Registration of Ministries Committee

Remit

The Registration of Ministries Committee shall deal with various applications related to the Registration of Ministry. Refer to the Registration of Ministries Act (Act II 2017).

Membership

The Committee is appointed by the General Assembly as a Standing Committee, in terms of the Standing Orders of the General Assembly and shall be a committee of five persons, consisting of a Convener, Vice-Convener and three other members. One member shall be appointed by the Legal Questions Committee, one by the Faith Nurture Forum (formerly the Ministries Council), and the other three members shall be appointed by the General Assembly on the nomination of the Nomination Committee. The General Assembly shall appoint a Convener and Vice-Convener, both of whom shall be proposed by the Nomination Committee and selected from its own three nominees. The three nominees proposed by the Nomination Committee shall include one member who is legally qualified, at least one Minister of Word and Sacrament, and at least one elder. The following persons shall also attend the Committee ex officiis in an advisory capacity (i) one or other of the Clerks of the General Assembly and (ii) the Secretary to the Faith Nurture Forum. These persons shall not be members of the Committee.

Membership 2023/24:

• Rev Robert Hamilton (Convener)
• Rev Hilary McDougall (Vice Convener)
• Mr John Ritchie
• Mrs Barbara Finlayson
• Mr Richard Henderson

Areas of Work

The Committee shall receive the following:

• Application for Category O Registration. The application form requires Presbytery to read and sign the completed form prior to submission. This is normally done by either the Presbytery Clerk or another designated person within presbytery.
  
  On submission of an application for inclusion in Category O, the applicant will normally be invited to attend for interview on the corresponding Decision Date. Presbytery also has the opportunity to make representation on that date should it wish to do so.
• Applications from individuals registered in Category S
• Applications for change of Category of registration from persons who left a post for reasons of ill health

Where the Act specifies that a Presbytery may comment on a particular application, a representative of that Presbytery shall be entitled to attend the relevant Hearing. In the event of a Presbytery representative failing to attend, the Committee shall be entitled to proceed with the Hearing.

Following a Hearing

Following discussion of an individual's application with the Committee, an applicant will receive an email or letter within 10 working days advising of the outcome. Please note that the Register is held electronically and a certificate or extract from the Register is not issued at this point but an extract of a person's own entry on the register can be requested direct from the Registrar at RegistrationofMinistries@churchofscotland.org.uk

For the avoidance of doubt, expenses incurred for applicants and Presbytery representatives in attendance at an interview with the Registration of Ministries Committee will not be reimbursed by the national Church. It may be that application for assistance towards any costs incurred could be made to the Presbytery through which the applicant is registered, but this would be according to any arrangements made at Presbytery level.

Meeting Dates

Committee Meeting dates, along with submission dates for application, are as provided below:

Contact for Information

Email the Clerk of the Committee at RegistrationofMinistries@churchofscotland.org.uk or contact the Church's offices in Edinburgh.

• Return from Suspension Application Form
• Application for Category O
• Application for Category O