By Steven Bell

A DUNDEE church minister last night refused to comment on a claim that he had left his previous congregation in Fife with massive debts.

The Rev James McMillan, of Trinity Church in Crescent Street, and previously of Christ’s Kirk in Glenrothes, is at the centre of a local presbytery probe. It is reported that debts of more than £100,000 were uncovered when he moved parish, and that the Church of Scotland has since had to bail out the Fife church with a loan.

Contacted by The Courier last night, Mr McMillan said, “I have no comment that I want to make at this time.”

The Church of Scotland, meanwhile, confirmed that inquiries are under way by Mr McMillan’s peers in Dundee.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said, “The matter is with the Presbytery of Dundee. We are awaiting notice of the outcome.”

Mr McMillan was inducted as minister of Trinity Church a year ago, moving from his previous charge in Glenrothes to succeed the Rev James Wilson.

Clerk to the board at Trinity, Mrs Norma Watson, declined to comment, stating, “It is nothing to do with Trinity—it’s between Mr McMillan and Dundee Presbytery.”

One member of the congregation said last night, however, that the claims would shock parishioners. The church-goer said, “He has only been at our church for just over a year, and people were just getting to know him. He has certainly done a terrific job in that time, he has turned the place around.”

The church-goer added, “This has all come out of the blue, and it has come as a great surprise. Obviously there will be concern about this, although I don’t think people will be jumping to conclusions.”

The alleged unpaid bills at Christ’s Kirk—which took the record for the largest collection, £5000, ever made at a Sunday service—are believed to centre on a new church hall.