Gay minister faces further hurdle

presbytery members launch motion to block brechin man’s appointment to aberdeen church

By Cameron Brooks

Published:

A gay minister’s fight to be allowed to preach at an Aberdeen church has been dealt a fresh blow.

Members of the Presbytery of Lochcarron and Skye have lodged an overture – or motion – at the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly next month which is designed to block Scott Rennie’s appointment to Queen’s Cross Church in the city’s west end.

They want Kirk bosses to take a stand on the issue which conservative members, who do not believe in sex outwith marriage, claim is the biggest crisis facing the church in more than 160 years.

Brechin minister Mr Rennie, 37, a divorced father of one, has made it clear he intends to move his partner David into the manse if he gets the job.

The overture states: “That this Church shall not accept for training, ordain, admit, readmit, induct or introduce to any ministry of the Church anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman.”

Lochcarron and Skye Presbytery member Ivor MacDonald, minister of the Kilmuir and Stenscholl congregation, said: “We have lodged the overture because the assembly will have to decide on the Scott Rennie case without having previously resolved the whole issue of whether homosexual practice is compatible with Christian living.

“Scott Rennie should be blocked from becoming the minister at Queen’s Cross because he has been open that he is a practising homosexual.”

Evangelical group Forward Together welcomed the news. Spokesman Ian Watson said the eyes of churches from different denominations across the world would be on the General Assembly when it debates the issue on May 23.

He added: “If the Church accepts homosexuality as legitimate practice for Christians it will demoralise the churches in Africa and Asia who are in competition with Islam that capitalises on moral degeneracy in the west.

“Evangelical churches are growing and liberal churches are declining so there is a lot of interest in this case from churches in North America, Australia and New Zealand.”

The congregation and kirk session at Queen’s Cross Church is fully supportive of Mr Rennie’s appointment because he is widely recognised as an enthusiastic and gifted preacher. They were dismayed when 12 members of Aberdeen Presbytery took action to block it in January.

Mr Rennie, a former Liberal Democrat Westminster and Holyrood election candidate in Angus, is currently the minister at Brechin Cathedral. He was not available for comment.

The Church of Scotland said it would be inappropriate to comment on the overture until it is debated.