Being ecumenical in Scotland today

Rev Sheilagh Kesting from the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the Church of Scotland considers ecumenism in contemporary Scotland. This extract is from a talk given at the ecumenical week 'Becoming what you are - the Challenges of Christian Unity in Britain Today' which took place in Iona, 9-15 October, 2004. You can download the whole talk as a pdf (56kb)

Ecumenism in Scotland today is alive, but it limps a little.

Denominational insecurity in a time of change hampers ecumenical co-operation, despite the rhetoric. People feel they need to get their own house in order before they can engage with others. There is no sense that others can help us change. The demographic spread of the churches across the country makes it impossible to have a uniform pattern of engagement. And we are obsessed by numbers which ensures that there is a competitive edge that is barely concealed.

But time and tide wait for no one and the tide has turned for the churches. We can no longer assume the place at the table we once had in our society and we each face similar problems.

After 75 years the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church are once again in conversation. Union is not on the cards but next year we will be bringing to our respective Assemblies a Covenant that will bring our two churches into closer co-operation.

The Scottish Episcopal Church, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church continue to meet to see what is the way forward for them post SCIFU.

The Church of Scotland is in an awkward position. Its ecumenical commitment was found wanting when it became clear that it had agreed to be part of the SCIFU process but had no intention of agreeing any proposals that might emerge. Its attendance at ACTS Network meetings has not been encouraging to the other denominations thus far, though we are trying to address that.

And yet the Church of Scotland is restructuring and every new department will have an ecumenical dimension to its remit. How that will be worked out remains to be seen. But what is quite clear is that whatever the Church of Scotland does, it has implications for the ecumenical health of Scotland.

Being ecumenical in Scotland may be patchy, but it is far from being absent. The scenery has changed in the last 20 years and there is no going back.