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102-667: Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning 'church'. The term the Kirk is often used informally to refer specifically to the Church of Scotland , the Scottish national church that developed from the 16th-century Reformation . Many place names and personal names are derived from kirk . As a common noun , kirk (meaning 'church') is found in Scots , Scottish English , Ulster-Scots and some English dialects , attested as

204-537: A Lord High Commissioner unless they choose to attend in person; the role is purely formal, and the monarch has no right to take part in deliberations. The church 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 church played a leading role in providing universal education in Scotland (the first such provision in

306-482: A proper noun , the Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland , the country's national church and this term is frequently used in the media, in everyday speech and in the church's own literature. The Kirk of Scotland was in official use as the name of the Church of Scotland until the 17th century. Kirk Session is still the standard term in church law for the court of elders in the local congregation, both in

408-557: A GA in May 2021, a draft plan might still be being considered by commissioners prior to being shared with all presbyteries for their consideration under the Church of Scotland's Barrier Act 1697 and being brought back to a future General Assembly. On 23 May 2022 the GA voted in favour of same-sex marriage with 274 for and 136 against. Clergy will be allowed to conduct the marriages but will not be forced to. Many church congregations and clergy affirm

510-613: A Germanic feminine). Whereas church displays Old English palatalisation , kirk is a loanword from Old Norse and thus retains the original mainland Germanic consonants. Compare cognates : Icelandic & Faroese kirkja ; Swedish kyrka (where the first ‘k’ was later palatalized as well); Norwegian ( Nynorsk ) kyrkje ; Danish and Norwegian ( Bokmål ) kirke ; Dutch and Afrikaans kerk ; German Kirche (reflecting palatalization before unstressed front vowel); West Frisian tsjerke ; and borrowed into non-Germanic languages Estonian kirik and Finnish kirkko . As

612-528: A division in their liturgical practices, for example, high church Presbyterianism and high church Methodism , and within Lutheranism there is a historic high church and low church distinction comparable with Anglicanism (see Neo-Lutheranism and Pietism ). High church is a back-formation from "high churchman", a label used in the 17th and early 18th centuries to describe opponents of religious toleration , with "high" meaning "extreme". As

714-540: A full panel of bishops and archbishops. General Assemblies met only at times and places approved by the Crown. Charles I inherited a settlement in Scotland based on a balanced compromise between Calvinist doctrine and episcopal practice. Lacking his father's political judgment, 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

816-622: A new grouping of congregations within the church was begun "to declare their clear commitment to historic Christian orthodoxy", known as the Fellowship of Confessing Churches . In May 2011, the GA of the Church of Scotland voted to appoint a theological commission with a view to fully investigating the matter, reporting to the General Assembly of 2013. Meanwhile, openly homosexual ministers ordained before 2009 would be allowed to keep their posts without fear of sanction. On 20 May 2013,

918-586: A noun from the 14th century onwards, but as an element in placenames much earlier. Both words, kirk and church , derive from the Koine Greek κυριακόν (δωμα) (kyriakon (dōma)) meaning Lord's (house) , which was borrowed into the Germanic languages in late antiquity, possibly in the course of the Gothic missions . (Only a connection with the idiosyncrasies of Gothic explains how a Greek neuter noun became

1020-581: A part of spoken Gaelic in the Highlands or Ireland. When the element appears in placenames of the former British empire, a distinction can be made between those where the element is productive ( named after a church) or transferred – from a place in Britain. Kirkland , a city in the United States, is an exception, being named after the surname of an English settler, Peter Kirk . The element kirk

1122-509: A privileged claim for possession of a particular territory". The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities sharply criticised the report, describing it as follows: "It reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism. It is biased, weak on sources, and contradictory. The picture it paints of both Judaism and Israel is barely even a caricature. The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology

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1224-508: A surname. Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( CoS ; Scots : The Kirk o Scotland ; Scottish Gaelic : Eaglais na h-Alba ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland . It is one of the country's largest, having 259,200 members in 2023. While active membership in the church has declined significantly in recent decades (in 1982 it had nearly 920,000 members),

