By a majority of 351 to 294 votes in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on 23 May 2011, the Kirk moves forward to the acceptance of ministers living in a same sex relationship, as well as the blessing of same sex relationships involving life-long commitments.
Early in the all-day debate, the General Assembly reaffirmed its pastoral care of homosexuals and went on to agree the eligibility of homosexuals to hold office, indeed membership of the Church, but also leadership roles including the ministry of Word and Sacrament, the diaconate and eldership.
But then came a sticking point. Eventually an electronic vote of 393 votes for, and 252 against, allowed the induction into pastoral charges of ministers and deacons ordained before 31 May 2009 who are in same-sex relationships during a planned further two year moratorium.
By late afternoon the General Assembly had reached the point of decision. The Report had proffered two possibilities.
Either there should be an indefinite moratorium on the acceptance for training and ordination of persons in a same-sex relationship - but further study is carried out.
Or a Theological Report to be brought to the General Assembly in 2013 which has considered whether persons who have entered into a civil partnership and have made life-long commitments in a Church ceremony, should be eligible for admission for training, ordination and induction as ministers of Word and Sacrament or deacons. No member of Presbytery would be required to take part in such ordination or induction against his or her conscience.
A former Moderator and Principal Clerk had put forward a combination of the two and this was debated first. But eventually it was defeated with 347 against his proposal and 303 for.
Speakers lined up on the Moderator’s screen to be allowed to speak and under his firm control exercised with a delightful light touch nobody missed out. And his request that once the final vote was announced it be received in silence was respected. Speakers placed their plastic card in the microphone to speak which produced their identity, and the Moderator had the switch to turn the microphone off. He hardly needed the switch - although several heard a warning bell.
As a seasoned Assembly and Synod watcher and indeed a leading participant in similar debates across the border, I found it hard to tell which way the final vote would go. One eloquent speech after another took several minutes to unfurl and turned out, in the majority, on the evangelical and against change side whilst others were on the let’s not decide just yet. But the middle ground had taken note of an earlier speaker who said he simply could not go back to his parish after yet another fudge.
The General Assembly has been brave and can be proud of the way it debated a really difficult issue. In the years ahead it will be seen by students as a classic debate. But it was greatly helped not just by a well prepared Report, for which there was no criticism, but by Lord Hodge, the Convener of the Special Commission, whose erudite batting-off of alterations and amendments as the day went along was a delight to watch.