{"id":3225,"date":"2019-05-17T12:10:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T19:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.gajunkie.com\/?p=3225"},"modified":"2019-05-23T07:48:06","modified_gmt":"2019-05-23T14:48:06","slug":"church-of-scotland-general-assembly-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.gajunkie.com\/?p=3225","title":{"rendered":"Church of Scotland General Assembly 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/737153402912320143.jpg?fit=625%2C833&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3227\" width=\"156\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/737153402912320143.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/737153402912320143.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/737153402912320143.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/737153402912320143.jpg?resize=624%2C832&amp;ssl=1 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 156px) 100vw, 156px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is General Assembly week in Edinburgh. It was a great experience being there last year and visiting all three of the Assemblies going on that week. Once again, my thanks to all of them for their official and unofficial hospitality. This year we are back to normal and tracking them from the other side of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few hours from now, on Saturday morning 18 May the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/about_us\/general_assembly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">2019 General Assembly<\/a> of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Church of Scotland<\/a> will convene in Edinburgh &#8211; with all the traditional pageantry &#8211; for their annual week-long meeting. And it is looking to be an interesting meeting with major implications for the Kirk in the years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Church_of_Scotland_Logo.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.gajunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Church_of_Scotland_Logo.png?resize=150%2C184&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Church_of_Scotland_Logo\" class=\"wp-image-1656\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are interested in keeping track of the business and activities this year, here are the starting points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There will be live streaming of the proceedings and you can connect to the stream appropriate for your device from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/stream1.churchofscotland.org.uk\/about_us\/general_assembly\/\" target=\"_blank\">media page<\/a>.<\/li><li>Most of the Documents pertaining to the Assembly are linked from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/publications\" target=\"_blank\">General Assembly Publications page<\/a>. This includes the Assembly Reports volumes, known as the Blue Book in <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/publications\/blue-book\" target=\"_blank\">several different electronic formats<\/a> including the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/download\/publications\/2019-assembly-reports-blue-book-pdf.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">traditional PDF<\/a> as well as MOBI and EPUB formats for your eReaders. For eReaders, the Blue Book is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/publications\/combined-blue-book-and-order-of-proceedings-2019\" target=\"_blank\">available combined with the Order of Proceedings<\/a> included. There is also a separate <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/download\/publications\/order-of-proceedings-2019pdf.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Order of Proceedings<\/a>. The Daily Papers will contain late-breaking changes and are available on the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/publications\/assembly-papers\" target=\"_blank\">Assembly Papers page<\/a>. There is an option at the bottom of the page to subscribe to notifications of new documents being posted. <\/li><li>If you only want the action items, there is a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/proposed-deliverances\" target=\"_blank\">Proposed Deliverances Page<\/a> with a link to a PDF with all the Deliverances together.<\/li><li>If you need to refer to the documents about how they do this decently and in order most of those are linked from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/about_us\/church_law\" target=\"_blank\">Church Law page<\/a>. This web page also used to have the useful &#8220;An Introduction to Practice and Procedure of the Church of Scotland&#8221; but it was being revised and seems to have disappeared. While dated, I have a copy of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/gajunkie.info\/practice_procedure_intro.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">2009 Third Edition<\/a> available from my <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/gajunkie.info\/\" target=\"_blank\">Resources Site<\/a>.<\/li><li>A detailed <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/programme\" target=\"_blank\">Programme page<\/a> tabbed by day provides a schedule of docketed reports and events for easy look up.<\/li><li>And from the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/stream1.churchofscotland.org.uk\/about_us\/general_assembly\/news_updates\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Updates page<\/a> there will be regular daily updates in print, audio and video.<\/li><li>There is usually an official photo gallery of the Assembly. Will add that here when it goes live.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What we all want to know of course is how to follow along on social media and there will be no lack of that. You can begin with the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/churchofscotland\" target=\"_blank\">Church of Scotland&#8217;s official Facebook page<\/a> as well as the Facebook page for the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cofsnationalyouthassembly\" target=\"_blank\">National Youth Assembly<\/a>. There is also the Kirk&#8217;s <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Instagram feed (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/churchofscotland\/\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram feed<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/churchscotland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"YouTube channel (opens in a new tab)\">YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Twitter, the starting point is the Kirk&#8217;s main feed at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/churchscotland\" target=\"_blank\">@churchscotland<\/a> and the official hashtag <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%23GA2019\" target=\"_blank\">#ga2019<\/a>. (And