1326-516: A third of the Auld Kirk of Scotland left to form the Free Kirk. The Free Kirkers, who had sometimes given up homes as well as church buildings and started financially from scratch, were taunted with the rhyme: “ The Free Kirk, the wee Kirk, the Kirk without the steeple ”. This rhyme linking the Free Kirk with the derogatory diminutive "wee" was offensive, and a reply was devised in: The Auld Kirk,

1428-802: Is anti-abortion , stating that it should be allowed "only on grounds that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve serious risk to the life or grave injury to the health, whether physical or mental, of the pregnant woman." The Church of Scotland also opposes euthanasia : "The General Assembly has consistently stated that: 'the Christian recognises no right to dispose of his own life even although he may regard those who commit or may attempt to commit suicide with compassion and understanding rather than condemnation'. The church has frequently stressed its opposition to various attempts to introduce legislation to permit euthanasia, even under strictly controlled circumstances as incompatible with Christianity." The church

1530-581: Is Sir Robert Inglis MP. Only with the success of the Oxford Movement and its increasing emphases on ritualistic revival from the mid-19th century onward, did the term High Church begin to mean something approaching the later term Anglo-Catholic . Even then, it was only employed coterminously in contrast to the Low churchmanship of the Evangelical position. This sought, once again, to lessen

1632-604: Is a member of Churches Together in England . The Church of Scotland continues to foster relationships with other Presbyterian denominations in Scotland even where agreement is difficult. In May 2016 the Church of Scotland ratified the Columba Agreement (approved by the Church of England's General Synod in February 2016), calling for the two churches to work more closely together on matters of common interest. In 2022,

1734-561: Is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches . The annual meeting of the church's general assembly is chaired by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . According to traditional Scottish historiography, the first Christians in Scotland were converted by Saint Ninian around 400 AD. Early Christian missionaries included Saint Columba , who founded a mission at Iona two centuries later. In 1192,

1836-548: Is also used in anglicisations of continental European place names, originally formed from one of the continental Germanic cognates. Dunkirk ( French Flanders ) is a rendering of Dutch West-Flemish dialect of Duunkerke or standard Dutch form of Duinkerke . Kirk is also in use as both a surname and a male forename. For lists of these, see Kirk (surname) and Kirk (given name) , and also Kirkby (disambiguation) . Parallels in other languages are far rarer than with placenames, but English Church and German Kirch can also be

1938-467: Is associated with the Care Not Killing organisation in "Promoting more and better palliative care./ Ensuring that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed during the lifetime of the current Parliament./ Influencing the balance of public opinion further against any weakening of the law." Historically, the Church of Scotland supported the death penalty;

2040-542: 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

2142-716: Is breathtaking." The report was also criticised by the Anti-Defamation League and the Israeli envoy to the United Kingdom. In response to criticism, the church quickly replaced the original version with a modified one, stating that criticism of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians "should not be misunderstood as questioning the right of the State of Israel to exist". The Church of Scotland

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2244-410: Is expected to make the public profession of faith as part of a confirmation ceremony. 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

2346-489: Is intrinsically traditional . High church nonetheless includes many bishops, other clergy and adherents sympathetic to mainstream modern consensus across reformed Christianity that, according to official Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian teachings, are anathema (see the ordination of women and to varying degrees abortion ). The term high church has also been applied to elements of Protestant churches within which individual congregations or ministers display

2448-647: The Anglican Communion . The first court of Presbyterian polity where the Elders of a particular congregation gather as a Session or meeting to govern the spiritual and temporal affairs of the church. The verb to kirk , meaning 'to present in church', was probably first used for the annual church services of some Scottish town councils, known as the Kirking of the Council . Since the re-establishment of

2550-523: The Calvinist tradition) and is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches . The Church of Scotland is a member of ACTS ( Action of Churches Together in Scotland ) and, through its Committee on Ecumenical Relations, works closely with other denominations in Scotland. The present inter-denominational co-operation marks a distinct change from attitudes in certain quarters of the church in

