Huge Church of Scotland shake up across the Highlands as nine presbyteries merge
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A massive new Church of Scotland presbytery has been formed covering almost half of Scotland although it is named after the holy island of Iona, one of the smallest of the Western Isles.
The creation of Clèir Eilean Ì by merging nine presbyteries marks the start of a new chapter for the Kirk across the north of Scotland and will bring new opportunities across the Highlands and Islands said a Church of Scotland spokesman.
Clèir Eilean Ì – Gaelic for the Presbytery of the Island of Iona – held its first meeting online on Tuesday, January 9, bringing together ministers, elders and others across an area which stretches from the tip of Argyll to John O’Groats and from the Western Isles to Moray.
An exception is the Isle of Lewis where the local presbytery voted not to become a part of the super-Presbytery at present.
Clèir Eilean Ì brings together nine former presbytery areas as part of the wider reorganisation of the Church to create a more sustainable Kirk and lay the foundations for future growth.
"This will allow them to share resources and, for the first time, ministers and congregations across the region can call on full-time support staff to help in their mission of spreading the good news of Jesus," said the spokesman.
Inverness based 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 Kirk 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.
Mr MacLeod said: “No other calling would have persuaded me to leave my charge of Strath and Sleat, which I love.
“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 successfully in Argyll, which faces similar geographical challenges.
Mr McRoberts added: “We have learned some lessons from the other big presbyteries which have already been running for a year or more.
“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.
“By doing things in ways that have never been done before, we will open up new possibilities, new ways of ministering and mission.”
Given the scale of the new presbytery, 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 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.
Mr McRoberts said: “That will qualify them to preach or lead worship in their local congregations. In Clèir Eilean Ì, we will carry this forward across the whole presbytery. Within a few years, the whole pattern of worship will be changed.”
The Gaelic language will 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.”
Clèir Eilean Ì's new website is at: www.cei.presbytery.org.uk