be alert &#8211; there is an event called Gamers Assembly that is using the same hashtag so don&#8217;t be surprised at the first person shooter video(s)) There is an official account for the Moderator of the General Assembly, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/churchmoderator\" target=\"_blank\">@churchmoderator<\/a>, but during the Assembly, we will have to see how many opportunities there will be to tweet. And while the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"incoming Moderator, the Rev. Colin Sinclair (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.gajunkie.com\/?p=3131\" target=\"_blank\">incoming Moderator, the Rev. Colin Sinclair<\/a>, does not appear to be on Twitter, you can follow his church &#8211; Palmerston Place Church &#8211; <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@ppc_edinburgh (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ppc_edinburgh\/\" target=\"_blank\">@ppc_edinburgh<\/a>. The retiring Moderator, the Rev. Susan Brown, can be followed at her personal account, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VicarofDornoch\" target=\"_blank\">@VicarofDornoch<\/a>. Similarly, the Church of Scotland Youth may be tweeting at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/cosy_nya\" target=\"_blank\">@cosy_nya<\/a>, although the account has been inactive. The official account for the NYA Moderator, currently Tamsin Dingwall, is at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/nyamoderator\" target=\"_blank\">@NYAModerator<\/a>, and that is probably a better starting point. The church&#8217;s official publication, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Life and Work<\/a>, is also a good source for information <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/features\/features\/view\/375-general-assembly-2019\" target=\"_blank\">on the web<\/a>, on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifeandWork\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> and on their Twitter feed <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/cofslifeandwork\" target=\"_blank\">@cofslifeandwork<\/a>. In addition, while it is a personal account, you can follow the editor, Lynne McNeil, at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/LifeWorkEditor\" target=\"_blank\">@LifeWorkEditor<\/a>, who usually does the most comprehensive live tweeting of the Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I add to this list a semi-official account with a good potential for close live tweeting of the meeting: The curated account Church Scotland Voices with weekly rotating contributors at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/churchscovoices\" target=\"_blank\">@churchscovoices<\/a>&nbsp;says they will have someone covering GA. And worth mentioning the Kirk innovative ministry incubator, Go For It (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GoForItCofS\" target=\"_blank\">@GoForItCofS<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In suggesting personal accounts to follow, let me start with three past Moderators of the General Assembly, besides Susan Brown who I mention above. The first is the Very Reverend Lorna Hood who is always an interesting read at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/revlornascot\" target=\"_blank\">@revlornascot<\/a> and has been very active the past few years with projects related to Srebrenica justice and remembrance and also serves with YouthLink Scotland. The second is the Very Reverend Derek Browning at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/derekbrowning2\" target=\"_blank\">@DerekBrowning2<\/a>. Add to the list the Very Reverend Albert Bogle at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/italker\" target=\"_blank\">@italker<\/a> who has been getting some recent traction with the Sanctuary First ministry (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sanctuaryfirst\" target=\"_blank\">@sanctuaryfirst<\/a>) and whose charge is now related to online church. Finally, I will include the Very Reverend Angus Morrison (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/angusmorrison6\" target=\"_blank\">@angusmorrison6<\/a>) has been an interesting and entertaining read and frequently tweets in Gaelic, but he has not been active for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In suggesting other personal accounts let me begin with the Rev. Peter Nimmo of Inverness who is a member of the Church and Society Council (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChurchSociety01\" target=\"_blank\">@ChurchSociety01<\/a>) and always a good source of information at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/peternimmo1\" target=\"_blank\">@peternimmo1<\/a>. And his choir from St. Stephen&#8217;s Church ( <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@invernesschurch (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Invernesschurch\" target=\"_blank\">@invernesschurch<\/a>) will be performing at Heart and Soul. Also from the Inverness area will be the Rev. Susan Cord at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@sue_cord (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sue_cord\" target=\"_blank\">@sue_cord<\/a>. Others I regularly follow from the Kirk include Darren Philip (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/darphilip\" target=\"_blank\">@darphilip<\/a>), Alistair May (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlistairMay\" target=\"_blank\">@AlistairMay<\/a>), Neil Glover (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NeilMGlover\" target=\"_blank\">@NeilMGlover<\/a>) who chairs the church&#8217;s Ministry Council, Liz Crumlish (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eacbug\" target=\"_blank\">@eacbug<\/a>), RevShuna (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@shunad (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/shunad\" target=\"_blank\">@shunad<\/a>) and Angus Mathieson (<a aria-label=\"@angusmathieson (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/angusmathieson\" target=\"_blank\">@angusmathieson<\/a>).  