BBC iPLAYER

Tonight I watched last night's report from the General Assembly curtesy of bbc iplayer. The programmes last Sunday and then Wednesday, were well put together and give a good flavour of the breadth of life and viewpoint in the church of scotland. One of the most striking features of this year's assembly was a report on the number of congregations where there has been a major breakdown in relationship between the minister and various groups or individuals within congregations. There has been a fair amount written in recent months regarding "toxic" congregations - congregations which are bad for your health! Hopefully the Assembly this year has highlighted the issue in such a way that it will lead to these nightmare scenarios being addressed. If local congregations are falling apart, what message does that give to the communities they are seeking to serve.