The Congregational Union of Scotland was a

Protestant church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

in the

Reformed tradition Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

. The union was established in 1812, by 53 churches in Scotland. Its aim was to conduct missions in Scotland, and to support the existing Congregational churches. Much of the impetus for its formation came from

Greville Ewing Greville Ewing (1767–1841), was a Scottish congregational minister of the Church of Scotland. Career Ewing, the son of Alexander Ewing, a teacher of mathematics, was born in 1767 at Edinburgh, and lived on the Cowgate, south of Canongate, the ...

, who formed numerous congregations, and also the Glasgow Theological Academy. The union grew rapidly, with 72 member churches by 1824, and more than one hundred by the end of the decade. In 1841, James Morison of the

United Secession Church The United Secession Church (or properly the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. The First Secession from the established Church of Scotland had been in 1732, and the resultant "Associate Pre ...

was accused of Arminianism, and was expelled. In 1843, he led four United Secession churches in forming the new Evangelical Union. Two years later, this was joined by nine Congregational Union churches who supported John Kirk. Initially strongly

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

, the Evangelical Union moved away from this, and focused its activity on promoting

abstentionism Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in ...

. By 1896, it had 98 member churches, and it decided to rejoin the Congregational Union. The Congregational Union first discussed a possible merger with the

Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating independently ...

in 1929, but it ultimately preferred to remain independent. It was a founder member of the Scottish Churches Council, and later supplied the secretary of the multilateral church conventions which ran from the 1960s to the 1990s. The church also played a leading role in Christian Aid Scotland. In 1928, the Congregational Union appointed the first woman minister of any Scottish church, Vera Finlay. In 2000, the union merged into the

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

, with a minority of churches dissenting and instead joining the

Congregational Federation The Congregational Federation is a small Christian denomination in Great Britain comprising 235 congregations, down from 294 in April 2014. The Federation brings together Congregational churches, and provides support and guidance to member church ...

.{{cite book , title=The Cambridge History of Christianity , volume=9 , date=2006 , publisher=Cambridge University Press , location=Cambridge , isbn=0521815002 , page=64

References

Congregationalism in Scotland History of Christianity in Scotland Congregational organizations established in the 19th century 1812 establishments in Scotland 2000 disestablishments in Scotland