THE Church of Scotland will hire mediators to handle mutinous parishioners clashing with ministers over the interpretation of Christian doctrine.

A third of the kirk's 1,200 congregations are in squabbles between church-goers and ministers, says a report calling for independent “peace-makers” to be used to quell disputes.

The infighting has been blamed on the growing influence of atheist writers such as Richard Dawkins, the evolutionist whose book The God Delusion challenges religious faith and the “irrational” belief in a supernatural creator.

The report, by the kirk's ministries council, says many parishioners no longer accept the authority of ministers “who do nothing to gain the respect and trust of the congregation”.

The study, which will be presented at this year's general assembly, adds: “The conflicts which result are hardly ever expressed in theological debate. They emerge in power struggles between those accused of promoting radical views and those who are seen as turning the church into the exclusive preserve of the true believers. The resulting chain of events leads to exclusion and simmering resentments.”

The ministries council calls for professional mediators to be parachuted in to warring congregations to stem the exodus of embattled ministers whose careers are “shortened or disabled by stress, disillusion, despair, ill-health and even retirement”.

Senior kirk members admit many ministers are not used to being questioned on matters of faith that in the past were accepted as absolute. The problem is believed to be more acute in rural and remote areas. “Every professional these days is more readily questioned, people are more prepared to challenge what they're being told and that can lead to conflict,” said Rev John Chalmers, the kirk's pastoral adviser and a co-author of the report.

“Once upon a time the minister was never questioned but the new breed of minister needs to be prepared to enter into dialogue with people.”

While some congregations have questioned the strict interpretation of scripture, more liberal ministers have also fallen foul of conservative congregations. The increased use of a modern “praise” band for Sunday worship rather than organists has also provoked clashes between parishioners unwilling to accept change and progressive ministers trying to appeal to a younger audience.

The report also highlights the growing number of power struggles between senior figures in the congregation and ministers, giving rise to “congregational factions led by dominant individuals”. It adds: “We have seen situations where the patterns of aggressive behaviour are so embedded in the genetic codes of a congregation's life that conflict becomes a way of life.

“Congregational life becomes a soap opera of one drama after another, featuring the same characters abusing their power and position.”

Last year, Edmund Marquis-Faulkes, the former minister at St Devenicks Episcopal church in Aberdeen, said he was forced to resign by “disruptive” members of the congregation who he said tried to undermine him.

Last week, his wife Fran said that he “left a job he could have done well if he had had support rather than attack. It is sad that a religion which has the commandment 'love your neighbour as yourself' at its heart is so often a poor example of a healthy supportive community.”

Johnston McKay, the religious broadcaster and clerk of the Presbytery of Ardrossan, said: “I am not surprised there is so much conflict. In an increasingly polarised church it's inevitable that ministers and congregations will not always sing from the same hymn sheet and that is increasingly likely to bring conflict.

“There are those who belong to a more traditionalist view of a presbyterian church and others who think that church structures are irrelevant and should be ignored.”

Dawkins, professor for public understanding of science at Oxford University, who in his book said that religion had inflicted harm on society, last week welcomed the fact that a growing number of parishioners were questioning the teachings of the church.

“When an institution feels threatened by its members questioning or thinking for themselves, it is eloquent testimony to how shallow and empty that institution is,” he said.

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