Church of Scotland

Iona Abbey in Scotland was founded by Saint Columba.

Presbyterian tradition, particularly that of the Church of Scotland, traces its early roots to the church founded by Columba, through the 6th-century Hiberno-Scottish mission.[3][4][5] Tracing their apostolic origin to John the Apostle,[6][7] the Culdees practised Christian monasticism, a key feature of Celtic Christianity in the region, with a presbyter exercising "authority within the institution, while the different monastic institutions were independent of one another."[8][3][9] The Church in Scotland kept the Christian feast of Easter at a date different from the See of Rome and its monks used a unique style of tonsure.[10] The Synod of Whitby in 664, however, ended these distinctives as it ruled "that Easter would be celebrated according to the Roman date, not the Celtic date."[11] Although Roman influence came to dominate the Church in Scotland,[11] certain Celtic influences remained in the Scottish Church,[12] such as "the singing of metrical psalms, many of them set to old Celtic Christianity Scottish traditional and folk tunes", which later became a "distinctive part of Scottish Presbyterian worship".[13][14]

John Knox, who in 1559 returned from ministering in Geneva to lead the Reformation in Scotland.

While the Church of Scotland traces its roots back to the earliest Christians in Scotland, its identity was principally shaped by the Scottish Reformation of 1560. At that point, many in the then church in Scotland broke with Rome, in a process of Protestant reform led, among others, by John Knox. It reformed its doctrines and government, drawing on the principles of John Calvin which Knox had been exposed to while living in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1560, an assembly of some nobles, lairds and burgesses, as well as several churchmen, claiming in defiance of the Queen to be a Scottish Parliament, abolished papal jurisdiction and approved the Scots Confession, but did not accept many of the principles laid out in Knox's First Book of Discipline, which argued, among other things, that all of the assets of the old church should pass to the new. The 1560 Reformation Settlement was not ratified by the crown, as Mary I, a Catholic, refused to do so, and the question of church government also remained unresolved. In 1572 the acts of 1560 were finally approved by the young James VI, but the Concordat of Leith also allowed the crown to appoint bishops with the church's approval. John Knox himself had no clear views on the office of bishop, preferring to see them renamed as 'superintendents' which is a translation of the Greek; but in response to the new Concordat a Presbyterian party emerged headed by Andrew Melville, the author of the Second Book of Discipline.

Melville and his supporters enjoyed some temporary successes—most notably in the Golden Act of 1592, which gave parliamentary approval to Presbyterian courts. James VI, who succeeded to the English throne in 1603, believed that Presbyterianism was incompatible with monarchy, declaring "No bishop, no king"[15] and by skillful manipulation of both church and state, steadily reintroduced parliamentary and then diocesan episcopacy. By the time he died in 1625, the Church of Scotland had a full panel of bishops and archbishops. General Assemblies met only at times and places approved by the Crown.

Timeline of the evolution of the churches of Scotland from the Reformation

Charles I inherited a settlement in Scotland based on a balanced compromise between Calvinist doctrine and episcopal practice. Lacking the political judgement of his father, he began to upset this by moving into more dangerous areas. Disapproving of the 'plainness' of the Scottish service he, together with his Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, sought to introduce the kind of liturgical practice in use in England. The centrepiece of this new strategy was the Prayer Book of 1637, a slightly modified version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Although this was devised by a panel of Scottish bishops, Charles' insistence that it be drawn up in secret and adopted sight-unseen led to widespread discontent. When the Prayer Book was finally introduced at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in mid-1637 it caused an outbreak of rioting, which, starting with Jenny Geddes, spread across Scotland. In early 1638 the National Covenant was signed by large numbers of Scots, protesting at the introduction of the Prayer Book and other liturgical innovations that had not first been tested and approved by free Parliaments and General Assemblies of the Church. In November 1638, the General Assembly in Glasgow, the first to meet for twenty years, not only declared the Prayer Book unlawful, but went on to abolish the office of bishop itself. The Church of Scotland was then established on a Presbyterian basis. Charles' attempt at resistance to these developments led to the outbreak of the Bishops' Wars. In the ensuing civil wars, the Scots Covenanters at one point made common cause with the English parliamentarians—resulting in the Westminster Confession of Faith being agreed by both. This document remains the subordinate standard of the Church of Scotland, but was replaced in England after the Restoration.[16]

