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Scott Rennie
Scott Martin Rennie FRSA (born 31 March 1972) is a Scottish clergyman who is the Minister of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. He was formerly Minister of Brechin Cathedral from 1999 to 2009 and Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen until 2022, and Crown Court Church, London until 2025.
Rennie was born on 31 March 1972 in Bucksburn, Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied geography at the University of Aberdeen, and Divinity at Christ's College, Aberdeen. He served as assistant minister at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen, studying for a Masters in Sacred Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City on a Scots Fellowship. Rennie was a member of the Church of Scotland's taskforce on human sexuality until it was disbanded in 2012.
Rennie married Ruth, and they had a daughter together. After five years of marriage they separated and divorced. Rennie subsequently formed a relationship with his now husband, David Smith who is deputy head of College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and a Religion scholar. Rennie is a member of the Liberal Democrats and was their candidate for the Angus constituency in the 2005 UK general election. He is also a supporter of Aberdeen Football Club.
On 23 November 2008, Rennie preached as sole nominee for Queen's Cross Church, having informed the congregation of his circumstances. At the conclusion of the service, following a secret ballot, he was duly declared Minister Elect by 140 votes to 28. Subsequently, 246 members of the church and 13 other adherents signed the Call.
The call from Queen's Cross Church was upheld by the Presbytery of Aberdeen on 6 January 2009 by 60 votes to 24. This was the first time that a congregation and presbytery had voted to sustain the call of an openly gay minister within the Church of Scotland. However, following the presbytery's vote which allowed Rennie to proceed to Queen's Cross Parish Church, a group of 12 ministers and elders within the Presbytery, led by Ian Aitken (New Stockethill, New Charge Development, Aberdeen), dissented and complained to the Commission of the General Assembly.
On 25 March 2009, following a narrow majority of 1, it was agreed by the Commission that the case be referred to the General Assembly, the Church of Scotland's supreme court, for judgement. It was the first time that a presbytery's decision to sustain the call of a minister had been challenged in the church's supreme court since the Disruption of 1843.
Following an apology from evangelical Church of Scotland organisation Forward Together over an incorrect statement concerning Rennie's personal circumstances, a conversation between Rennie and OneKirk Convener, Peter Johnston, was published, in which Rennie spoke about the challenge of growing up in a conservative church:
As a young man growing up in a conservative church, it felt impossible to deal with issues around my own sexuality. It did not feel like a safe environment, and certainly not one in which I could have found support and understanding. So, I came to believe that I had to ignore it and do what I thought was the right thing at the time: live a heterosexual life.
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Scott Rennie
Scott Martin Rennie FRSA (born 31 March 1972) is a Scottish clergyman who is the Minister of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. He was formerly Minister of Brechin Cathedral from 1999 to 2009 and Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen until 2022, and Crown Court Church, London until 2025.
Rennie was born on 31 March 1972 in Bucksburn, Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied geography at the University of Aberdeen, and Divinity at Christ's College, Aberdeen. He served as assistant minister at Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen, studying for a Masters in Sacred Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City on a Scots Fellowship. Rennie was a member of the Church of Scotland's taskforce on human sexuality until it was disbanded in 2012.
Rennie married Ruth, and they had a daughter together. After five years of marriage they separated and divorced. Rennie subsequently formed a relationship with his now husband, David Smith who is deputy head of College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and a Religion scholar. Rennie is a member of the Liberal Democrats and was their candidate for the Angus constituency in the 2005 UK general election. He is also a supporter of Aberdeen Football Club.
On 23 November 2008, Rennie preached as sole nominee for Queen's Cross Church, having informed the congregation of his circumstances. At the conclusion of the service, following a secret ballot, he was duly declared Minister Elect by 140 votes to 28. Subsequently, 246 members of the church and 13 other adherents signed the Call.
The call from Queen's Cross Church was upheld by the Presbytery of Aberdeen on 6 January 2009 by 60 votes to 24. This was the first time that a congregation and presbytery had voted to sustain the call of an openly gay minister within the Church of Scotland. However, following the presbytery's vote which allowed Rennie to proceed to Queen's Cross Parish Church, a group of 12 ministers and elders within the Presbytery, led by Ian Aitken (New Stockethill, New Charge Development, Aberdeen), dissented and complained to the Commission of the General Assembly.
On 25 March 2009, following a narrow majority of 1, it was agreed by the Commission that the case be referred to the General Assembly, the Church of Scotland's supreme court, for judgement. It was the first time that a presbytery's decision to sustain the call of a minister had been challenged in the church's supreme court since the Disruption of 1843.
Following an apology from evangelical Church of Scotland organisation Forward Together over an incorrect statement concerning Rennie's personal circumstances, a conversation between Rennie and OneKirk Convener, Peter Johnston, was published, in which Rennie spoke about the challenge of growing up in a conservative church:
As a young man growing up in a conservative church, it felt impossible to deal with issues around my own sexuality. It did not feel like a safe environment, and certainly not one in which I could have found support and understanding. So, I came to believe that I had to ignore it and do what I thought was the right thing at the time: live a heterosexual life.