A gay minister at the centre of a bitter row over his move to preach in Aberdeen last night spoke of his disappointment after it emerged a decision on his future will be passed to the Kirk’s highest court.

Church of Scotland minister the Rev Scott Rennie has been waiting since January to find out if he can fill the vacant post at Queen’s Cross Church in the city’s west end.

His application hit another hurdle yesterday when a powerful committee voted to refer the final decision to the General Assembly – the Kirk’s annual supreme court meeting held in May.

Mr Rennie, 36, an Aberdeen FC fan and a member of the Liberal Democrats, is currently minister at Brechin Cathedral in Angus. The divorced father of one shares the manse there with his partner, David.

Commenting after yesterday’s meeting of the Commission of Assembly in Edinburgh, Mr Rennie said the General Assembly decision will be a “seminal moment” for the Kirk and the “many gay people” in its membership.

“We will discover whether the Church’s own anti-discrimination legislation, passed as recently as 2007, means anything, or whether it is worthless,” he added.

The commission, partly made up of ministers and elders, voted 42-41 in favour of referring the final decision to the assembly, which opens on May 21.

• Full story at the Aberdeen Press & Journal.

• Filed under Church of Scotland, North East + Northern Isles, Scottish Christian News Monitor, Sexuality, Tayside, Fife + Central.