Episcopacy was reintroduced to Scotland after the Restoration, the cause of considerable discontent, especially in the south-west of the country, where the Presbyterian tradition was strongest. The modern situation largely dates from 1690, when after the Glorious Revolution the majority of Scottish bishops were non-jurors, that is, they believed they could not swear allegiance to William II and Mary II while James VII lived. To reduce their influence the Scots Parliament guaranteed Presbyterian governance of the church by law, excluding what became the Scottish Episcopal Church. Most of the remaining Covenanters, disagreeing with the Restoration Settlement on various political and theological grounds, most notably because the Settlement did not acknowledge the National Covenant and Solemn League and Covenant, also did not join the Church of Scotland, instead forming the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1690.

Controversy still surrounded the relationship between the Church of Scotland's independence and the civil law of Scotland. The interference of civil courts with church decisions, particularly over the appointment of ministers, following the Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711, which gave landowners, or patrons, the right to appoint ministers to vacant pulpits, would lead to several splits. This began with the secession of 1733 and culminated in the Disruption of 1843, when a large portion of the church broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland. The seceding groups tended to divide and reunite among themselves—leading to a proliferation of Presbyterian denominations in Scotland, as is demonstrated in the timeline, above.

Older rectangular logo of the Church of Scotland.

The British Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act 1921, finally recognising the full independence of the church in matters spiritual, and as a result of this, and passage of the Church of Scotland (Property and Endowments) Act 1925, the Kirk was able to unite with the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929. The United Free Church of Scotland was itself the product of the union of the former United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the majority of the Free Church of Scotland in 1900. The 1929 assembly of church leaders to effect the Union of that year met at Industrial Hall on Annandale Street in north Edinburgh.[17]

Some independent Scottish Presbyterian denominations still remain. These include the Free Church of Scotland—sometimes given the epithet The Wee Frees—(originally formed of those congregations which refused to unite with the United Presbyterian Church in 1900), the United Free Church of Scotland (formed of congregations which refused to unite with the Church of Scotland in 1929), the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (which broke from the Free Church of Scotland in 1893), the Associated Presbyterian Churches (which emerged as a result of a split in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in the 1980s) and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (which emerged from a split in the Free Church of Scotland in 2000).

Stained glass showing the burning bush and the motto "nec tamen consumebatur", St. Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow.

The motto of the Church of Scotland is nec tamen consumebatur (Latin)—"Yet it was not consumed", an allusion to Exodus 3:2 and the Burning Bush.

The basis of faith for the Church of Scotland is the Word of God, which it views as being "contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament". Its principal subordinate standard is The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), although here liberty of opinion is granted on those matters "which do not enter into the substance of the faith" (Art. 2 and 5).[18] (The 19th century Scottish distinction was between 'evangelicals' and 'moderates'.) There is no official document in which substantial matters and insubstantial ones are clearly demarcated.

The Church of Scotland has no compulsory prayer book, although it does have a hymn book (the 4th edition was published in 2005). Its Book of Common Order contains recommendations for public worship, which are usually followed fairly closely in the case of sacraments and ordinances. Preaching is the central focus of most services. Traditionally, Scots worship centred on the singing of metrical psalms and paraphrases, but for generations these have been supplemented with Christian music of all types.[13] The typical Church of Scotland service lasts about an hour. There is normally no sung or responsive liturgy, but worship is the responsibility of the minister in each parish, and the style of worship can vary and be quite experimental. In recent years, a variety of modern song books have been widely used to appeal more to contemporary trends in music, and elements from alternative liturgies including those of the Iona Community are incorporated in some congregations. Although traditionally worship is conducted by the parish minister, participation and leadership by members who are not ministers in services is becoming more frequent, especially in the Highlands and the Borders.

In common with other Reformed denominations, the church recognises two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion (the Lord's Supper). The church baptises both believing adults and the children of Christian families. Communion in the Church of Scotland today is open to Christians of whatever denomination, without precondition. If baptised as an infant, one is expected to make the public profession of faith as part of a confirmation ceremony.[19] Communion services are usually taken fairly seriously in the church; traditionally, a congregation held only three or four per year, although practice now greatly varies between congregations. In some congregations, communion is celebrated once a month.

