The Church of Scotland has voted in favour of allowing people in same-sex civil partnerships to be called as ministers and deacons.
Delegates attending the General Assembly on the Mound in Edinburgh passed the motion by 309 votes in favour and 182 against.
The motion has faced a series of debates and votes before the final decision was arrived yesterday.
A further vote will be held this week on whether or not to extend ordination to ministers in same-sex marriages.
It means the Church has adopted a position which maintains a traditional view of marriage between a man and woman, but allows individual congregations to “opt out” if they wish to appoint a minister or a deacon in a same sex civil partnership.
The outgoing Moderator, Very Rev John Chalmers said: “We cannot go on suffering the pain of internal attacks which are designed to undermine the work or the place of others. It’s time to play for the team.
“And let me be very clear here, I am not speaking to one side or another of the theological spectrum.
“I am speaking to both ends and the middle.
“It is time to stop calling each other names, time to shun the idea that we should define ourselves by our differences and instead define ourselves by what we hold in common our baptism into Christ, our dependence on God’s grace, our will to serve the poor and so on.”
However, opponents warned that the move was contrary to God’s law, would prove divisive and lead to resignations.
The ordaining of gay ministers has proved a controversial topic for years.
In 2009 some members attempted to block the appointment of the Reverend Scott Rennie, who is gay, to Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen.
At the Kirk’s gathering in 2011, commissioners voted to accept gay and lesbian clergy, on the condition they had declared their sexuality and were ordained before 2009.
Nicola Sturgeon also attended the opening of the General Assembly for the first time as First Minister.
She witnessed the installation of Rev Dr Angus Morrison as Moderator of the General Assembly, who had to withdraw from the role last year to undergo treatment for cancer.
Later she tweeted: “A pleasure to attend the opening
ceremony of the General Assembly and see Rt Rev Angus Morrison installed as Moderator.”
Today, up to 5000 people are expected to attend the Heart and Soul Festival, a celebration in Princes Street Gardens of the work being done by the Church.
A major new recruitment drive for ministers, called Tomorrow’s Calling, will also be launched at the event.
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