13/08/2026
Towards the Union of Currie Kirk and Balerno Parish Church
The parishes of Currie and Balerno were linked by the Presbytery of Edinburgh and West Lothian as from 1st December 2024. The service of Linkage took place on Thursday 19 June 2025. This Linkage is a step on the way to a formal Union as in the Presbytery Mission Plan.
In a Linkage, each church retains its Kirk Session and separate charity number, etc. whereas in a Union the two become one, with one Kirk Session responsible for local leadership and oversight. In due course, Edinburgh: Balerno linked with Currie will become Edinburgh: Kirk of Currie and Balerno.
At the time of writing I cannot give precise dates for each of the next steps but I can describe the stages on the way.
1. The Draft basis and Plan of Union has been sent to the Presbytery Deployment Committee.
2. There will be a meeting of the joint Kirk Sessions of Currie and Balerno on August 24th in the Gibson Craig Hall at 7pm. Representatives of the Presbytery Deployment Committee will be on hand to describe the next steps towards Union and answer questions. After discussion each Session will take a vote on the Basis of Union supervised by the Presbytery representatives.
3. There will then be separate Kirk Session Meetings and Congregational Meetings where elders and church members will vote on the Basis of Union. These are held in the presence of Presbytery representatives. Please look out for news of the dates and times of these.
4. Following voting, the Deployment Committee will seek formal approval of the Union at an appropriate Presbytery meeting. Representatives from each congregation may attend that meeting if they so wish.
In parallel the Steering Group has, in addition to drafting the Basis of Union, been working on the preparation of a Programme for Action including a Vision Statement and Strategy for the united church. Please do complete and return the questionnaire which is currently out to consultation and has a deadline of 13th September.
I hope that this gives a helpful explanation of formalities and of what happens next.
Roy Henderson
interim Minister
