BY its very nature, radical reform is never easy. As Rev Dr Doug Gay will tell a Church of Scotland audience tonight at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, major institutional reform of any body, whether it is the NHS, a university or a large charity, entails some measures being enacted that will be very difficult for some people thus affected.
The hope, however, is that the changes will benefit the institution as a whole.
That surely is the spirit in which Mr Gay’s third and final Chalmers Lecture should be taken by all of those in the audience tonight, by those who work at121 George Street and by everyone in the wider Kirk.
In his lectures Mr Gray has offered what the church itself describes as a “candid, forthright and bold analysis of the state of the church ... and the choices facing it”.
Such an analysis is timely, given the difficulties that are already facing the Church of Scotland and that, assuredly, will continue to confront it.
There are those in the church who, for perfectly understandable reasons, might shrink from some of the radical thoughts that Mr Gay will outline.
Reducing the number of presbyteries from the present total of 46 to just 12 regional ones is an idea that will stir unease in those who will think it a step too far.
Mr Gay also suggests the merger of central councils and the decentralising of power.
But the incontestable fact is that something has to be done. Change, whether radical or of a milder but still daring stripe, will have to be considered.
The key aim of radical reform, as Mr Gay asserts, will be to offer more effective support to the work of local congregations.
He also observes that the church will, over the next 13 years, have to close unsustainable churches and manage those that are in decline.
If nothing else, his prescriptions will offer Kirk members serious food for thought. Decline in membership and in the number of ministers are matters that require urgent attention.
There is, as someone once told Mr Gay, no place left to hide.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel