We are part of the Church of Scotland, which is a Presbyterian Church. The word 'Presbyterian' refers to the way in which the church is organised. Episcopalian churches, for example, are organised into areas called dioceses, with each area being overseen by a Bishop. In turn, the bishops rule over the church and care for it. At the other end of the specturm, there are Congregational churches. They exist in loose networks but, for all intents and purposes, they manage themselves and 'go it alone'. And then there are Presbyterian churches, one of which we are a part.

Our Church is ruled over not by individuals but by the General Assembly, a body that meets once a year to determine policy, directions etc. Congregations send their minister and an elder to the General Assembly so that every congregation - large or small - is represented. Every member of the Assembly has one vote and has an equal right to speak. The Assembly is presided over by the Moderator, who is elected to that office by the Assembly for one year term.

At the local area level, the church is organised into area groupings called Presbyteries. The Presbytery - again, made up of ministers and elders - oversees the work of the church in that area. Ministers are responsible to the Presbytery for their conduct etc. and the Presbytery ensures that things are done in accordance with proper procedure. A team from the Presbytery visits each congregation once every five years, seeling to discover if the congregation is in good order and in good heart. The team seeks to encourage the congregation and, where necessary, helps them to find the best way forward.

Within a church congregation, the minister is the Moderator of the Kirk Session - a body drawn from the membership of the congregation, who assist the minister with pastoral care and the leadership of the church. The Kirk Session is responsible, along with the minister, for the spiritual and practical aspects of local church life and for local church government. Members of the Kirk Session are called Elders. Some elders have a pastoral responsibility for a district within the congregation; others serve the congregation by their participation in one of the core groups which focus on a particular area of congregational life, e.g. evangelism, service, fellowship etc.

The elders attend regular meetings of the Kirk Session, and any member of the congregation is also welcome to go along to Kirk Session meetings as observers.

St Andrew's operates under the Unitary Constitution of the Church of Scotland, which brings all matters under the one leadership body, thus doing away with the notion that some things are spiritual and others are secular. This form of constitution allows us to create broader and more effective structures within the congregation - giving many more members the chance to exercise their God-given gifts.

As part of its re-shaping of inherited structures, the Kirk Session is in the process of developing a new way of offering leadership to the congregation. Much remains to be done but the first significant move has been the forming of a Leadership Group. This group, given responsibility and
authority by the Kirk Session, has been assigned the task of providing overall leadership. Their job will be to set direction and make strategic decisions concerning our immediate and long-term future. The group is made up of minister and Session Clerk together with nine others: seven elders and two
from the wider congregation. These men and women have been selected for this task (with a number of them being elected by the Kirk Session) in the belief that they will bring the necessary gifts to it and that they can be trusted to take us forward in the right way. It is hoped that this much
smaller body will find itself more able to engage in the kind of effective decision-making that larger, more cumbersome bodies often find difficult.

The Leadership Group is made up of the following people: Martin Fair (Minister), Jane Miller (Session Clerk), Elaine Anderson, Lawrence Davie, Ian Drever, Wilma Ewart, Ken Lownie, Linda McDonald, Pat Mill, Ken Miller, Liz Smith.

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