Nearly 100 members of a Church of Scotland congregation in the Western Isles have decided to quit over the ongoing gay clergy issue.
Ninety four people who worshipped in Tarbert church in Harris voted to leave the denomination while 131 decided to stay.
A decision made by the Kirk’s General Assembly in May to move towards allowing congregations to appoint people in same-sex relationships if they wished has angered many traditionalists.
The people who have decided to leave the Kirk hope to set up a Free Church congregation in Tarbert.
Church of Scotland acting principal clerk the Rev Dr George Whyte said: “We are saddened by the planned departure of around 90 members and adherents from Tarbert Church – they will be missed and we wish them well for the future.
“However, our duty now is to the 130 members and adherents who are choosing to remain with the Church of Scotland.
“We are very encouraged that so many members wish to remain with the Church of Scotland and we will be working with the congregation and its new leaders to ensure that the word of God is preached faithfully in Tarbert.”
Tarbert Church is currently without a minister and the postal ballot was organised by the presbytery.
A Free Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We were approached by the kirk session of Tarbert Church of Scotland some time ago with a view to possibly joining our denomination.
“We were very impressed by the unity of the leadership in Tarbert and by the dynamism which we witnessed from within the congregation.
“We would certainly be happy to provide them with a home where they could express their desire to be a local parish church which is both robust in its adherence to biblical Christianity and contemporary in its reach to all the people of north Harris.”
The Rev David Macleod of Lochcarron, Applecross and Torridon parish, and the Rev Roddy MacRae, who leads congregations in Glenelg and Kintail, announced last week they intend to resign from the Kirk later this month and join the Free Church.