Gay minister humbled by Kirk's backing

A gay minister said today he was "humbled" after the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland upheld his appointment.

In a ground-breaking move the Kirk's ruling body voted by 326 to 267 in support of the Rev Scott Rennie after more than four hours of debate.

Mr Rennie, 37, had the support of the majority of his congregation and Presbytery at Queen's Cross Church in Aberdeen – but the move to appoint him sparked strong protest from traditionalist members and has led to fears it could cause a split in the Church.

In a statement released after last night's decision in Edinburgh, Mr Rennie said: "I am humbled that the General Assembly has recognised God's call upon my life."

Mr Rennie, who was married, is now in a relationship with another man. He was appointed minister of Brechin Cathedral, in Angus, 10 years ago, and will be formally installed at Queen's Cross next month.

His Aberdeen congregation said the Kirk's decision backed their "resounding endorsement" of him.

Around 900 elders and ministers took part in last night's session, but not everyone cast their electronic vote.

Demonstrators from both sides had gathered earlier outside The Mound in Edinburgh, peaking at about 60 people during the day.

Reports that two people had been arrested could not be confirmed by Lothian and Borders Police.

There has been concern that the vote could cause the greatest divide in the Church since the Disruption of 1843, when part of the Kirk broke away to form the Free Kirk.

Papers lodged with the Assembly to oppose the appointment claimed that scriptures in the Old and New Testament describe same-sex activity as a "wrong choice".

Mr Rennie's supporters argued that the Bible does not directly address homosexual relationships, which are now "essentially a feature of modern society".

But a group of demonstrators, led by Pastor Jack Bell of Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow, had hoped the appointment would be blocked.

He said: "We are absolutely opposed to that on the basis of what God has to say about homosexuality in the Bible."

The joint session clerks of Queen's Cross Church, Trevor Salmon and Judith Person, said: "This appointment was given a resounding endorsement by our congregation and by Aberdeen Presbytery.

"We believe that Scott Rennie has the qualities required to build on the tradition and excellent ministry that has been the hallmark of Queen's Cross worship.

"There are major issues here; about how we understand scripture; about a congregation's right to call their own minister; and about how we understand human sexuality, that all Christians must reflect upon."

Rev David Court and Rev Dr William Philip of the Fellowship of Confessing Churches, who opposed Mr Rennie's appointment said: "We deeply regret the decision of the General Assembly, which has brought great shame on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church by publicly proclaiming as holy what God, the Bible, and orthodox Christianity all down the ages, and all over the world, unambiguously call sin.

"This is about far more than just sexuality. The very nature of the Christian gospel is at stake."

Ewen Gilchrist, interim moderator at Queen's Cross Church said: "It's a good decision for the General Assembly to have made because it sends out a message that we desire to be welcoming, accepting and inclusive.

"The issue of sexual orientation and Scriptural authority is something that has to be wrestled with and cannot be hidden away."