'General Assembly', George Whyte and District Quiz against Livingston RC

President Robert welcomed the Reverend Dr. George Whyte who visited the Club to give a talk on the Church of Scotland General Assembly.

Reverend Whyte, a one time member of the Club, was brought up in Elderslie in Renfrewshire, educated at Paisley Grammar School and Glasgow University where he took a degree in biology . He dabbled with a career in the police force but not finding it to his liking decided to enter the ministry of the Church of Scotland taking a further degree in divinity at Glasgow.

He held ministries in Argyll, Glasgow and latterly in Colinton where he was the Minister for many years.  He obtained a Doctorate of Divinity from Princetown University and became Clerk to the Presbytery of Edinburgh. In 2008 he was also appointed Depute Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He has acted as Principal Clerk to the Assembly in 2014 and 2015.

The original General Assembly first met on 17 August 1560. It consisted of some nobles, lairds and burgesses, as well as several churchmen. It claimed, in defiance of Mary, Queen of Scots, to be a Scottish Parliament, abolished papal jurisdiction and approved the Scots Confession of Faith. This outlawed the Roman Catholic Mass. Punishments for hearing or saying the Mass were confiscation of goods for a first offence, banishment for a second and death for a third. In 1592 the Scottish Parliament wrote the Presbyterian Church Government into the law of the land. After the Act of Union of 1707 this became part of the accession oath of the sovereign. The present Queen affirms this every year and it is the duty of the Clerk of the General Assembly to read out the Queen’s letter stating this. She is represented by a Lord High Commissioner who is at but is not part of the General Assembly accompanied by the Purse Bearer with the Great Seal of Scotland.

Like many reformed churches in Europe and elsewhere, the Church of Scotland fragmented into various elements over the centuries due to doctrinal differences.

The present General Assembly Hall was built in the 1840s by the Free Church of Scotland. They were joined by the United Presbyterian Church in 1900 to become the United Free Church which built the headquarters in Edinburgh’s George Street. The 1921 Church of Scotland Act set the scene for the reunion of the churches. When the United Free joined with the Church of Scotland in 1929, the Kirk got the Assembly Hall and the George Street premises.

Today, the Church of Scotland is built on three pillars; individual Kirk Sessions, area Presbyteries and the General Assembly. The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church of Scotland. It makes Church Law and maintains church discipline. It is made up by some 720 ministers, elders and deacons sent by Presbyteries, meeting once a year – usually May. Members of the public may attend but not take part in debates.

The General Assembly has wrestled with various major issues over the years and in the absence of a Scottish Parliament provided a debating chamber for aspects affecting Scottish life. Prostitution, all-day licensing, and the dangers of live TV are some of the matters debated. However the Assembly has not always been the purest of pure. In the past, the pub trade and brothel business boomed during the meeting period. As a court it used to hear the scandals in dimly lit evening sessions. However, these days things have become more docile. Commissioners have become older, issues are maybe less black and white and the pubs are now quiet.

Nevertheless, such an assembly needs considerable management to run smoothly. Nearly 300 volunteers help with this. The Clerk to the Assembly acts as a facilitator; arranging the order of business for those who wish to speak, and seeing that proposals for change are practical and legal. Proceedings used to be televised live and there was much media coverage. This has reduced in the last twenty years so that more consideration has to be given to attracting attention. Big debates are held in the morning and a big celebration is held in Princes Street Gardens on the Sunday afternoon. Unaccompanied psalm singing has given way to hymns with organ and choirs mixed with bands conventional and steel. This has had some effect so that media coverage is now increasing. The aim is always to have formality with a human touch.

Reverend Whyte has, through years of experience, become a very accomplished speaker. He laced his talk with many anecdotes which amused Club members and maintained a high level of interest. He closed by describing how staff hold sweepstakes as to how long individuals speak for. He has the advantage in this as he has control of the bell which sets the time limit.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Mike Latimer for what was a very informative and interesting talk.

A round of the District Quiz followed the meeting: Currie Balerno - 28; Livingston - 21

Report by Mike Latimer