2652-509: The County of Swansea 's assize sermon on 18 April 1710 ( The right way to honour and happiness ), during which he complained of the "rapid growth of deist, freethinking and anti-trinitarian views." The targets of Hancorne's wrath were "irreligion, profaneness and immorality", as well as the "curious, inquisitive sceptics" and the "sin-sick tottering nation". Later, he engaged in a campaign to reassert tithe rights. Eventually, under Queen Anne ,

2754-639: The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (which emerged from a split in the Free Church of Scotland in 2000). 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 . In 2023, the Church of Scotland published a report which detailed its connections to the Atlantic slave trade . It noted that from 1707 to

2856-520: The Good News that God still loves us and has shown His love uniquely in His Son , Jesus Christ. He lived among us and died on the cross to save us from our sin . But God raised Him from the dead ! In His love, this living Jesus invites us to turn from our sins and enter by faith into a restored relationship with God Who gives true life before and beyond death . Then, with the power of

2958-519: The High Kirk of Glasgow , and St. Giles' Cathedral , as well as the High Kirk of Edinburgh . The term "High Kirk", however, should be used with some caution. Several towns have a congregation known as the High Kirk that were never pre-Reformation cathedrals. Examples include: There is no connection between the term 'High Kirk' and the term ' High Church ', which is a type of Churchmanship within

3060-615: The Holy Spirit remaking us like Jesus, we—with all Christians— worship God, enjoy His friendship and are available for Him to use in sharing and showing His love, justice, and peace locally and globally until Jesus returns ! In Jesus' name we gladly share with you God's message for all people—You matter to God! It was approved for use by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 1992. The national church has never shied from involvement in Scottish politics . In 1919,

3162-570: The Jacobites , the adherents of the excluded dynasts, to regain the English and Scottish thrones, led to a sharpening of anti-Catholic rhetoric in Britain and a distancing of the High Church party from the more ritualistic aspects of Caroline High churchmanship, which were often associated with the schismatic Non-Jurors . Thomas Hancorne , a Welsh clergyman prominent in jacobite circles, gave

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3264-563: The Labour Party and greater decision-making liberty for the church's convocations. From the mid-19th century onward, the term High Church generally became associated with a more Anglo-Catholic , while the Latitudinarians were referred to as being Broad Church and the re-emergent evangelical party was dubbed Low Church . However, high church can still refer to Anglicans of the pre-Oxford movement High Church , who hold

3366-630: The National Covenant was signed by large numbers of Scots, protesting 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

3468-707: The Papal bull Cum universi separated the Scottish church from the Archbishopric of York , creating an independent national church with no higher authority except the Pope. The Church of Scotland, in its current form, traces its origins to 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

3570-617: The Presbyterian tradition of Reformed Christianity (Calvinism), having no head of faith or leadership group and believing that God invited the church's adherents to worship Jesus . The Church of Scotland celebrates two sacraments , Baptism and the Lord's Supper , as well as five other ordinances , such as Confirmation and Matrimony . The church adheres to the Bible and the Westminster Confession of Faith and

3672-533: The Puritans began demanding that the English Church abandon some of its traditional liturgical emphases, episcopal structures, parish ornaments and the like, the high church position also came to be distinguished increasingly from that of the Latitudinarians , also known as those promoting a broad church, who sought to minimise the differences between Anglicanism and Reformed Christianity, and to make

3774-620: 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

3876-755: The Restoration . Episcopacy was reintroduced to Scotland after the Restoration, which caused considerable discontent, especially in the country's southwest, 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 III of England and Mary II of England while James VII lived. To reduce their influence,

3978-746: The Scottish Parliament in 1997. Indeed, from 1999 to 2004 the Parliament met in the church's Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, while its own building was being constructed. The Church of Scotland supports the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office in Edinburgh, an ecumenical partnership which is staffed and resourced by the Church. Since 1968, all ministries and offices in the church have been open to women and men on an equal basis. In 2004, Alison Elliot

