A new Provincial strategy for the Scottish Episcopal Church will be backed by £10 million of funding over the next five to sevens years, it was announced on the opening day of General Synod 2025.
Synod members who gathered at St Paul’s & St George’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh heard a joint presentation for the College of Bishops with the Provincial Standing Committee about work that has started on developing a Provincial Strategy to create clear priorities for the Church.
The session followed a presentation from Mark Harris, Convener of the Investment Committee, which assessed the values of the Church’s investments and indicated what resource could be available should it be required.
Bridget Campbell, the Convener of the Provincial Standing Committee, explained why a strategy is key to the future of the Church, telling members: “We are very fortunate that there is a considerable amount of money available that could be spent across the Province. Standing Committee has the power to allocate significant resources … but we need a basis for doing that.
“At the last meeting of Stranding Committee in April, having heard an earlier version of Mark’s latest report, we agreed to designate £10 million to invest in Provincial Strategy over the next five to seven years, and we may well be able to re-allocate much more than that if we can define a clear set of priorities and a strategy.”
Ms Campbell said that work could also be done on redistribution of resource based on circumstances, and continued: “We will expect those seeking resources to show the benefits the funding will secure and how any positive changes will be maintained in future, and how they will measure progress.
“We want to be able to see what progress is being made by our work as a whole at provincial level. A strategy will give us a basis for measuring how we will get on.”
Synod members then discussed strategy in table groups, with feedback to be collated.
The meeting had begun with worship, during which the Primus delivered his charge. On the theme of building relationships and healing broken ones.
The Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness, highlighted the “unimaginable suffering” in Sudan, the continuing conflict in Ukraine, and the violence in Israel Palestine.
“The need for strong relationship across those divides is so obvious yet so often it so often seems easier to keep offering argument, judgment and aggression,” said the Primus.
“Our Synod this year will also look at our Ecumenical relationships, the proposed Saint Ninian Declaration with the Catholic church giving us an opportunity to look at what we share as well as what still divides us. Never allowing those division to stop us talking and sharing when we can.
“We have debates and motions on matters which divide opinion across our society debates we need to hear and to speak to, but as the Church we need to model a style of debate that allows us to speak with the love of Christ foremost in our hearts.
“The SEC has an opportunity to use its resources to free the church from continual anxiety about survival, and the Provincial Strategy can help build even stronger relationships between diocese and Province as we find ways of extending and growing our ministry across Scotland.
“We also need to work on our relationships with each other. The purpose of Synod is to get business done but is also the opportunity to spend time together, discovering new friends and rekindling old ones.
“We could achieve some much if we could be helped to stop being fearful of the future and became more confident in the present.”
The full Charge can be watched here.
Earlier, the Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, UK and Global Church Ambassador spoke to the assembled members at St Paul’s & St George’s in Edinburgh to introduce Christian Aid’s Sudan Crisis appeal, which is the recipient of this year’s General Synod offering. Ms Foster-Fulton also spoke after the session, in a brief interview which can be seen here. Details of how to donate to the appeal can be found here.
As Synod broke for lunch, members showed their support for Thursdays in Black, where participants wear black every Thursday as part of the campaign to end violence against women.
In the afternoon, a motion on ethical investments from the Diocese of Brechin, asking Synod to consider the political position in the USA, was withdrawn because of the complexity and fluidity of the situation, but Bishop Andrew Swift strongly encouraged the Church to engage with the issues presented, which can be raised with the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, which he convenes. “I urge us to keep our prophetic voice as a church,” said Bishop Andrew.
In the final session of the day, members of the Provincial Youth Committee (pictured above) took the opportunity to outline their hopes for Synod and highlight the issues that are important to them, asking Synod members to think of them as they go about their business over the coming days and beyond.
“It is my privilege to represent young people and youth ministry in the Scottish Episcopal Church,” said Claire Benton-Evans, Provincial Youth Co-ordinator, as she introduced the session. “I’m here with a message of hope. You may have few, if any, young people in your own church. You may be hearing stories of decline across all denominations, and be wondering where our young people have gone. My message to you is: they are still here! And their growing faith, their desire to connect with other young Christians, and their commitment to serving others remind me daily why we all have cause to hope for the Church.”
Youth members then presented on gender justice, climate justice, financial justice and youth inclusion, after which Synod tables discussed three themes: violence against women, climate justice and financial justice.
The youth member presentations can be read here:
Phoebe and Ley-Anne on gender justice
Day one closed with evening prayer, after which the annual Synod Dinner was held at the Royal Scots Club.