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10/09/2007
Free Presbyterian Political Ties Tested
The Rev. Ian Paisley has announced that he is to stand down as moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church in January.
The announcement followed a five-hour meeting of the church's presbytery on Friday.
However, the end of Rev. Paisley's tenure as head of the church has thrown into sharp relief the tensions within Free Presbyterianism.
A statement by 'Concerned Free Presbyterians' said that they now hoped to dissociate the church from its political links.
The Rev. Ian Paisley, who is First Minister in the Stormont executive, has served as moderator for over 50 years, and will remain a Free Presbyterian minister. He is head of the Democratic Unionist Party, currently the largest unionist group in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
In a sermon delivered on Sunday, Rev. Paisley admitted that the church was facing a "very real crisis," but he said he would pray to be able to preach until the end of his days.
(SP/KMcA)
The announcement followed a five-hour meeting of the church's presbytery on Friday.
However, the end of Rev. Paisley's tenure as head of the church has thrown into sharp relief the tensions within Free Presbyterianism.
A statement by 'Concerned Free Presbyterians' said that they now hoped to dissociate the church from its political links.
The Rev. Ian Paisley, who is First Minister in the Stormont executive, has served as moderator for over 50 years, and will remain a Free Presbyterian minister. He is head of the Democratic Unionist Party, currently the largest unionist group in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
In a sermon delivered on Sunday, Rev. Paisley admitted that the church was facing a "very real crisis," but he said he would pray to be able to preach until the end of his days.
(SP/KMcA)
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