4080-927: The Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Kirking of the Parliament has become a fixed ceremony at the beginning of a session. Historically a newly married couple would attend public worship as husband and wife for the first time at their kirking. In Nova Scotia, Kirking of the Tartan ceremonies have become an integral part of most Scottish Festivals and Highland Games. Kirk is found mainly as an element in many placenames of Scotland , England and countries of large British expatriate communities. Scottish examples include Falkirk , Kirkwall and numerous Kirkhills and Kirktons . Examples in England are Ormskirk and Kirkby in Lancashire, and Kirkstall , Kirklees and Kirklevington in Yorkshire. Newkirk, Oklahoma state of

4182-790: 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

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4284-472: 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. The UK Parliament passed the Church of Scotland Act 1921 , finally recognising

4386-474: The 1830s, Church of Scotland ministers and elders inherited wealth from familial relatives which were made on West Indian slave plantations and numerous church buildings (including Glasgow Cathedral ) contain memorials to and accepted donations from individuals who profited from slavery. The report also noted that enslaved Black people were used to build Church of Scotland churches in the West Indies, and

4488-411: 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. However, by 2013 only 18% of Scots self-identified as Church of Scotland. Though according to the 2014 Scottish Annual Household Survey, 27.8%, or 1.5 million adherents, identified the Church of Scotland as

4590-605: The Anglican gentry felt the need to re-entrench the re-Anglicanised Church of England as one of the most important elements of the Restoration Settlement through a renewed and strengthened alliance between Throne and Altar, or Church and State. Reverence for martyrdom of the Stuart king Charles I as an upholder of his Coronation Oath to protect the Church of England became a hallmark of High Church orthodoxy. At

4692-621: The Bible , by Anglicans and other Protestants alike in the English-speaking world, is a reflection of the success of this endeavour at cooperation. During the reign of King Charles I , however, as divisions between Puritan and Anglican elements within the Church of England became more bitter, and Protestant Nonconformity outside the Church grew stronger in numbers and more vociferous, the High Church position became associated with

4794-457: The Bible supports an essentially Jewish state of Israel. This raises an increasing number of difficulties and current Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians have sharpened this questioning", and that "promises about the Land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally". The church responded to criticism by saying that "The Church has never and is not now denying Israel's right to exist; on

4896-402: The British throne. The subsequent split over office-holders' oaths of allegiance to the Crown and the Royal Succession, which led to the exclusion of the Non-Juror bishops who refused to recognise the 1688 de facto abdication of the King, and the accession of King William III and Queen Mary II , and did much to damage the unity of High Church party. Later events surrounding the attempts of

4998-443: The Church in England, and dry faith, which was accompanied by an austere but decorous mode of worship, as reflective of their idea of an orderly and dignified churchmanship against the rantings of the low churchmen that their Cavalier ancestors had defeated. Over time, their High Church position had become ossified among a remnant of bookish churchmen and country squires. An example of an early 19th-century churchman of this tradition

5100-416: The Church of Scotland and in any of the other Scottish Presbyterian denominations. Even more commonly, The Free Kirk is heard as an informal name for the Free Church of Scotland , the remnant of an evangelical presbyterian church formed in 1843 when its founders withdrew from the Church of Scotland. See: A pair of rhyming jibes remain from the time of the heated split of the Disruption in 1843, when about

5202-403: The Church of Scotland and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland agreed a declaration of friendship between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church. While the Bible is the basis of faith of the Church of Scotland, and the Westminster Confession of Faith is the subordinate standard, a request was presented to a General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for a statement explaining

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5304-488: The GA voted in favour of a proposal that allowed liberal parishes to opt out of the church's policy on homosexuality. Since 2008, 25 out of 808 (3%) ministers had left over the issue. It was reported that seceding congregations had a combined annual income of £1 million. In 2015, the Church of Scotland's GA voted in favour of recommending that gay ministers be able to enter into same-sex marriages. and allowing pastors to enter in same-sex civil partnerships. On 21 May 2016,

5406-443: The GA voted in favour of the approval for gay and lesbian ministers to enter into same-sex marriages. In 2017, there was a report to be debated at the church's General Assembly in May that proposed "having a church committee research allowing nominated ministers and deacons to carry out the ceremonies, but...to retain the ability for 'contentious refusal' from those opposed to same-sex marriage." A Theological Forum report calling for

