The Wednesday morning session began with devotions, with ministers and elders praying for the issue of finance within the Free Church, and also for the Church of Scotland General Assembly.

Last night the Moderator went to a reception with the Lord High Commissioner, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Right Reverend Albert Bogle.

Dr Campbell brought the greetings of the Church of Scotland Assembly, and asked Mr Bogle to reciprocate greetings from the Free Church.

The Assembly spent most of the morning in discussion setting, with the Board of Trustees and commissioners exploring the future shape of the Free Church amidst reduced financial income and a rising cost base with the economic downturn.

It was made clear that things could not continue as they are, otherwise reserve funds would be exhausted in a couple of years.

Acknowledging that more had to be done with less, Board of Trustees chairman James Fraser (pictured above) said that pruning had to take place if the denomination was to grow in the future and continue to reach out with the Gospel across Scotland.

A range of questions were asked from the floor of the Assembly to a Trustees panel, and the formal report from the Board was scheduled for the afternoon session.

The afternoon session began with the Board of Trustees report following on from the morning discussion.

Chairman James Fraser stressed that the Board would be visiting Presbyteries and seeking more ways of engaging with the wider Free Church about spending priorities as the Church matches its expenditure to its income.

Professor John McIntosh said that finance was “a spiritual issue” and that for years the Church had been “reprehensible” for failing to properly address and foster tithing within its congregations.

Mr Fraser refuted claims that simply highlighting the issue to members would solve the problem: “We need to cut our costs, we have talked and talked and talked about ways of increasing our income, and the talk hasn’t done us any good because income has flattened.”

The chairman went onto assert the glass was “half full”, and that through imaginative and visionary thinking from its talented people the Free Church would become “a transforming force in Scotland”.

Mr Fraser said that the Board will come back to the 2013 General Assembly with more concrete proposals following extensive consultation. The Assembly also approved the recommendation that all budgets for 2013 be trimmed by 10 per cent.

Reverend James MacIver presented the report of the Committee on Church Practice and Procedures, and the Assembly approved plans to simplify and have an earlier date for the election of Assembly commissioners. Mr MacIver said late bookings for travel and accommodation could sometimes prove costly, and that this would save the Church money as well as helping commissioners.

Following a short interval, the Assembly granted the crave of three petitions from the Presbytery of Glasgow and Argyll. These were regarding assessors, a strategy for ministry in Argyll and team ministry in the north-east of Glasgow.

Four guest speakers then addressed commissioners, including Hugh MacKenzie from the Associated Presbyterian Churches and Elaine Duncan from the Scottish Bible Society.

Ms Duncan said that “Biblical literacy” was a huge problem for Scottish churches, and that the SBS was keen to build on its successful People’s Bible campaign. After the Moderator thanked the speakers the Assembly recessed for dinner.

The Wednesday evening session opened with the singing of verses one to seven from Psalm 87, before the report of the Personnel Committee.

It passed as in the print, before Reverend Gordon Mathieson led a discussion session on leadership and management skills for ministers.

There were three options presented, to offer training just to “line managers”, to offer wider training to all ministers, or cultivating leadership training during a candidate’s training.

It was suggested that elders may benefit from this as well, and that the Board of Ministry and the Personnel Committee should continue to have an interest in this area going forward.

Dr Campbell presented the report of the Communications Committee, asserting that the Free Church had not just to inform the world outside about what it thinks, but also to inform its own members.

The Moderator drew attention to the revamped bookshop and encouraged commissioners to pay it a visit, recommending new books by Free Church authors.

These were Royal Company by Reverend Dr Malcolm Maclean, a devotional commentary on the Songs of Solomon, Professor John L Mackay’s book on Hosea, Reverend John Ross’ Time for Favour on Scottish missionaries to the Jews, and the Moderator’s own books I Am and Pray, Plan, Prepare, Preach.

The Moderator also made a plea to the Church to do more to publicise the denominational magazines, The Record and Free, describing the latter as “one of the best quality magazines around for teenagers”.

Dr Campbell also voiced his concern at the recent proposals for gay marriage and assisted suicide at the Scottish Parliament, which he said were “symptoms of a society that has lost its way”.

Mr Donald Mathieson encouraged members to be active in contacting local politicians, pointing out that if we do not vote in elections “then we have no grounds for complaining when the Government introduces un-Christian legislation”.

The final item of business was the petition from Reverend David Parker to be transferred onto the register of ministers eligible for a call, which was approved by the Assembly.

The Assembly then adjourned for the day.

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