mgpcpastor's blog

The Free Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian denomination, will have a plenary assembly this month to consider a report on song and music in worship.
I believe this is the text of the report they are considering.
David Robertson, a pastor of the church and editor of the denominational journal, The Record, provides the text of an editorial about the situation.
Robertson’s position is that of supporting change.
This excerpt spells out the matter to be considered.

Why a Plenary Assembly? This started a few years ago when various issues concerning worship were raised by different people within the Free Church, particularly on the matter of instrumental music. The Worship committee were asked to provide a justification for the Free Church’s current practice, which is to ban the use of all musical instruments in public praise, and to restrict the content of that praise to either the psalms or paraphrases of the Bible. Neither the committee nor the Assembly were able to provide that justification, at least to the satisfaction of many office bearers in the Free Church and so a process was set in place whereby the Trustees of the Church were asked to investigate the way ahead. They commissioned a series of papers, looking at the issues involved (some of which have already been summarised in The Record), consulted Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries (one third of which indicated a desire for change) and in September held a plenary conference in Dingwall. The plenary Assembly, which will consist of every Presbytery, will meet on November 18th and 19th to discuss and vote on the options available to the Church.
Read the whole editorial here.

It’s always a concern when any Christians, let alone some with whom we share a close affinity, go through times with the potential for controversy and division.
We pray that charity, patience and Gospel fellowship will be evident in everything.