5508-406: 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. The Church of Scotland is a firm opponent of nuclear weaponry . Supporting devolution , it was one of the parties involved in the Scottish Constitutional Convention , which resulted in the setting up of

5610-494: The General Assembly once called for the "vigorous execution" of Thomas Aikenhead , who was found guilty of blasphemy in 1696. Nowadays, the church strongly disapproves of the death penalty: "The Church of Scotland affirms that capital punishment is always and wholly unacceptable and does not provide an answer even to the most heinous of crimes. It commits itself to working with other churches and agencies to advance this understanding, oppose death sentences and executions and promote

5712-455: The General Assembly voted in favour of permitting the church's clergy to conduct same-sex marriages. In May 2009, there was opposition to an attempt to install as minister an openly homosexual man who intended to live with his partner once appointed to his post. In a landmark decision on 23 May 2009 the General Assembly (GA) ratified by 326 to 267 the appointment of Scott Rennie , the church's first out, non-celibate gay minister. Rennie had won

5814-488: The High Church party saw its fortunes revive with those of the Tory party, with which it was then strongly associated. However, under the early Hanoverians , both the High Church and Tory parties were once again out of favour. This led to an increasing marginalisation of High Church and Tory viewpoints, as much of the 18th century was given over to the rule of the Whig party and the aristocratic families who were in large measure pragmatic latitudinarians in churchmanship. This

5916-454: The Lord and Lady Polwarth children's home. 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). (The 19th century Scottish distinction

6018-422: The Scots Parliament guaranteed Presbyterian governance of the church by law, excluding what became the Scottish Episcopal Church . Most of the remaining Covenanters disagreed 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

6120-465: The Scottish population. The Scottish Church Census of 2016 reported that just under 137,000 people worshipped on an average Sunday in a Church of Scotland, approximately 41% of the stated membership. However, according to the 2024 Assembly Trustees Report, only 61,580 were attending an average Sunday worship service in person during 2023. In 2016 the church faced a £5.7 million deficit amid costly upkeep of many older ecclesiastical buildings. In response

6222-442: The United States, is another example. The element only found in place names of Anglo-Saxon origin but also in Anglo-Gaelic Southern Scottish names such as Kirkcudbright , a place around a Cudbright church. Here, the Gaelic element cil- (coming from a monk's cell) might have been expected to go with the Gaelic form of Cuthbert . The reason appears to be that kirk was borrowed into local Galwegian , it does not seem to have been

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6324-400: The approval of same-sex marriage, and an apology to homosexuals for past mistreatment was approved by the General Assembly on 25 May 2017. In 2018, the church's assembly voted in favour of drafting a new church law to allow same-sex marriages and to give ministers the option of performing same-sex marriages. The church was expected to vote on a final poll in 2021 but, after being considered at

6426-438: 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

6528-410: 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. The typical Church of Scotland service lasts about an hour. There is normally no sung or responsive liturgy, but worship is the responsibility of

6630-470: The cauld Kirk. The Kirk wi’out the people . High Kirk is the term sometimes used to describe a congregation of the Church of Scotland that uses a building that had been a cathedral prior to the Reformation . As the Church of Scotland is not governed by bishops , it has no cathedrals in the episcopal sense of the word. In more recent times, the traditional names have been revived, so that in many cases both forms can be heard: Glasgow Cathedral , as well as

6732-416: The cause of abolition of the death penalty worldwide." The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament, and thus not binding forever, and has no moral objection to the remarriage of divorced persons. The minister who is asked to perform a ceremony for someone who has a prior spouse living may inquire for the purpose of ensuring that the problems which led to the divorce do not recur. At

6834-407: The church as inclusive as possible by opening its doors as widely as possible to admit other Christian viewpoints. Over time several of the leading lights of the Oxford Movement became Roman Catholics, following the path of John Henry Newman , one of the fathers of the Oxford Movement and, for a time, a high churchman himself. A lifelong High Churchman, the Reverend Edward Bouverie Pusey remained

