Church of Scotland super-presbytery merger

The Church of Scotland (CoS) Presbytery of Uist - which also includes Harris and Barra - has ceased to exist following the creation of a new merged regional administrative body covering a vast territory across the Highlands and Hebrides.

The super-presbytery is named Clèir Eilean Ì which literally translates in Gaelic as Presbytery of the Island of Iona.

Under a major shake-up within the CoS, the Presbytery of Uist, formed in 1742 after splitting from Lewis, disappears as have eight other local presbyteries, each having compromised a governing body of ministers and elders with responsibilities for church congregations in their own local area.

Lewis is excluded from the revamp at present after voting to continue as a stand alone presbytery to oversee the CoS congregations within its boundaries.

The new Highlands and Hebrides presbytery covers almost half of Scotland’s land mass and is the result of a restructuring plan which also includes reducing the number of church buildings.

Sweeping changes within the denomination are driven by a shortage of ministers, dwindling numbers of worshippers and reduced income.

Clèir Eilean Ì held its first meeting online last week bringing together ministers, elders and others across a vast area which stretches from the tip of Argyll to John O’Groats and from the Western Isles to Moray.

Rev Doug McRoberts, who was confirmed as Clèir Eilean Ì’s first moderator at its inaugural session, believes this will make a big difference to the denomination across the region.

“Every one of our previous presbyteries has been too small to have a full-time clerk, let alone any other full-time posts,” he said.

“Now that central resource will be available to everybody within the presbytery and the first three positions will be in place within the first month of the presbytery’s life.

“Beyond that, we are working with the Church’s IT department in Edinburgh to allow our presbytery clerk to be genuinely mobile, allowing him to work anywhere in the area.

“This is about central church resourcing presbyteries which will in turn resource ministry activities and mission work on the ground.”

Taking on the key role of presbytery clerk is Rev Rory MacLeod, previously the clerk to the Presbytery of Lochcarron-Skye, the first to step into the role.

“No other calling would have persuaded me to leave my charge of Strath and Sleat, which I love,” Mr MacLeod commented.

“My priority will be to get out and about so that all of our local churches feel supported and know that they are at the centre of Clèir Eilean Ì’s activities.”

The pooling of resources will also allow Clèir Eilean Ì to employ a full-time presbytery support officer, a full-time finance officer/treasurer, and eventually a full-time mission director.

Property issues will be looked after by contracted local property specialists across the presbytery area in an approach which has already been trialled in Argyll, which faces similar geographical challenges.

“We have learned some lessons from the other big presbyteries which have already been running for a year or more,” Mr McRoberts said.

“Where things that haven’t gone well for them, they have helpfully told us what to watch for and where things that have gone well for them that we haven’t thought about, we have built these in to what we do.”

Mr McRoberts is excited about the potential opportunities the new presbytery will bring.

“By doing things in ways that have never been done before, we will open up new possibilities, new ways of ministering and mission,” he explained.

Much of the groundwork for the new entity had already been carried out ahead of the first full meeting on Tuesday, with subsidiary committees already holding online meetings.

Given the scale of the new presbytery, covering 40 per cent of Scotland’s landmass and including islands in both the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the four main business meetings held over the year will rely on the internet to keep everyone connected.

However, local representatives will be encouraged to gather together in designated hubs, allowing for in-person fellowship while connecting remotely with their peers elsewhere.

Two of the united presbyteries - Inverness and Ross - have already started training local preachers and worship leaders in association with Highland Theological College in Dingwall.

That will qualify them to preach in their local congregations.

Clèir Eilean Ì's first moderator, Rev Doug McRoberts said: “We will carry this forward across the whole presbytery. Within a few years, the whole pattern of worship will be changed.”

Covering the heartland of Gaelic, with the exception of Lewis where the local presbytery voted not to become a part of Clèir Eilean Ì at present, the language will also be a special focus for Clèir Eilean Ì.

“We will be the entity responsible for taking forward Gaelic worship,” Mr McRoberts revealed.

“People will be able to turn to our website and find details of where they can worship in Gaelic and find other aspects of ministry met for them in Gaelic. We will take that responsibility seriously.

“But we very deliberately went for a name which didn’t just literally translate Gaelic into English. So instead of Clèir Eilean Ì, the Presbytery of Iona, it is the Church of Scotland in the Highlands and Hebrides.”

End of a 280 year era in Western Isles as Church of Scotland super-presbytery merger takes effect

16 January 2024

Tarbert Church of Scotland is included in the new super-presbytery