General Synod 2026 opened at the Stirling Court Hotel on Thursday, the first time the meeting has been held outside Edinburgh in 20 years.
Members gathered at the new location for the three-day residential meeting, and heard the Primus, the Most Rev Mark Strange, deliver his Charge during the Opening Eucharist, highlighting the importance of listening to those people around us as they share, possibly, a very different view to our own.
“We do that best when we can disagree graciously and recognise that the person beside us is attempting to proclaim the love of God just as you are,” said the Primus.
Looking at the business agenda for the next three days, the Primus highlighted a number of issues which affect how the Scottish Episcopal Church is perceived and how it can move forward.
He said: “[We will look at} the history question of slavery legacy and the ongoing racial tension of society. We will look at our strategy for the future life of our church. We will hear from the Scottish Episcopal Institute about how we are training the ministry of our church, and we will hear once again from the Provincial Youth Committee and I suspect we will be challenged by them. On Saturday we will hear and discuss our life and place within the Anglican Communion as we reflect on the words shared by Bishop Anthony Poggo.”
He added: “I hope and pray that what we are trying to do is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and to show us the ways we can reveal Jesus to those we live and work amongst; to allow the Spirit to fill this place and us with that energy and hope, equipping us to travel to all the corners of our communities, to all corners of Scotland and to offer to all who are there the spiritual joy of our worship and love.”
Members also heard that this year’s Synod offering will go to the Al Ahli Hospital in the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem.
The two main items of business on the agenda were a joint presentation of the Provincial Strategy by the College of Bishops and the Provincial Standing Committee, and a presentation from members of the Provincial Youth Committee, who highlighted the priorities of young people in the Church and made a plea that these are taken into account as Synod members conduct the business of the meeting.
The Primus introduced Provincial Strategy, which is intended to help the Province use its resources, both human and financial, to support dioceses and charges. Its role is to enable, resource and sustain the mission and ministry that happens locally.
“It has been clear that the Province may need a fresh look at what we can do, and how to do the things we know we should be doing, and possibly to let got of some of the things we probably shouldn’t.
“Rather than storing more cash in the back the decision has been made to make a substantial pot of money available. I remember standing in the cathedral in Inverness when we were deciding whether to repair the roof. Someone said to me: ‘We are saving the money for a rainy day.’ I said: ‘Have you stood at the back of the cathedral on a rainy day?’ So the money was quite useful … but not much use where it was.”
Before the Strategy was taken into table groups for discussion, the Primus added: “If we hear your voices, then the Strategy actually becomes Provincial because it is owned by you.”
Bishop Nick Bundock (Glasgow & Galloway) outlined the three broad themes of the strategy: that the SEC is called to be a learning Church, a diverse Church, and a visible and growing Church.
He said: “I want to begin by acknowledging something that some of us may be feeling and that I’ve picked up from some members here: That these are broad themes. They do not, on their own, capture all the particular texture and strangeness and beauty of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
“But at this stage perhaps that is all right. Because I do not think this strategy is trying to be the finished painting. It is not trying to say everything about who we are. It is more like a shared framework, a master sense-check, a set of guardrails. The sketch has been produced and now we add the colour.
“The colour and the texture still have to come from us. From dioceses. From charges. From Synod. From the actual places where the Scottish Episcopal Church is praying, worshipping, serving and trying to be faithful.”
Feedback from table discussions found that some considered the Strategy to be too general, and questioned how the proposed Strategy marks out the SEC as a specific church. What, they asked, is different about the SEC compared to other churches – what is its unique offering? Others felt that there could be more consultation, with greater opportunity for discussion at diocesan level.
There was a request for strong data to be available to support the strategy, so that its effectiveness could be measured, as well as a call for more professional support becoming available at diocesan and provincial levels, a sentiment which was echoed by another table who cited the need for charges to have support with key administrative tasks such as funding applications.
Other areas identified in discussion included developing the Church’s presence in the life of communities, improving training in ministry, recognition of diversity, and knowing that what is successful in one place might not apply to others.
It was also asked that Synod keeps in mind the demographic of church members. The emphasis on encouraging youth was welcomed, but it was asked that the Church does not forget that it needs to enable older people to continue to participate as fully as possible.
Feedback will be pulled together from all groups and used in further discussions as the Strategy develops.
The afternoon business was concluded with a series of impassioned representations from Provincial Youth members. Amie Byers (Glasgow & Galloway) proposed the introduction of Youth Representatives as General Synod members, giving them the ability to speak and vote, making their participation not just symbolic, but substantive.
“We should ensure young people who are willing to serve are able to do so,” said Amie.
Phoebe Pryce, Chair of the PYC, urged that the Church does not leave participation of young people to chance. She reminded members that many students who come to Scotland from other countries are already familiar with the Anglican church, and the SEC can reach out to them. “Sometimes all it takes is saying to someone: ‘We think you would enjoy this, and we would love you to come.”
Jaydon Rongong (Moray, Ross & Caithness) gave a frank assessment of the effect of toxic masculinity on young men, and Sage Vause (Edinburgh) addressed accessibility in church, giving many examples of ways in which the Church could improve the experience of those who might otherwise be excluded.
Ley-Anne Haigh-Forsyth (Moray, Ross & Caithness) concluded the contributions with a focus on gender justice, violence against women and the rise of misogyny.
Asking what Synod members had done since they last year acknowledged the threat to women, she said: “Awareness alone does not make women safer.”
She added: “For those who have experienced abuse, harassment or violence, seeing Church leaders consistently and publicly stand against it sends a powerful message. It says: ‘We see you, we believe you, and we will not look away.
“As followers of Jesus Christ we are called not just to recognise injustice, but to challenge it.”
Synod members showed their support for ‘Thursdays in Black’ as they were invited to join with the Provincial Global Partnerships Committee and wear black to highlight the global movement urging an end to violence against women. Thursdays in Black encourages everyone, regardless of gender, to wear black every Thursday.
