What is a Kirk Session?
The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and its governance is organised on the basis of a series of courts at various levels. In effect, within the Church, no one person or group has any more influence or say than any other. At a local level this is the Kirk Session, which nominally has a responsibility towards all people of the parish.
Bishopton Church Kirk Session comprises a moderator (which is the Rev. Yvonne Smith), the session clerk (which is Douglas Hope), around 50 elders, and is primarily responsible for overseeing the spiritual aspects of the local congregation.
The Kirk Session meets regularly to discuss and progress all matters relevant to the spiritual aspects of our local church and there are several sub committees associated with delivering the Christian message within our community and beyond.
The parish, in turn, is divided into geographical Districts with these being covered by an elder assigned to a specific district and who will visit members in their homes with a pastoral and spiritual aspect in mind. In addition, they will provide up-to-date information on church matters and if appropriate can arrange special supplementary support from either the minister or other church based support teams, such as the Pastoral Care Committee.
Beyond local level there is the district level known as the Presbytery, which primarily consists of all the ministers in the district and an equal number of elders. Our parish is within the Clyde Presbytery.
At national level there is the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland which is the highest court of the Kirk. The General Assembly consists of around 400 ministers, 400 elders and members of the diaconate, all representing the Presbyteries.
If you wish more information on the Church of Scotland, you can find this on their website.
