A sacked church minister has lost his appeal to take his superiors to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal.

Judge Lady Smith has upheld a decision taken by the employment tribunals service in Inverness to throw out the claim by the Rev Allan MacDonald. She accepted the church’s argument he was not an employee and was carrying out his “calling to God”.

The tribunal ruled in June last year that Mr MacDonald’s obligations as a minister were to the people of his congregation and not to the Free Presbyterian Church.

Mr MacDonald, 49, of the Farr and Daviot congregation in Inverness-shire, raised the action following a row over his controversial book Veritatem Eme (Buy the Truth), which was published four years ago.

• Full story at the Aberdeen Press & Journal.

• Filed under Clergy Issues, Free Presbyterian Church, Highlands + Islands, Scottish Christian News Monitor.