Two Church of Scotland presbyteries in the Western Isles have signed a commitment to fellowship together, to work together and to share resources in areas of common interest.
Named after the location of the condordat signing, the Tarbert Declaration formalises a closer cooperation between the Lewis and Uist presbyteries.
The concept of presbytery was first introduced into the Church of Scotland in 1579 as a forum for the spiritual development of its members, through reflection on God’s Word and fellowship, long before it assumed powers of administration and governance.
Nowadays, a presbytery is a governing body of ministers and elders, responsible for the denomination’s congregations within the local area.
There are 45 presbyteries in the Church of Scotland (CoS) including the Presbytery
of Lewis, which covers parishes in Lewis, and the Uist presbytery which deals with
Harris, North Uist and Benbecula. CoS congregations in Barra and South Uist are governed
under the mainland-
Recognising the tendency for modern presbyteries to be purely administrative agencies, the Tarbert Declaration seeks to recover the idea of fellowship and spiritual nourishment while providing a mechanism for both presbyteries to share resources in the discharge of key functions such as the statutory appraisal of local congregations, safeguarding provision and data protection implementation.
They plan to meet together once per year with a “clear focus on fellowship and spiritual nourishment while the day to day business of both will benefit from a pooling of resources and access to a wider range of expertise.”
A spokesman said: “This innovative approach, pioneered in the Western Isles, could serve as a blueprint for the wider church as the General Assembly encourages presbyteries across Scotland to cooperate to a greater extent than they have in the past.”
The Tarbert Declaration was signed by the moderators of both presbyteries during a special service in Tarbert Church of Scotland on Saturday.
Signing of the Tarbert Declaration. From left, John Cunningham (clerk to Lewis Presbytery), Rev Dr David Donaldson (Moderator of Uist Presbytery), Rev Dr Ben Johnstone (Moderator of Lewis Presbytery), Wilson McKinlay (clerk to Uist Presytery).
Island Church of Scotland presbyteries agree closer co-
13 December 2016