Action of Churches Together in Scotland

Religion in Scotland
Church of Scotland Roman Catholic Church Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) United Free Church of Scotland Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland Associated Presbyterian Churches Scottish Episcopal Church Baptist Union of Scotland Action of Churches Together in Scotland Scottish Reformation Bahá'í Faith Buddhism Hinduism Islam Judaism Sikhism

Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) is a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland, founded in 1990. It is the successor to the former Scottish Council of Churches. Formerly based in Dunblane at the (now closed) Scottish Churches' House, its office has been relocated to Alloa 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, Cytûn in Wales and the Irish Council of Churches, plus Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

The member churches of ACTS

• Church of Scotland
• Congregational Federation
• Methodist Church
• Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Roman Catholic Church
• Salvation Army
• Scottish Episcopal Church
• United Reformed Church

Christian denominations in the UK

UK Interchurch Affinity (formerly British Evangelical Council) Churches Together in Britain & Ireland Evangelical Alliance, UK Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches Churches Together in England Action of Churches Together, Scotland (ACTS) Associating Evangelical Churches of Wales  • site Churches Together in Wales Evangelical Movement of Wales Anglican Church of England Free Church of England Church of Ireland Scottish Episcopal Church Church in Wales Baptist Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland Baptist Union of Great Britain Baptist Union of Scotland Baptist Union of Wales Grace Baptist Assembly Old Baptist Union Catholic Roman Catholicism England & Wales Ireland Scotland Old Catholicism British Old Catholic Church  • site Old Catholic Church in Europe Old Catholic Mariavite Church Old Catholic Church of Great Britain Holiness & Pietist Christian Outreach Centre Church of the Nazarene British Moravian Church Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Church Wesleyan Holiness Church Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church of England Lutheran Church in Great Britain Methodist & Wesleyan Free Methodist of the UK Methodist Church of Great Britain Methodist Church in Ireland Wesleyan Reform Union New Church Movement Vineyard Churches UK Ichthus Christian Fellowship Newfrontiers Pioneer Church  • site Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of G.B. Russian Orthodox Diocese, G.B. & Ire. Russian Tradition Vicariate, G.B. & Ire. Oriental Orthodox Church British Orthodox Church Celtic Orthodox Church Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church of God in Christ Elim Pentecostal Church Foursquare Gospel Church Worldwide Church of God Presbyterian & Reformed Asso. Presbyterian Churches, Scotland Church of Scotland Congregational Federation Evangelical Presbyterian Church Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster Non-subscribing Presbyterian, Ireland Presbyterian Church in Ireland Presbyterian Church of Wales Reformed Presbyterian Church United Free Church of Scotland United Reformed Church Other Brethren in Christ Churches of Christ Fellowship of Ind. Evangelical Churches LDS Church Quakers/ Britain Yearly Meeting Quakers/ Ireland Yearly Meeting

Secretariat

The new General Secretary is Brother Stephen Smyth, a member of Marist Brothers. He took up the post in July 2007. He was formerly the Ecumenical Officer for Glasgow Churches Together.[1]

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 in 2003 entailed the withdrawal of the Church of Scotland 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" (which was adopted in 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.

See also

• Conference of European Churches
• Ecumenism
• Scottish Churches Industrial Mission
• Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office
• Society, Religion and Technology Project
• The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ)
• World Council of Churches

External links

• Action of Churches Together in Scotland