Theologically, the Church of Scotland is Reformed (ultimately in the Calvinist tradition) and is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.[20]

The national church has never shied from involvement in Scottish politics. In 1919, the General Assembly created a Church and Nation Committee, which in 2005 became the Church and Society Council, and in 2019 merged with the World Mission Council to create the Faith Impact Forum.[27] The Church of Scotland was (and is) a firm opponent of nuclear weaponry.[28] Supporting devolution, it was one of the parties involved in the Scottish Constitutional Convention, which resulted in the setting up of the Scottish Parliament in 1997. Indeed, from 1999 to 2004 the Parliament met in the Kirk's Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, while its own building was being constructed. The Church of Scotland supports the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office in Edinburgh,[29] a ecumenical partnership which is staffed and resourced by the Church.

Religion in Scotland
Church of Scotland Catholic Church Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) United Free Church of Scotland Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland International Presbyterian Church Associated Presbyterian Churches Scottish Episcopal Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches Baptist Union of Scotland Methodist Church of Great Britain Latter-day Saints Salvation Army Congregational Federation Action of Churches Together in Scotland Scottish Reformation Bahá'í Faith Buddhism Hinduism Islam Judaism Sikhism

At the time of the 2001 census, the number of respondents who gave their religion as Church of Scotland was 2,146,251 which amounted to 42.4% of the population of Scotland.[63] In 2013, the Church of Scotland had around 995 active ministers, 1,118 congregations, and its official membership at 398,389 comprised about 7.5% of the population of Scotland.[64] Official membership is down some 66.5% from its peak in 1957 of 1.32 million.[65] In the 2011 national census, 32% of Scots identified their religion as "Church of Scotland", more than any other faith group, but falling behind the total of those without religion for the first time.[63] However, by 2013 only 18% of Scots self-identified as Church of Scotland.[66] Though according to the 2014 Scottish Annual Household Survey, 27.8%, or 1.5 million adherents, identified the Church of Scotland as the church of their religion.[67] In 2019, according to the Scottish Household Survey, 20% of Scots self-reported themselves as adherents of the Church of Scotland.[68][69] The Church of Scotland Guild, the Kirk's historical women's movement and open to men and women since 1997, is still the largest voluntary organisation in Scotland.

According to the 2011 census, among respondents who identified with the Kirk, 96% were white Scots, 3% were other white people, and 1% were from other ethnic groups; this broadly reflects Scotland's demographic make-up.[70]

Although it is the national church,[71][72] the Kirk is not a state church;[73][74] this and other regards makes it dissimilar to the Church of England (the established church in England).[71] Under its constitution (recognised by the 1921 act of the British Parliament), the Kirk enjoys complete independence from the state in spiritual matters.[71] When in Scotland, the British monarch simply attends church, as opposed to their role in the English Church as Supreme Governor.[71] The monarch's accession oath includes a promise to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government".[71] They are formally represented at the annual General Assembly by a Lord High Commissioner[75] unless they choose to attend in person; the role is purely formal, and the monarch has no right to take part in deliberations.[71]

The Kirk is committed to its 'distinctive call and duty to bring the ordinances of religion to the people in every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry' (Article 3 of its Articles Declaratory). The Kirk played a leading role in providing universal education in Scotland (the first such provision in the modern world), largely due to its teaching that all should be able to read the Bible. However, it ceased operating its schools, which were transferred to the state, in the latter half of the 19th century.

The Church of Scotland faces many current difficulties. Between 1966 and 2006, the number of members fell from over 1,230,000 to 504,000,[76] reducing further to 446,000 in 2010[77] 380,164 by 2014,[78] 336,000 by 2017,[79] and 325,695 by 2018, representing about 6% of the Scottish population.[80] The Scottish Church Census reported that only around 137,000 people worship on an average Sunday in a Church of Scotland, approximately 41% of the stated membership.

