The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland ( gd, An Eaglais Shaor Chlèireach, ) was formed in 1893. The Church identifies itself as the spiritual descendant of the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...

. The Church web-site states that it is 'the constitutional heir of the historic Church of Scotland'. Its adherents are occasionally referred to as Seceders or the Wee Wee Frees. Although small, the church has congregations on five continents. The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland is

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 ...

in doctrine, worship and practice and the community believes and professes that it accurately practices and adheres to the Word of God: the Bible. The '' subordinate standard'' of the church is the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" ...

History

In 1892 the Free Church of Scotland, following the example of the

United Presbyterian Church of Scotland The United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. It was formed in 1847 by the union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church, and in 1900 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the Uni ...

and the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

(1889), passed a Declaratory Act relaxing the stringency of subscription to the

, which was widely perceived as paving the way for unification with the United Presbyterian Church. This was met by a protest from Rev

Donald Macfarlane Rev. Donald Macfarlane (1834–1926) was the founding father of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It began as a separate denomination when he tabled a Protest against the Declaratory Act at 25 May 1893 meeting of the General Assembly of th ...

(1834-1926) of

Kilmallie Kilmallie ( gd, Cill Mhàilidh) is a civil parish in Lochaber, in the west highlands of Scotland. It is centered on the village of Caol, near Fort William and extends to Banavie and Corpach. It gives its name to the local shinty club, Kilmallie Sh ...

(later of

Raasay Raasay (; gd, Ratharsair) or the Isle of Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound. It is famous for being the birt ...

and

Dingwall Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...

), who was later joined by one other minister, the Rev Donald Macdonald (1825–1901) of

Shieldaig Shieldaig ( gd, Sìldeag; on, síld- vík, lit= herring bay)W. J. Watson''Place-names of Ross and Cromarty'' 1904, p. 208. is a village in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. Geography ...

. The result was that a large number of elders and some congregations, mostly in the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

, severed their connection with the Free Church of Scotland and formed the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, along lines they considered to be more orthodox. By 1907 this body had twenty congregations and twelve ministers. A few years after the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (FPC Church) was formed (in 1900), the Free Church of Scotland did indeed unite with the

to form the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

, with a somewhat larger minority remaining outside the union and retaining the name Free Church of Scotland. Initially, some wondered if the two churches would merge, but this did not happen, partly because the grounds on which the later separation was based had been the Establishment Principle, rather than the Declaratory Act, which had only been rescinded post separation by the

Free Church of Scotland (post 1900) The Free Church of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Eaglais Shaor'', ) is an evangelical, Calvinist denomination in Scotland. It was historically part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside the union with the United P ...

. The two denominations took a different view of the 1892 Declaratory Act: the Free Church of Scotland did not regard it as having been a binding measure while the Free Presbyterians did. In 1905, the Free Presbyterian Synod debated proposals for union with the post-1900 Free Church minority. The Synod declared that it would consider union with a church which held ‘the infallibility and inerrancy of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and the whole doctrine of the Confession of Faith, both in her profession and practice’. The Synod's assessment of the post-1900 Free Church was that ‘although she made ample profession in words’ nevertheless she ‘came far behind in her practice’. One major issue was the Free Church's employment of Professor W. M. Alexander, who had written a book which the FPs and some post-1900 Free Church conservatives believed to be ambiguous about the status of the Bible, as a lecturer in its college. A 1917 Free Church Reply to a FPC Statement of Differences stated underlined the fact that Dr Alexander had in 1905 withdrawn the book from circulation, expressed regret 'for any reflections which the book was fitted to cast on the infallibility of the Word of God' and in 1906 publicly reaffirmed his belief in the inerrancy of Scripture in these words: 'I cherish as more precious than life itself the absolute infallibility of the Word of God'. However a motion was carried at the 1918 FPC Synod which characterized the Reply as containing 'evasive statements and suggestions of compromise'. Some of the Free Presbyterian ministers preferred union with the post-1900 Free Church minority to maintaining a separate Free Presbyterian witness. In 1905 Revs John Macleod (Kames), Alexander Stewart (Edinburgh) and George Mackay ( Stornoway) were accepted by the Free Church. In 1918, Revs John R Mackay (Inverness), Alexander Macrae (Portree) and Andrew Sutherland followed suit. Free Presbyterian Church communion token obverse