6936-449: 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). Since 2014, the number of full-time candidates accepted into training each year has been in

7038-482: The church distributed money made from slavery to Scottish parishes to fund philanthropic efforts that assisted Scotland's poor. It ended by recommending to the General Assembly that "a statement of acknowledgment and apology should be brought to a future General Assembly and a dedicated page about the Church’s connections to the slave trade should be created for its website." In 2019, the Church of Scotland paid £1 million in damages to three siblings who had been abused at

7140-415: The church enjoys complete independence from the state in spiritual matters. When in Scotland, the British monarch simply attends church, as opposed to their role in the English Church as Supreme Governor . The monarch's accession oath includes a promise to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government". They are formally represented at the annual General Assembly by

7242-401: The church of their religion. In 2019, according to the Scottish Household Survey, 20% of Scots self-reported themselves as adherents of the Church of Scotland. The Church of Scotland Guild , the church'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

7344-407: 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. By December 2022 the Church had 270,300 members, a 4.7% decline from 2021, and representing an overall decline of 35% since 2012. This lack of those in training towards ministry has threatened the viability of

7446-558: The church's theological training colleges. 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 . High Church Because of its history,

7548-537: The church, 96% were white Scots, 3% were other white people, and 1% were from other ethnic groups; this broadly reflects Scotland's demographic make-up. Although it is the national church, it is not a state church ; this and other regards makes it dissimilar to the Church of England (the established church in England). Under its constitution (recognised by the 1921 act of the British Parliament ),

7650-402: The complete 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 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5 . c. 33), the church 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

7752-598: The contrary, it is questioning the policies that continue to keep peace a dream in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This report is against the injustices levelled against the Palestinian people and how land is shared. It is also a reflection of the use or misuse of scripture to claim divine right to land by any group" and says it must "refute claims that scripture offers any peoples

7854-692: The early twentieth century and before, when opposition to Irish Roman Catholic immigration was vocal (see Catholicism in Scotland ). The Church of Scotland is a member of the World Council of Churches , the Conference of European Churches , the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe , and the World Communion of Reformed Churches . The Church of Scotland is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and, through its Presbytery of England,

7956-468: The full inclusion of transgender and other LGBTI people within the church through Affirmation Scotland . In April 2013, the church published a report entitled "The Inheritance of Abraham: A Report on the 'Promised' Land" which included a discussion of Israeli and Jewish claims to the Land of Israel . The report said "there has been a widespread assumption by many Christians as well as many Jewish people that

8058-400: The government Scottish Household Survey found that 20% of the Scottish population, or over one million people, identified the Church of Scotland as their religious identity in 2019. The Church of Scotland's governing system is presbyterian in its approach, therefore, no one individual or group within the church has more or less influence over church matters. There is no one person who acts as

8160-593: The head of faith, as the church believes that role is the "Lord God's". As a proper noun , the Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland used in the media and by the church itself. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox in the Reformation of 1560 when it split from the Catholic Church and established itself as a church in the Reformed tradition. The church belongs to

8262-451: The historic Christian faith in jargon -free non-theological language. "God's Invitation" was prepared to fulfil that request. The full statement reads: God made the world and all its creatures with men and women made in His image . By breaking His laws people have broken contact with God, and damaged His good world. This we see and sense in the world and in ourselves. The Bible tells us

8364-693: The kind of liturgical practice in use in England. The centrepiece of this new strategy was the Scottish Prayer Book of 1637 , a slightly modified version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer . Although a panel of Scottish bishops devised this, Charles's insistence that it be drawn up secretly 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,

8466-496: The leadership of the High Church Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud , (see Laudianism ), and government policy to curtail the growth of Protestant Dissent in England and the other possessions of the Crown. See, for example, the attempt to reimpose episcopacy on the Church of Scotland , a policy that was 'successful' until the reign of William and Mary, when the office of bishop was discontinued except among

8568-465: 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. 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

