Information for General Assembly Commissioners

Day 4 General Assembly 2024

These notes providing information and advice for Commissioners, Delegates and other General Assembly participants will be updated regularly as we prepare for General Assembly 2026.

Reports

Reports for the 2026 General Assembly will be made available in late April or early May 2026.

Presbytery Commissions

The deadline for presbyteries to provide the names of Commissioners to the 2026 General Assembly will be announced in due course. Commissioners may participate in the Assembly either in person or online. There are no restrictions on numbers engaging in either form.

In sending details of their Commissioners to the Office of General Assembly (OGA), Presbyteries should ensure that the following information is included:

  • If a Commissioner is attending in person or online (see below as to any changes)
  • If a Commissioner has been nominated to be a member of the Commission of Assembly
  • If a Commissioner would be willing to be considered as a Communion Assistant (elder only)
  • If a person has mobility/access requirements
  • If a Commissioner is attending for the first time
  • Any other specific requirements to enable participation in the Assembly.

Hybrid meeting of the General Assembly

Participants may choose to be in person in the Assembly Hall or online. There are no restrictions to the numbers participating in either way. Participants will not be able to change how they engage in the General Assembly after 28 March each year save that an in-person Commissioner who becomes ill may notify the OGA that they wish to switch to be an online participant.

Communion arrangements

Holy Communion will be celebrated during the 2026 General Assembly with the date and time to be announced in due course. Those engaging in the General Assembly online are invited to have communion elements with them and share in this.

Commissioner expenses

Expenses rates and conditions for those participating in the Assembly Hall at the 2026 General Assembly will be announced in due course.

General Assembly accommodation, travel and out-of-pocket expenses are usually claimed following the General Assembly, but where accommodation expenses have been paid in full earlier in the year, these can be reimbursed early on production of receipts forwarded to
commissionerexpenses@churchofscotland.org.uk at the Finance department. If accommodation is shared among two or more attendees, please indicate the name and numbers of those sharing when claiming; or if another is claiming your accommodation, include their name and Commissioner number.

The Assembly Hub

All Commissioners and other General Assembly participants will have access to the Assembly Hub. While the Hub may be useful to participants in the Hall, in-person Commissioners are not obliged to use it. Online Commissioners do need to use the Hub. User name and password will be allocated, providing access to all information (including Zoom links) and facilities required by online commissioners. All information required by General Assembly participants will be linked from the Hub.

The General Assembly on the Church of Scotland website and social media

Information about the General Assembly is available on this webpage. News and information regarding the General Assembly will be on the Church's various social media channels.

The General Assembly proceedings will be publicly live-streamed, do publicise this to your congregations.