The Church of Scotland has defended two appointments which mean a husband and wife have senior positions in the Church.

Rev Jayne Scott has been appointed the Presbyterian church's new secretary of the Ministries Council. Her husband, Rev Dr Martin Scott, had recently vacated this position to be appointed secretary of the Church's Council of Assembly.

A senior church spokesman said Mrs Scott had only been appointed after a "rigorous" recruitment process.

Dr Sally Bonnar, the convener of the Kirk's Council of Assembly, said: "In Scotland, it is not uncommon to find in the same organisation brothers, sisters, daughters, husbands and wives.

"There are many high-profile examples of this in the law, medicine, the civil service, the Foreign Office and Scottish politics.

"This matter was discussed fully and in public during last month's General Assembly and received clear approval.

"Rev Jayne Scott was appointed as secretary to the Ministries Council following a rigorous recruitment process held over two days in which she was the outstanding candidate.

"She is a minister and an experienced manager with an MBA qualification.

"Rev Dr Martin Scott played no part in the recruitment process."

Sources church told the Sunday Mail that there has been disquiet about the appointments. None of the sources was identified.

After a debate at the general assembly in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, the Covenant Fellowship, a newly-formed conservative evangelical grouping that opposes same-sex marriage, also mentioned the concerns.

In its assembly notes posted online, the fellowship wrote that there had been "a lot of discussion" about the two appointments around issues of "line management" and "conflict of interest".

In her new job, Mrs Scott, whose previous post was minister at Drylaw Parish Church in Edinburgh, has responsibility for recruitment, training and support.

Dr Scott's apppointment was announced in December.

His role is to build on the work of his predecessor in helping make Scotland's national Church, which has an annual budget of £110 million, into a smoother-running organisation.

Dr Scott is a former professional musician who is married to Jayne Scott. He had himself previously been secretary to the Ministries Council since it was established in 2005, the job now given to his wife.

Dr Scott's new job will involve managing 2,500 staff across the country.

At the time of his appointment in December, Dr Scott, 61, said: "The Church of Scotland has been a key part of Scotland for 500 years, spreading God's words, promoting education and alleviating poverty.

"I feel humbled and honoured to be chosen for the role of the secretary.

"I will support the Council as it takes steps to ensure the big issues facing the church, such as the future of ministry, are properly addressed.

"I will be responsible for ensuring the finances of the Church are stable and able to support the work that needs to be done.

"This means making sure that people who work at the national offices of the Church in Edinburgh fulfil the expectations of the Councils, local churches and Presbyteries."