As reform and renewal will be a major topic again this year, following Douglas Gay (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@DougGay (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/douggay\" target=\"_blank\">@DougGay<\/a>) should be helpful. He has helped drive this discussion with his three-part <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/stream1.churchofscotland.org.uk\/chalmers-lecture\" target=\"_blank\">2017 Chalmers Lectures<\/a>, and his book, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Reforming the Kirk (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/standrewpress.hymnsam.co.uk\/books\/9780861539017\/reforming-the-kirk\" target=\"_blank\">Reforming the Kirk<\/a>, released a couple years ago. Life and Work published <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"a piece by him (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/features\/features\/view\/377-truth-in-love\" target=\"_blank\">a piece by him<\/a> about this year&#8217;s Radical Action Plan initiative. More on that in a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And stay tuned &#8211; as usual once GA gets rolling I will update the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UPDATE: Should have added this sooner, but through the tweets found Scott Paget has a blog called <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Reading the Blue Book, 2019 Edition (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/readingthebluebook.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reading the Blue Book, 2019 Edition<\/a>, where he breaks down reports from the Blue Book individually with his comments. You can follow him on Twitter at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/smpaget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"@smpaget (opens in a new tab)\">@smpaget<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once again the Assembly will have its annual <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.heartandsoul.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Heart and Soul<\/a> festival on the Sunday afternoon of the Assembly week that will again be happening in Princes Street Gardens near the Assembly Hall. The theme of both the Assembly and the Heart and Soul event this year is &#8220;Jesus Said: &#8216;Follow Me'&#8221;. It is reflected on the cover of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/ga.churchofscotland.org.uk\/publications\/blue-book\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Book<\/a>.&nbsp;There is a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Programme of events (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.heartandsoul.org.uk\/programme\" target=\"_blank\">Programme of events<\/a>, including the multiple stages and venues, and the website suggests a broadcast, but I don&#8217;t see an active link for that yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concerning the business before the Assembly there is a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/features\/general-assembly-2019-reports\" target=\"_blank\">nice summary of each report<\/a> on the Life and Work site. In addition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/about_us\/general_assembly\/guide_to_the_assembly\/conveners_summaries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"each of the conveners (opens in a new tab)\">each of the conveners<\/a> has recorded a short video introducing their report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The challenge of how to reform the church to remain viable for the future is front and center this year. Last year the Assembly made a bold move <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"when it rejected (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/news_and_events\/news\/2018\/general_assembly_calls_for_more_radical_strategic_plan\" target=\"_blank\">when it rejected<\/a> the Council of Assembly&#8217;s proposed <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"ten-year strategic plan (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0007\/50947\/CofS_Strategic_Plan_2018-2028.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ten-year strategic plan<\/a> in favour of a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"countermotion calling for &quot;a radical action plan (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/news\/news\/post\/1026-assembly-agrees-instruction-for-radical-plan\" target=\"_blank\">countermotion calling for &#8220;a radical action plan<\/a>.&#8221; The group working on this radical action plan is reporting and as I mentioned above, Doug Gay gives a nice summary of the plan in that <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Life and Work article (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeandwork.org\/features\/features\/view\/377-truth-in-love\" target=\"_blank\">Life and Work article<\/a>. For the full details, check out the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Council of Assembly report (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0020\/50195\/Council_of_Assembly.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Council of Assembly report<\/a>. It also headlines the Kirk&#8217;s <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"GA preview news article (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofscotland.org.uk\/news_and_events\/news\/2019\/general_assembly_meets_to_discuss_radical_change\" target=\"_blank\">GA preview news article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal makes major changes in the structure and work of the church. The proposal is to cut at the top to provide greater focus and resources for the churches and the communities. For example, one detail is to cut the number of presbyteries from 45 to 12. It would establish a  Growth Fund between \u00a320 million to \u00a325 million for church planting and community outreach work. Administrative costs at the top level would be cut, maybe as much as 40%, and the number of councils would be reduced from four to two. In addition, the church&#8217;s social care arm, Crossreach, could be given greater autonomy. The debate on the Radical Action Plan is scheduled for first thing Wednesday morning (which means I will have to set an alarm).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So here we go as we kick off a packed week for GA. The other two Assemblies begin Monday evening and I will have more on those Sunday evening or Monday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stay tuned&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is General Assembly week in Edinburgh. It was a great experience being there last year and visiting all three of the Assemblies going on that week. Once again, my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,4,2],"tags":[171,162],"class_list":["post-3225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-of-scotland","category-ga-business","category-general-assembly","tag-church-of-scotland","tag-general-assembly"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Church of Scotland General Assembly 2019 - The GA Junkie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.gajunkie.com\/?p=3225\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Church of Scotland General Assembly 2019 - The GA Junkie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is General Assembly week in Edinburgh. It was a great experience being there last year and visiting all three of the Assemblies going on that week. 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