About
Our Mission Statement
“To build up and support our congregation in their faith, so that they will have the confidence and knowledge to share their Christian belief with others by word and action, in order that they too might also come to faith.”
What we believe
Central to the Church of Scotland is our love and worship of God through following the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. We express our love for God by our love and practical care for each other and for those we live with and encounter in our daily lives.
Although the Church traces its roots back to the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland, its identity was principally formed by John Knox in the Reformation of 1560. At that time, the Church split from the Roman Catholic Church and instead adopted the reformed tradition. The Church of Scotland is Calvinist Presbyterian; we recognise no head of faith other than the Lord God, and no one person or group within the Church has more influence than any other.
How we are governed
The Church of Scotland's governing system is presbyterian, which means that no one person or group within the Church has more influence or say than any other. The Church does not have one person who acts as the head of faith, as that role is the Lord God's. Its supreme rule of faith and life is through the teachings of the Bible.
Church of Scotland government is organised on the basis of courts, mainly along lines set between 1560 and 1690. Each of these courts has committees, which may include other members of the Church, and at national level employ full-time staff.
At a local level, the court is a kirk session. Kirk sessions oversee the local congregation and consist of elders presided over by a minister.
At district level, the court is a presbytery. Presbyteries consist of all the ministers in the district and an equal number of elders, along with members of the diaconate (a form of ordained ministry, usually working in a complementary role in a ministry team in both parish and industry sector contexts). There are 41 presbyteries across Scotland, England, Jerusalem, and International.
At national level, the court is the highest court of the Kirk, the General Assembly. The General Assembly consists of around 400 ministers, 400 elders, and members of the diaconate, all representing the presbyteries.
The Kirk and the State
The King is not the supreme governor of the Church of Scotland, as he is in the Church of England. The sovereign has the right to attend the General Assembly, but not to take part in its deliberations. The Oath of Accession includes a promise to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government".
The King maintains warm relations with the Church of Scotland, where he worships when in Scotland, and from which the chaplains of the Royal Household in Scotland are appointed.
The Church of Scotland is not State controlled, and neither the Scottish nor the Westminster Parliaments are involved in Kirk appointments.
The Kirk's status as the national Church in Scotland dates from 1690, when Parliament restored Scottish Presbyterianism, and is guaranteed under the Act of Union of Scotland and England of 1707.
In matters of doctrine, government, discipline, and worship, the Church of Scotland is free of State interference, operating under a constitution largely contained in the Articles Declaratory, which were recognised by Parliament in 1921. Our Church law pages include more information and the acts and regulations of the General Assembly since 1929.
