Church of Scotland Votes In Favour Of Gay Ministers

The Church of Scotland has voted in favour of allowing people in same sex civil partnerships to be called as ministers and deacons.

The decision was made by the General Assembly on the Mound in Edinburgh today, where the motion was passed by 309 votes in favour and 182 against.

The outcome is the culmination of years of deliberation within the Church.

The motion has faced a series of debates and votes before the final decision was arrived at this afternoon.

This included 31 of the Church's presbyteries endorsing the move to 14 who opposed it.

It means the Church has adopted a position which maintains a traditional view of marriage between a man and woman, but allows individual congregations to opt out'' if they wish to appoint a minister or a deacon in a same sex civil partnership.

In a speech later today, the outgoing Moderator Very Rev John Chalmers is expected to say: We cannot go on suffering the pain of internal attacks which are designed to undermine the work or the place of others. It's time to play for the team.

And let me be very clear here - I am not speaking to one side or another of the theological spectrum. I am speaking to both ends and middle.

It is time to stop calling each other names, time to shun the idea that we should define ourselves by our differences and instead define ourselves by what we hold in common - our baptism into Christ, our dependence on God's grace, our will to serve the poor and so on.''

Co-ordinator of the Principal Clerk's office, Very Rev David Arnott, said: The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland decided today to allow individual Kirk Sessions the possibility of allowing a nominating Committee to consider an application from a minister living in a civil partnership.

During a vacancy a Kirk Session may, but only if it so wishes, and after due deliberation, agree to a Nominating Committee accepting an application from such a minister. No Kirk Session may be coerced into doing so against its own wishes.

This decision was in line with a majority of presbyteries who voted in favour of such a move.''

Because the debate predates the legalisation of gay marriage the proposed change mentions only civil partnerships, not same-sex marriages.

The Assembly will be asked on Thursday to consider amending today's new Church law to include ministers in same-sex marriages.

Nicola Sturgeon MSP attended the opening of the General Assembly for the first time as First Minister.

She witnessed the installation of Rev Dr Angus Morrison as Moderator of the General Assembly, who had to withdraw from the role last year to undergo treatment for cancer.

She said: (It was) a pleasure to attend the opening ceremony of the General Assembly and see Rt Rev Angus Morrison installed as Moderator.''

This year's Lord High Commissioner - the Queen's representative at the Assembly - is Lord Hope of Craighead, a retired Scottish judge.

He read out a letter from the Queen to the Assembly which praised Scotland's national church for the role it played during last year's independence referendum, formation of the new Churches' Mutual Credit Union and the new decade for ministry'' strategy to recruit new ministers.

A Free Church spokesman said: We are very sorry to hear the result of the vote.

If the national church continues to follow the path of political correctness rather than the Bible, it can be no surprise that the Church of Scotland is jeopardising its own future.

Thousands of people will be considering whether they can remain in fellowship with, and also contribute financially to the work of, a denomination which is clearly going against the word of God on a number of issues.''