A close friend of north-east minister the Rev Scott Rennie passionately appealed to commissioners to back the mixed economy proposal.
The Rev Bryan Kerr, of Greyfriars Church in Lanark, claimed it offered “the best chance of peace and unity” for the Kirk.
But Farquhar Forbes, an elder at Inshes Church in Inverness, argued that the move would not be true to the word of Jesus Christ.
He told commissioners that his views were shaped by the time he spent in a church in the liberal minded city of San Francisco which upheld the meaning of the scriptures.
Mr Forbes said: “This Church has shown me that we can show grace, compassion and understanding just like Christ while standing in truth.
“This counter motion can help us as a Church to model the grace and truth of Jesus and I believe it can promote the peace and unity that all of us seek.”
But former moderator the Very Rev John Christie argued that the mixed economy proposal best represented people in the middle of the debate who recognised the “pain and heartache” experienced by those on both sides.
“It remains my view, despite the heartache, difficulty, pain, struggle, tension and toil, that the Holy spirit is still with us,” he added.
“I too operate under the authority of scriptures and Jesus said blessed are the peace makers.
“It seems to me that the Church has a role in leading this debate then somehow we have to recognise and respect our differences and discover a way to work together.”
Former Moderator, the Very Rev Prof Iain Torrance, a member of the Presbytery of Aberdeen, said the Kirk had been living within ‘mixed economies’ for decades.
He said it accommodated differences in belief on the baptism of babies, admission of children to communion and the remarriage of divorcees in church.
Speaking after the vote, moderator the Right Rev John Chalmers, said: “This has been a difficult day and a difficult discussion for all of us.
“From me to you my grateful thanks it has been conducted as a respectful dialogue and a model of how these conversations should be held within the Church.”