Action of Churches Together in Scotland


Action of Churches Together in Scotland was a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland, founded in 1990. It ran in that form until 2022 but continues as a charity supporting ecumenical initiatives.
ACTS was the successor to the former Scottish Council of Churches. It was 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 ACTS office was originally located in Dunblane, then in Alloa and finally in Stirling.
In 2019, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland announced that ACTS would be succeeded by a new body to be called the Scottish Christian Forum. In 2021 it was decided not to establish the SCF as a charity.
In 2024 the Scottish Christian Forum was recognised by Scottish churches as the main ecumenical organisation for Scotland. It is an umbrella term for the Ecumenical Officers Forum and the Scottish Church Leaders' Forum. ACTS continues in existence as a charity, its principle activity being to provide grant aid to new local or national ecumenical initiatives in Scotland. The new website for ACTS is https://acts-scotland.uk

The member churches of ACTS

From May 2018, the Interim General Secretary was the Rev. Ian Boa. The Assistant General Secretary was the Reverend Ian Boa of the United Free Church of Scotland; he succeeded the Revd Lindsey Sanderson of the United Reformed Church. There were also two Programme Officers to support the work of ACTS.
When first created, the office of ACTS was located at the former Scottish Churches House in Dunblane. In 2006 the ACTS office was moved to Forrester Lodge, adjacent to Inglewood House in Alloa, but in October 2015 it was relocated to Stirling, in a self-contained office within the headquarters building of Volunteer Scotland. Scottish Churches House was opened in 1960, closed in 2011 and subsequently converted into a hotel.

General Secretaries of ACTS

ACTS was a place for churches to meet, experience, reflect, share and act together. There were a number of projects which ACTS coordinates across Scotland. It was 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", but a negative vote at the General Assembly in 2003 necessitated 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 was of central importance to the work of ACTS. Essentially, this is known as the "Lund Principle" This states: ''"the churches should act together in all matters... except those in which deep difference of conviction compel them to act separately"''

Governance of ACTS

The agenda of ACTS was set at a national level by the church denominations through their representatives on the "Members' Meeting". To comply with the requirements of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, the legal responsibility for the oversight and governance of ACTS is vested in Trustees, chaired by the Convener of ACTS and supported by the Secretariat. As of 2025 the Board of Trustees remains in existence.

Conveners of ACTS

  • 2009-2011 The Rev Fr Philip Kerr
  • 2011-2013 The Rev Dr Douglas Galbraith
  • 2013-2015 Mrs Helen Hood
  • 2015-2017 The Rev John Butterfield
  • 2017-2019 The Very Rev Monsignor Philip Kerr
  • 2019-2025 Mrs Carole Hope
  • 2025- Revd Lindsey Sanderson

    Programmes

ACTS worked through its Programme Groups, Partner Group and Bodies in Association. Programme Groups include the Scottish Churches Rural Group, Scottish Churches Anti-Human Trafficking Group and the Scottish Churches Education Group. Partner Groups include the Scottish Churches Racial Justice Group. The ACTS Ecumenical Development Group promoted local ecumenism. Before restructuring in the early 2010s, ACTS had four "Networks".

Scottish Churches' Committee

A separate body, the Scottish Churches' Committee, is responsible for liaison with public authorities on legal matters - such as changes to legislation and the resulting effect on churches. Seven of the nine members of ACTS are also members of the SCC. The SCC also includes the Baptist Church, the Free Church of Scotland and several smaller Presbyterian churches. The Secretary of the SCC is the Solicitor of the Church of Scotland. It also co-operates with the UK-wide Churches Legislation Advisory Services, formerly known as the Churches' Main Committee.