Action of Churches Together in Scotland

Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) is a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, founded in 1990. It is the successor to the former Scottish Council of Churches. Formerly based in Dunblane

Dunblane

Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...

at the Scottish Churches' House, its office has been relocated to Alloa

Alloa

Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....

at the beginning of 2006.

ACTS is one of the four national ecumenical bodies in the UK, with equivalent bodies being Churches Together in England

Churches Together in England

Churches Together in England is an ecumenical organisation and the national instrument for the Christian church in England. It helps the different Churches to work together instead of separately so that they can be more effective and credible...

, Cytûn

Cytûn

Cytûn is the ecumenical Christian organisation of Churches Together in Wales. It was formed in 1990 and is the successor of the former Council of Churches for Wales. The office is located in Richmond Road, Cardiff...

in Wales and the Irish Council of Churches, plus Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is an ecumenical organisation. The members include most of the major churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It was formerly known as the Council of Churches of Britain and Ireland...

The member churches of ACTS

Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
Congregational Federation
Congregational Federation
The Congregational Federation is a Federation of independent Congregational churches in England, Scotland and Wales....
Methodist Church
Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...

(Quakers)
Roman Catholic Church
Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...

Secretariat

The new General Secretary is Brother Stephen Smyth, a member of Marist Brothers

Marist Brothers

The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...

. He took up the post in July 2007. He was formerly the Ecumenical Officer for Glasgow Churches Together.http://www.acts-scotland.org/news/news137GenSec.shtml

The Deputy General Secretary is the Revd Lindsey Sanderson of the United Reformed Church. There are also two Network officers to support the work of the four Networks of ACTS and two part time officers who serve two of ACTS ecumenical associated groups: the Racial Justice Officer - Scottish Churches Racial Justice Group (or SCRJG) and the Interfaith Education Officer - Churches Agency for Interfaith Relations (or CAIRS).

The previous General Secretary (1999-2007) was the Reverend Dr Kevin Franz (of the Scottish Episcopal Church), who moved to work for Quaker Peace & Social Witness in 2007.

Working as Churches Together

ACTS is a place where churches meet, experience, reflect, share and act together. There are a number of projects which ACTS coordinates across Scotland. It is not intended that ACTS should develop into a "superchurch". Prior to 2003, four member churches of ACTS were part of the "Scottish Churches Initiative for Union" (which sought institutional unity - project which ACTS was not part of), but a negative vote at the General Assembly

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...

in 2003 entailed the withdrawal of the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....

from SCIFU. Henceforth, greater emphasis has been placed on the development of Local Ecumenical Partnerships.

The principle of being Churches Together is of central importance to the work of ACTS. Essentially, this is known as the "Lund Principle
Lund Principle
The Lund Principle is an important principle in ecumenical relations between Christian churches. It affirms that churches should act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately....

" (which was adopted in Lund

Lund

-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...

by churches at the third world conference on Faith and Order in August 1952.) This states:

"the churches should act together in all matters ... except those in which deep difference of conviction compel them to act separately"

Scottish Churches’ Forum

The agenda of ACTS is set at a national level by the church denominations through their representatives on the "Scottish Churches’ Forum". The Church of Scotland and Catholic Church each have four representatives on the Forum; other member churches have two representatives each. The Forum has a Convener and two Vice Conveners.

Networks

ACTS has four Networks, which are central to the work of ACTS. These are:

Church Life (focusing on worshipping together)
Church and Society (serving the community together)
Faith Studies (studying together)
Mission (proclaiming together)

Associated Ecumenical Groups

The Associated Ecumenical Groups (AEGs) are bodies of the Scottish Churches’ which each have a specialist subject area and remit. There are currently seventeen.

External links

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