Free Presbyterian Church communion token obverse

The two denominations are often confused, though not as often as in the past: they were initially of a predominantly Highland background, continue to share support for the Westminster Confession of Faith, and express a socially conservative outlook. However, the Free Presbyterian Church considers it a

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

to use public transport to go to church on the Sabbath, while the Free Church does not. The Free Church permits the use of modern

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

translations, while the Free Presbyterian Church prescribes the exclusive use of the

Authorized Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

in public worship (by resolution of the Synod in 1961), and as the only version recommended for use in family and private devotions.

Split in 1989

In 1989, a splinter group formed the

Associated Presbyterian Churches The Associated Presbyterian Churches (APC) is a Scottish Calvinist fundamentalist denomination (with a congregation in Canada), formed in 1989 from part of the community of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. History The division occu ...

"following the perceived failure of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland to put into practice chapters 20 and 26 of the Westminster Confession of Faith", following the suspension of Lord Advocate

Lord Mackay of Clashfern James Peter Hymers Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern, (born 2 July 1927) is a British advocate. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord Advocate, and Lord Chancellor (1987–1997). He is a former active member of the House of Lo ...

as an elder for attending the Roman Catholic

Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

es offered for two of his deceased fellow judges. The Moderator of Synod at the time was a minister from

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, the late Aaron Ndebele, an

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages * Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language Northern ...

. The FPC continues to oppose many aspects of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, including

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, and has protested from time to time against figures in positions of authority and the British Royal Family attending Mass. It wrote to Prince Charles to complain of his presence at a

requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

for one of his cousins in 2013. The church maintains that the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

is the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

Disunity in the Scottish Reformed church scene

The Free Presbyterians believe that the denominations in Scotland adhering to the Westminster Confession of Faith should unite with it after repentance over historical retreat from the Confession. The FPC Catechism (the 2013 edition is an updated version of the original 1942-1943 edition) says: 'All Presbyterian Churches in Scotland claiming to represent the Reformed Church and who have caused or who maintain schisms contrary to the avowed Westminster Standards are bound to repent and to return to purity in doctrine, worship, government and discipline. The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland is not guilty of schism and claims to be the true heir of the Reformed Church of Scotland in doctrine, worship, government and discipline. While she certainly does not claim perfection, she maintains that all churches in Scotland should unite around her constitution and testimony'.

Recent developments

Church extension work tends to be low-key and results to be measured in the long-term in the Free Presbyterian Church. It stresses the need for the Holy Spirit to work in the soul before any spiritual life will be present, the need for the church to provide Bible-based and Christ-focused preaching, emphasizes the need for a holy life by those who claim conversion, and encourages example as well as precept in evangelism. It has not emulated other evangelical churches in their approach to reaching the secular UK. Its Catechism explains: 'Many modern churches have drama, dancing, and music bands in their worship and use sport and social entertainment to attract and retain young people; but these things are of the world and should not be countenanced by the Church of Christ for promoting the interests of the kingdom'. Public pronouncements about the current state of the nation tend to combine concern about Free Presbyterian spiritual decline with fears of increased secularization of other Reformed churches. A recent report to the FP Religion and Morals Committee quoted from a FP Outer Isles presbytery report, but said the issues were relevant for many other parts of the country. 'We must acknowledge the low state of religion among ourselves' it said, adding of other denominations: '...we find that many professing Christians in the Churches are actively encouraged to continue their former worldly interest in professional and amateur sport, worldly music, entertainments such as the cinema, dances, use of public houses, concerts and ceilidhs, and that many speak and dress like the world with little distinction to be found between them and their former companions'.

