EMU has been reviewing its way of working. Do they need a more pro-active way of responding to events. Church leaders to meet once a year? Another implimentation group to meet more often? More will be discussed this year.

Scottish Churches House, Dunblane – we have tried to find a way forward in a way which would allow all voices to be heard.

+David speaks of complicated history of Scottish Churches House. There had been a process of transferring management to a new management body. It became clear that was not going to happen and it became clear that it was not economically viable.

Trustees then presented a series of proposals to the members. (+David is the person who votes for us). +David voted against proposal to sell and so it did not go through. The lease was then put open to tender. The more we thought about it the less we were happy about it – not much gain to the ecumenical movement to tie up house for 25 years or more.

Next Wedneday there is a meeting of members and trustees facilitated by Cecilia Clegg to look at all the options for the future next Wedneday.

Was planned to be in central America but it ended up being in Dublin.
What holds the communion together is very flimsy – the Instruments of Communion
+++Coggan in 1978 invited the Primates together in 1978 for leisurely thought, prayer and conversation.

Secretary General says number of those who did not attend over principle was 7 or 8. The majority did come and had a rich and intense 6 day meeting.

Facilitated by a team led by Cecilia Clegg – now on staff at University of Edinburgh

Important issue was governance. Primates’ Meeting had moved in a direction of taking decisions – exercising authority that it once did not have. There is a huge resistance to that.

Primates concluded that they need to journey together in honest conversation to further the reign of God.

Primates cannot sign up to things that they cannot deliver at home. Our Primus cannot act without regard for collegiality. Primates who were present regard themselves as people who must and do act collegially. Some have more authority than our Primus – others less. They are people who do not make independent decisions.

Some of those who absented themselves may have been people who did not see collegiality as a key understanding of their leadership.

There is a clash of cultures of leadership.