In 2016 the church faced a £5.7 million deficit amid costly upkeep of many older ecclesiastical buildings. In response the church decided to 'prune to grow', reducing ministry provision plans from 1,234 to 1,000 funded posts (1,075 established FTE posts, of which 75 would be vacant at any one time) supported by a variety of voluntary and part-time ministries. At the same time the number of candidates accepted for full-time ministry has reduced from 24 (2005) to 8 (2009).[81] Since 2014, the number of full-time candidates accepted into training each year has been in the range of 13 to 16. At the 2016 General Assembly the Moderator pointed to issues such as: 25% of charges without a minister; all but two ministers over the age of 30; falling clergy numbers over the coming six years (anticipated that for each newly recruited minister there will be four retirements).[82]

By 2021 membership was continuing to decline year on year,[83] leading to a new plan "without which the church would not survive." The proposal reduced the number of ministry posts by 40%; to 660 of which 60 would be vacant at any one time, and was said to offer the church a chance to thrive.[84]

This lack of those in training towards ministry has threatened the viability of the Kirk's theological training colleges.[85] During the 2019 General Assembly, the Ministries Council announced that they were looking to reduce the number of Academic Partners who train current ministry students from five, to either one or two. The five current academic partners are University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of Aberdeen, University of St Andrews and, most recently, Highland Theological College.

Flag of the Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian in polity and Reformed in theology. The most recent articulation of its legal position, the Articles Declaratory (1921), spells out the key concepts.

Moderator

Arms of the Moderator of the General Assembly

Each court is convened by the 'moderator'—at the local level of the Kirk Session normally the parish minister who is ex officio member and Moderator of the Session. Congregations where there is no minister, or where the minister is incapacitated, may be moderated by a specially trained elder. Presbyteries and the General Assembly elect a moderator each year. The Moderator of the General Assembly serves for the year as the public representative of the church, but beyond that enjoys no special powers or privileges and is in no sense the leader or official spokesperson of the Kirk. At all levels, moderators may be either elders or ministers. Only Moderators of Kirk Sessions are obliged to be trained for the role.

The official residence of the Moderator is Number 2 Rothesay Terrace.[88]

Church offices

The Church of Scotland Offices are located at 121 George Street, Edinburgh.

Church of Scotland Offices, George Street, Edinburgh 2013

These imposing buildings—popularly known in church circles as "one-two-one"—were designed in a Scandinavian-influenced style by the architect Sydney Mitchell and built in 1909–1911 for the United Free Church of Scotland. Following the union of the churches in 1929 a matching extension was built in the 1930s.

The offices of the Moderator, Principal Clerk, General Treasurer, Law Department and all the Church councils are located at 121 George Street, with the exception of the Social Care Council (CrossReach). The Principal Clerk to the General Assembly is the Rev Fiona Smith (the first woman to hold the post full-time), who succeeded Rev Dr George Whyte in 2022.[94]

The following publications are useful sources of information about the Church of Scotland.

• Life and Work – the monthly magazine of the Church of Scotland.
• Church of Scotland Yearbook (known as "the red book") – published annually with statistical data on every parish and contact information for every minister.
• Reports to the General Assembly (known as "the blue book") – published annually with reports on the work of the church's departments.
• The Constitution and Laws of the Church of Scotland (known as "the green book") edited by James L. Weatherhead, published 1997 by the Church of Scotland, ISBN 0-86153-246-5 and which has now replaced the venerable
• Practice and Procedure in The Church of Scotland edited by James Taylor Cox, published by The Committee on General Administration, The Church of Scotland, 1976 (sixth edition) ISBN 0-7152-0326-6
• Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae – published irregularly since 1866, contains biographies of ministers.
• The First and Second Books of Discipline of 1560 and 1578.
• The Book of Common Order latest version of 1994.

• Action of Churches Together in Scotland
• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
• Conference of European Churches
• Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (Leuenberg Church Fellowship)
• World Council of Churches
• World Communion of Reformed Churches

• Marrow Controversy
• Religion in the United Kingdom
• International Presbytery
• List of Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries
• Ministers and elders in the Church of Scotland
• Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland
• List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
• Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
• Bishops in the Church of Scotland
• Iona Community
• Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office
• Society, Religion and Technology Project
• Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act 1707
• Church of Scotland Act 1921

• Media related to Church of Scotland at Wikimedia Commons

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Church of Scotland.

• Official Church of Scotland website
• 'Church without Walls' report
• website of Action of Churches Together in Scotland
• Church of Scotland daily news monitor and links at Scottish Christian.com
• "Neuroscience and the Church of Scotland". Research Impact - Humanities and Social Science: making a difference. College of Humanities and Social Science, The University of Edinburgh. 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016. The Church of Scotland invited a philosopher from the University of Edinburgh to explore scientific challenges to free will and moral responsibility.