A congregation in the north-east Scottish coastal city of Aberdeen is preparing to leave the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) after a vote on 17 January.
Members of Westhill Community Church voted by 87% to 13% to leave the Anglican Communion’s province in Scotland following what they say is the ‘continued liberal trajectory’ of the Church.
The Rector of Westhill, Canon Ian Ferguson, said: ‘We have been on a journey for many years, a group of evangelical Episcopal rectors, in talking to bishops about the trajectory the Scottish Episcopal Church has set itself on going. This culminated in a number of decisions that the SEC took which some of us found that we could not accept.
Biblical authority
‘Our church was not able to feel they could go on the trajectory that the SEC are going and they wanted to maintain their sense of biblical authority and their fellowship with the wider Anglican Communion which is being torn apart by the decisions of some provinces.’
Canon Ferguson said the leadership team at Westhill ‘are going to take time to think about what lies next; but what we are strong on is that we will remain Anglican’.
‘We have received some amazing support throughout the Anglican Communion, in particular the Archbishops of Nigeria, Uganda and Sydney who have been very supportive and welcoming to us. For all of us involved this has been a very painful time and a very difficult decision to make, but we have been put in that position by the decisions of the SEC.’
