General Assembly 2010: Kirk presses ahead for self rule of local chapel courts

• The Rev Ian Galloway gives the Economics Committee results to the Assembly. Picture: Jane Barlow

The changes proposed will also see the merging of smaller presbyteries together to create "super-presbyteries" containing between 50 and 60 congregations with shared responsibilities and budgets.

The plans are to be tested in a series of pilot schemes across the country to be rolled out during autumn this year.

Setting out the proposals within the Panel on Review and Reform's report to the General Assembly, its convener, the Rev David Cameron, said that they were designed to "transform and revitalise" presbyteries.

"Our fundamental aim is to re-empower presbyteries; giving them greater independence and responsibility over how they operate and how they raise and allocate funds in their own areas," he said.

One of the report's key proposals is to devolve financial powers: "Presbyteries should assume greater responsibility for their own planning and financial resourcing, be encouraged to clearly define their mission, to operate flexibly and to develop procedures and structures that best fulfil that purpose."

Among the devolved powers will be the ability for presbyteries to determine the amount of money individual congregations contribute and how the funds will be put to use.

They would also have the power to raise additional funds and decide how they would be used within their regions.

At the moment, congregations contribute 38 million of the Kirk's 49m Mission Council costs.

The report said that it hoped in devolving fund-allocation responsibility to presbyteries, they would "promote an increased sense of ownership and willingness to give" and that this would help them to be "mission-oriented rather than administration-driven".

The panel insists that the merging of presbyteries is "not structural change for sake of it", adding that the proposals were about allowing "function to drive structure" and that there would be different outcomes in different parts of the country.

The areas to be affected by the mergers remain unspecified, though it is most likely to affect presbyteries in rural areas such as the Borders and Highlands.

The reforms come on the back of the General Assembly backing swingeing cuts in minister numbers as the Kirk attempts to tackle a 5.7m deficit. However, the Assembly has also reaffirmed one of its key tenets to remain a national church with "a minister in every parliament."

Projected figures for a "super-presbytery" of 69 charges, showed savings of 170,000 in ministers' stipends.

The Rev Sean Swindells, of Edinburgh Presbytery, said he was "excited by the prospect of reform" but asked for "reassurance that support for presbyteries would be increased".

Mr Cameron said that there would be funding and support in place, with 27 trained facilitators to help in the smooth introduction of the plans.

The panel is to report back to the General Assembly next year on the results of the pilot projects.