A BID to bring two church congregations in Kilmacolm together under one roof has fallen at the final hurdle.

Old Kilmacolm and St Columba's, both Church of Scotland parishes, have failed to reach an agreement over the future of the buildings - worth millions of pounds - and the proposed union is now in jeopardy.

After years of painstaking negotiations and deadlock, an independent review panel was called in and concluded the Old Kilmacolm Kirk building would be better placed as the church for the new united parish in the village.

But then in a dramatic final twist the members of St Columba's Church delivered a shock vote against the union.

Now the national church's rule makers say that unless the both church comes together they will not be allowed to 'call' a new minister.

Disappointed Old Kilmacolm session clerk Leon Marshall said: "We are absolutely devastated.

"We have been taking part in negotiations for years and we really hoped this would be a way forward.

"There was a sense of frustration and tears, after all those years of negotiations.

"We agreed to the independent review but despite there being an overall majority of votes in favour, both churches needed a majority.

"I don't know where we go from here - it will go back to the presbytery planning committee for further consideration."

Negotiations have been taking place for the last three years and the stumbling block for some time was the future of the respective church buildings.

Leon added: "We just couldn't come to an agreement ourselves."

The independent panel from the Glasgow Presbytery visited earlier this year to look at both sanctuaries and the halls.

These included Kidston Hall, belonging to the Old Kilmacolm Kirk, and the large St Columba's Church hall which is used for elections.

Each church has a manse and combined the properties are worth at least £1 million.

The visiting panel decided that Old Kilmacolm Kirk should be used for worship when the congregations united.

When this went to a vote, the Old Kirk voted 255 for and one against while in Kilmacolm St Columba there were 28 in favour but 67 against.

Councillor David Wilson, who is an elder in the Old Kirk, said: "In the Church of Scotland all decisions have to be made in an agreement and democratically.

"The membership makes the final decision and we have to abide by that.

"As we know, democracy is a slow process.

"I hope an agreement is reached in time."

A shortage of ministers nationally means that the national body of the Church of Scotland says that where there are two parishes in the same village they must form a union to 'call' a new minister.

The Old Kirk has been without one since Reverend Dr Peter McEnhill left in 2019 to take up a post in Rome, before returning to a role in the presbytery.

Along the road St Columba's has been without a serving minister since Reverend Douglas Cranston was suspended over allegations of theft, which he was later cleared of in court.

He eventually quit his post in 2020 in the face of an internal church investigation.