More than 70 Church of Scotland delegates – including the outgoing moderator the Very Rev Susan Brown – have formally lodged their frustration at the decision of its general assembly not to divest from fossil fuels, with advocates describing Wednesday’s vote as “an embarrassing abdication of moral leadership”.

Although the general assembly voted to “recognise and affirm the declarations of the Scottish government, UK parliament and others that we are experiencing a climate and ecological emergency” on Wednesday morning, a counter-motion to disinvest from oil and gas companies by 2020 was narrowly defeated.

The divestment counter-motion, championed by Rev Gordon Strang, a minister from Grantown-on-Spey, fell by 303 votes to 263.

A significant block of general assembly members spent the afternoon registering their unhappiness with the majority position. In a procedure used only occasionally, delegates can formally express their opposition to a decision by signing a “dissent book”, with their names subsequently published in the assembly’s minutes.

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Strang, who was an offshore oil worker for many years, told the Guardian: “It is hugely disappointing that, in the midst of a climate emergency, they couldn’t grasp the urgency of the situation and move forward.

“We all know that engagement [with fossil fuel companies, which the Church of Scotland’s Investors’ Trust is continuing to do] will not achieve the results we want, and it is my earnest hope that next year’s general assembly will finally be able to see that.”

Strang said the close result this year was at least a step forward from the 2018 result, when the motion to divest received 135 votes compared with the motion to keep dialogue going with oil companies, which received 300 votes.

But he added that it was disappointing that the church was not able to act as the “valuable voice” that the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, spoke of in her speech to the assembly earlier on Wednesday.

In it, Sturgeon said the Scottish government “cherished” the role of the Church of Scotland, adding “we appreciate your role even when – or perhaps particularly when – you are saying things that are uncomfortable for governments to hear”.

Seonaid Knox, clerk to the national youth assembly of the Church of Scotland, who seconded the counter-motion, said that the vote was “extremely disheartening”.

“While it’s positive that more commissioners were in favour of divesting compared with 2018, the reality is that – despite youth and international delegates stressing the urgency of the matter – our pleas fell on deaf ears.”

A number of other speakers emphasised the need for the church to take the lead on issues that are of concern to younger people.

Responding to the vote, Ric Lander, divestment campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It seems to me that the Church of Scotland Investors’ Trust have been taken in by a deeply cynical public relations effort by big oil, designed to waste the precious time of public spirited investors.”

Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer described the decision as “an embarrassing abdication of moral leadership”.

Greer said: “I love my church but today I’m ashamed. After East African guests told the assembly that the climate crisis is literally killing their communities and at the same time as the kirk [church] itself demands more action from governments, our delegates wouldn’t take the painless step of divesting from fossil fuels.

“The kirk had the opportunity to join others, including Glasgow and Edinburgh universities, New York city and many other churches in divesting. Instead, once again, we’re left talking tough but failing to take the most basic action.”