Lover of suicide minister banned by Free Church
‘A sad state of affairs’
A WOMAN has been found ‘guilty’ of having an affair with a married church minister and banned from taking communion for a year.
An investigation into a Lewis minister who committed suicide amid allegations he was having a string of affairs with women in his congregation is due to conclude this week.
Rev Iain D Campbell of Point Free Church killed himself in January after admitting his infidelity to his wife and children, in a scandal that rocked the community.
An all-male panel of the Free Church, which takes matters of ‘fornication and adultery’ extremely seriously, has conducted an investigation.
It has so far taken action against one un-named female churchgoer. Four other women denied wrongdoing.
Dr Campbell, 53, died on January 28.
Emails were handed to the church as part of its investigation. His 53-year-old wife Anne is said to have accused him of having affairs with churchgoers and handed over the names of alleged mistresses. Yesterday, a source close to the church told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘The allegations against all but one of the women have not been proved. Those cleared denied any wrongdoing. One of the women did admit a relationship and has been suspended, I understand, for a year.
‘It’s a very sad state of affairs. Iain was a gifted minister but what was going on in his mind, nobody will ever really know.’
Dr Campbell, a married father of three, was a former moderator of the Free Church Assembly. After he died, tributes poured in – with island shopkeepers closing for his funeral.
But rumours grew that he had had a number of affairs and the church launched an investigation.
The process was carried out by the Kirk Session, comprising ministers and elders, following strict rules laid out in the Book of Church Order of the Free Church, known as the Blue Book. As in the criminal system, witnesses are cited, statements are taken and cross examination is allowed before ‘judges’ deliver a verdict. There is also a right of appeal.
The procedure is voluntary, but formal, and the Blue Book’s rules on fornication and adultery are that those found guilty are suspended from religious rituals.
The woman’s year-long suspension means she will be excluded from taking communion.
Rev James MacIver, minister of Stornoway Free Church, said: ‘This has been a particularly sad time for everyone involved and we would like to thank all of our members for their patience and understanding throughout this difficult and sensitive process.’
In an obituary for Dr Campbell, Free Church minister Professor Donald Macleod wrote: ‘Too late, we know that he was in pain, and sometimes pain is more powerful than faith, and more powerful than reason, and altogether too much for the balance of our minds.’
Following his death, the Free Church gave a glowing tribute to Dr Campbell – but a statement issued once the rumours emerged said: ‘Meetings have been held to consider the recent death in tragic circumstances of Rev Dr Iain D Campbell. We ask for your prayers as we seek to deal with this painful matter in a way that is biblically faithful and Christ-honouring.’
The investigation is due to be completed this week.
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