Assembly Trustees Update February 2025

The Trustees have met monthly since the last update in October 2024, with the last meeting being 13 February 2025. In the Assembly Trustees last update we noted that one of the most challenging areas to be addressed was the ongoing need to achieve a balanced budget. This is critical in ensuring that we can fund our primary objectives of local ministry, missional outreach and discipleship. Whilst the Trustees have many other important areas to progress this one is thedominant topic as it has potential widespread impact. Put simply, the Church must focus on those pieces of work aimed at mission and on bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to more people across Scotland, and on bringing those people into the life of the Church, including through new worshipping communities.

The decisions which need to be taken over the coming months as part of the national work prioritisation exercise, as we strive to further reduce expenditure to both spend less and enable funding of emergent needs, will be far reaching and cannot be underestimated.

Whilst the national office building itself has been considered a significant cost overhead to the Church in the past, particularly in terms of care and maintenance of the building, very positive progress has been made in generating income from this valuable asset. The building itself now hosts a range of organisations as tenants who are making a significant financial contribution to the Church through letting arrangements. This approach also enables refurbishment of the office adding tangible value to the building whilst providing secure, regular income. This is just one way in which more creative thinking is proving effective as part of our approach to the Church's finances.

Another vital aspect of income generation is fundraising and stewardship across the Church given that this remains our most significant source of income. The Assembly Trustees are fully supportive of the launch of Bearing Fruit: a financial health-check for growth. This online tool enables all congregations to assess their stewardship practices and overall financial health within the context of sustaining and growing their mission and ministry. Bearing Fruit will launch in March and details will be shared via the Church website.

Significant expenditure from the Seeds for Growth budget has been approved by the Trustees over the last period. As part of the scope of the financial regulations, the Trustees have to approve expenditure over £75k which resulted in 8 of the 11 applications considered by the Seeds for Growth Committee requiring Trustee agreement. A number of the Seeds for Growth initiatives are supporting projects which focus on developing and nurturing faith in those under the age of 40.These 16 projects are targeting in bringing over 650 young people into the life of the Church through building new worshipping communities and other initiatives. Applications to Seeds to Growth have to show demonstrable mission and outreach at their heart, with tangible, measurable outcomes, and all applications are subject to rigorous assessment by the members of the Seeds for Growth Committee. So far, since July 2023, £1.94 million has been allocated by Seeds for Growth to such projects – a significant investment in our future, and in the spreading of the Gospel message, across our nation. There are ongoing discussions around outreach to young people via student Churches.

The Church continues to face urgent challenges - declining minister numbers, falling membership, and a significant reduction in income at both national and local levels. This raises critical questions: How do we transform our financial model to generate new income that enables investment in the ministries most needed today? How do we shift toward a resource regional model that operates within necessary budget constraints, ensuring we balance our budget by 2027? Above all, how do we create a Church where mission-focused resource allocation, sustainable ministry, and transparent decision-making empower local ministry leadership and congregations to transform lives and communities for Christ? One of the three priorities agreed upon at General Assembly 2023 speaks directly to this challenge: "An emphasis on progressing the growth and development of the Church through the new Presbyteries working closely with the local congregations." This was reaffirmed in the Assembly Trustees' report to General Assembly 2024, leading to the introduction of the "New Directions" approach. This initiative seeks to develop both the strategic thinking and practical steps necessary to achieve meaningful change, with input from Presbytery Clerks and Business Conveners, Faith Action Programme Leadership Team Convener and Vice-Conveners, Seeds for Growth Convener, and senior staff, to discern and shape a way forward aligning our structures, finances, and mission in ways that enable the Church to flourish.

The Church of Scotland establishments in Israel are a continued focus both in terms of the safety of our people in the region and the loss of income from the establishments as a result of the continuing troubles and associated impact on our financial situation. Our mission presence in Israel remains a key element of our work there along with the question of how we ensure that the businesses can continue in a viable way. Work in this area is progressing under the oversight of the Israel/Palestine Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Assembly Trustees.

The work of the Principal Clerk, the Assembly Business Committee, the Legal Questions Committee, the Presbytery Review Committee and others is also of key importance to Church reform. An update on progress here was reported to the Trustees at a recent meeting. Areas of shared interest include the presbytery review process, future development of presbytery mission planning, and General Assembly reform.

Finally, we do not underestimate the significance of the challenges we (along with other denominations) face. Managing and mitigating our risks is a major focus of the Trustees work resulting in the need for difficult but essential decisions. However, whilst we manage these challenges there are many positives across the Church for which we should be thankful and upon which we must build.

If you have any questions on this update please contact Rev Barry Hughes, Administrative Trusteevia the departmental email address OATadmin@churchofscotland.org.uk.