted.

"People know who I am and see me as part of the wider community."

After leaving Forres for university, an experience he found disappointing, he returned to the area in 2010 and worked in a number of jobs, including as a delivery driver, retail management and with a removals firm.

He began attending church regularly once more with his then fiancée before their marriage and the couple gradually became more involved in church life.

However, it was helping an army padre move from Catterick to Inverness which was to have the biggest impact on his faith.

"He gave me this camouflage Bible and said: ‘If you ever get lonely, read a bit of this.' I did and from that moment on, it really felt that God was speaking to me all the time."

New ways to spread the word

Mr Finlayson had not considered the ministry until someone suggested it would be a good fit, so after much thought and prayer he began studying at Highland Theological College (HTC) in Dingwall.

Placements at Buckie North, St Columba's in Inverness and Glasgow Tron, followed by a probationary period at St Giles' and St Columba's South in Elgin, involved him in a mix of different church experiences, from rural to urban and from traditional to a church without its own building.

As the pandemic forced churches to remain shut, he began filming and editing services for home viewing and involved Siân and their children, daughter Lowri (now 7) and son Gethin (3), in helping fill what he felt was a gap for the youngest members of the church community.

"I didn't feel there was much online for young people, so we created The Sunday Club," Mr Finlayson explained.

"They were 15 minute episodes where we would read Bible stories, do crafts together and play games. It was another opportunity to use online resources to conduct worship because it was clear that people still wanted to be part of the church community."

As churches reopened, Mr Finlayson was able to create new initiatives for live gatherings. These include "Sweaty Church", which combines games and sport with Christian teaching and time for questions, and the monthly Unite service in Forres which brings together different churches for combined worship.

"These are all about being in the community and extending beyond the walls of the church," he explained.

"I want to partner with the community as much as I can and a big part of my job is putting the church back at the heart of the community so whatever the issue, they can come to us and seek help. I want them to know that there is healing to be had."

At 38, Mr Finlayson is not just one of the newest ministers in the Church of Scotland, but among the youngest and he feels this is also an advantage in his new mission.

"I have my own young children, so going into schools and having a relationship with young people is really easy for me," he said.

"It's more difficult going into secondary schools, but when they are told I'm a minister they don't believe it. I don't look like a typical minister ¬- I have tattoos - but that can also be an advantage and has opened doors as well."

Friday's induction marks the culmination of seven years of work and study and the fact he has come so far is an affirmation for Mr Finlayson that this is God's plan for him.

"When I was younger I tried to get qualifications and I couldn't do it. Fast forward 20 years and I'm studying theology in the middle of the pandemic and with a wife and children and I still succeed," he said.

"That proves to me that God is behind me because I don't think I would have been able to do it on my own."

Rev Stuart Finlayson's ordination takes place on Friday October 7 at 7pm at St Laurence Church, Forres.