Presbytery Planning

At the 2019 General Assembly, the Church agreed to reduce the number of Presbyteries across the country; to support local congregations in their ministry and mission; and encourage new expressions of church.

This is part of the Church's commitment to maintaining worshipping, witnessing and serving Christian congregations throughout Scotland. These congregations must be outward looking and engage with their communities and the wider church.

Following on from the Radical Action Plan, the 2021 General Assembly approved the Presbytery Mission Plan Act. The Act aims to enable Presbyteries to effectively deliver Christ's mission in practice by developing a Mission Plan. The General Assembly of 2025 also agreed that charges should have a Congregational Action Plan. The last of the thirteen Presbytery Mission Plans was agreed in May 2025. Once approved, the Mission Plan must be implemented. It will then be evaluated on an annual basis and further developed as needed so it remains an accurate, comprehensive plan for the shape of church life. More information is available on our Mission Planning pages.

The Presbytery and Partnership Support Programme Group of the Faith Action Programme Leadership Team meets monthly on the third Thursday of every month. Among other tasks, its purpose is to review proposed bases of adjustment and also to assist Presbyteries with implementing the new Mission Plan Act. (Read more about the Programme Group's remit ) This Programme Group is convened by the Reverend Jonathan Fleming, minister at the Lyle Kirk in Greenock, a charge which is itself the result of a union.

Below are resources for congregations to use as they move forward with their planning. These resources include guidance that explains how the Presbytery Mission Plan Act will work and what is expected of congregations. There are also template documents for bases of adjustment, and sharing documents to enable the sharing of ideas between Presbyteries and congregations.

The guidance will be updated as the Presbytery Mission Planning process moves forward. The pages and documents in this section will be updated with the most recent information available.

Guidances

Template documents

Sharing documents