8670-532: 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

8772-469: 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, reducing further to 446,000 in 2010 380,164 by 2014, 336,000 by 2017, and 325,695 by 2018, representing about 6% of

8874-637: 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, however, believed that presbyterianism

8976-489: The overwhelming support of his prospective church members at Queen's Cross, Aberdeen, but his appointment was in some doubt until extensive debate and this vote by the commissioners to the assembly. The GA later agreed upon a moratorium on the appointment of further non-celibate gay people until after a special commission has reported on the matter. (See: LGBT clergy in Christianity .) As a result of these developments,

9078-674: The principles of John Calvin , which Knox had been exposed to while living in Geneva , Switzerland. 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

9180-460: 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). By 2021 membership was continuing to decline year on year, leading to a new plan "without which

9282-614: The reign of King James I , there were attempts to diminish the growth of party feeling within the Church of England, and indeed to reconcile to the Church moderate Puritans who did not already conform to the Established Church or who had left the Church in recent years. The project to create the Authorized Version of the Bible was one such attempt at reconciliation. The continued use of the King James version of

9384-561: The same time, the Stuart dynasty was expected to maintain its adherence to Anglicanism. This became an important issue for the High Church party and it was to disturb the Restoration Settlement under Charles II's brother, King James II, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and lead to setbacks for the High Church party. These events culminated in the Glorious Revolution and the exclusion of the Catholic Stuarts from

9486-677: The separation of Anglicans (the Established Church) from the majority of Protestant Nonconformists , who by this time included the Methodists as well as adherents of older Protestant denominations like Baptists , Congregationalists , and Presbyterians known by the group term Old Dissent . In contrast to the Old High Church's alliance with the Tories , Anglo-Catholicism became increasingly associated with socialism ,

9588-610: The small minority of Scots who belonged to the Scottish Episcopal Church. In the wake of the disestablishment of Anglicanism and the persecution of Anglican beliefs and practices under the Commonwealth , the return of the Anglican party to power in the Cavalier Parliament saw a strong revival of the High Church position in the English body politic. Victorious after a generation of struggle,

9690-657: The spiritual father of the Oxford Movement who remained a priest in the Church of England. To a lesser extent, looking back from the 19th century, the term high church also came to be associated with the beliefs of the Caroline divines and with the pietistic emphases of the period, practised by the Little Gidding community , such as fasting and lengthy preparations before receiving the Eucharist . During

9792-638: The term high church also refers to aspects of Anglicanism quite distinct from the Oxford Movement or Anglo-Catholicism. There remain parishes that are high church and yet adhere closely to the quintessentially Anglican usages and liturgical practices of the Book of Common Prayer . These are now referred to as Centre Church . High church Anglicanism tends to be closer than low church to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teachings and spirituality; its hallmarks are relatively elaborate music, altarpieces , and clergy vestments and an emphasis on sacraments . It

9894-436: 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. 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. Official membership is down some 66.5% from its peak in 1957 of 1.32 million. In

9996-614: Was also the Age of Reason , which marked a period of great spiritual somnolence and stultification in the Church of England. Thus, by the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, those liturgical practices prevalent even in High Church circles were not of the same tenor as those later found under the Catholic revival of the 19th century. High Church clergy and laity were often termed high and dry , in reference to their traditional high attitude with regard to political position of

10098-409: 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

10200-441: Was chosen to be Moderator of the General Assembly, the first woman in the post and the first non-minister to be chosen since George Buchanan , four centuries before. In May 2007 Sheilagh M. Kesting became the first female minister to be Moderator. There are currently 218 serving female ministers, with 677 male ministers. The Church of Scotland allows its clergy to enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships. In May 2022,

10302-405: Was incompatible with monarchy, declaring "No bishop, no king". By skillful manipulation of both church and state, steadily reintroduced parliamentary and then diocesan episcopacy ; this approximately mirrored the structure of the Church of England , of which James had become Supreme Governor when he succeeded to the English throne in 1603 . By the time he died in 1625, the Church of Scotland had

10404-542: Was then established on a Presbyterian basis. Charles' attempt to resist these developments led to 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

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