Moderators of Synod

Unlike the Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland, the annual meeting to consider the progress and direction of the church is called a Synod rather than a General Assembly. Synods are not in any particular fixed months (and may occur more than once per year) and ministers may serve as Moderator more than once. Known Moderators are: * Alexander MacColl MacRae (1896) * George Mackay (1899) *

Neil MacIntyre Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

(1902) * John Robertson (1902) * John Robertson (1903) * John Macleod (1904) * John Macleod (1905) * Donald Beaton (1905) * Ewen MacQueen (1907) *

John Robertson Mackay John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1907) *

(1908) * Neil Cameron (1908) * Neil Cameron (1909) *

(1912) * Andrew Sutherland (1914) *

Alexander MacKay Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(1916) *

(1917) * Murdo Morrison (1918) *

(1920) * Neil Cameron (1921) *

Malcolm Gillies Malcolm George William Gillies Member of the Order of Australia, AM (born 23 December 1954) is an Australian Musicology, musicologist and linguist, who served as vice-chancellor (education), vice-chancellor of City University London, City Unive ...

(1922) *

James Macleod Lieutenant-Colonel James Farquharson Macleod (c. September 25, 1836 – September 5, 1894), born in Drynoch, Isle of Skye, Scotland, was a militia officer, lawyer, North-West Mounted Police officer, magistrate, judge, and politician in Alber ...

(1923) * Donald Alexander Macfarlane (1925) *

(1925) * Donald Malcolm Macdonald (1926) *

Roderick Mackenzie Roderick Alexander Mackenzie OAM (born 17 October 1933) is an Australian politician. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1979 to 1992, representing Geelong Province for the Labor Party (1979–1987) and then as an indepen ...

(1927) * Ewen MacQueen (1928) * John Maclachlan (1929) * Finlay Macleod (1930) * William Grant (1931) * Donald John Matheson (1932) * Ewen MacQueen (1933) * John Tallach (1933) * James Andrew Tallach (1934) *

(1935) *

(1936) * Roderick Macdonald (1937) * Donald Beaton (1938) * John Colquhoun (1939) * Donald Roderick Macdonald (1940) *

(1941) * Archibald Beaton (1942) * John Peter MacQueen (1943) * James Andrew Tallach (1944) * Angus Finlay Mackay (1945) * Donald Alexander Macfarlane (1946) * John Tallach (1947) * Alexander Macaskill (1948) * Malcolm MacSween (1949) * John Angus MacDonald (1950) * Donald John Macaskill (1951) * William Maclean (1952) *

Donald Campbell Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

(1953) *

(1954) * Archibald Beaton (1955) * Fraser MacDonald (1956) * James Andrew Tallach (1957) * Donald MacLean (1958) * William Grant (1959) * Angus Mackay (1961) * John Colquhoun (1962) * Petros Mzamo (1963) (first black Moderator) * Lachlan Macleod (1964) * Donald Malcolm MacLeod (1965) * Angus Cattanach (1966) * Donald Alexander Maclean (1967) * Angus Finlay Mackay (1969) * Robert Ross Sinclair (1970) * Alexander Morrison (1971) * John Angus MacDonald (1972) * Donald Beaton Macleod (1973) *

(1974) *

John Nicolson John MacKenzie Nicolson (born 23 June 1961) is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. Since the 2019 general election he has been the SNP Member of Parliament (MP) for Ochil and South Perthshire. He ...

(1975) * Fraser MacDonald (1976) * Alexander McPherson (1977) * Donald Macleod Campbell (1979) * Angus Mackay (1980) *Donald Nicolson (1981) * Alexander McPherson (1982) * John Macdonald (1983) * Angus Finlay Mackay (1984) * Donald Beaton Macleod (1986) * Samuel Fraser Tallach (1987) * Aaron Ndebele (1988) * Lachlan Macleod (1989) * Donald John Macdonald (1990) * Donald MacLean (1992) * Donald MacLean (1993) * Alexander McPherson (1995) *Kenneth D Macleod (2000) * Donald John Macdonald (2001) *John Goldby (2002) * Hugh MacLean Cartwright (2003) *Roderick MacLeod (2004) *Neil M Ross (2005) *Keith M Watkins (2006) *Donald A Ross (2007) *Wilfred A Weale (2008) *George G Hutton (2009) *Edward A Rayner (2010) *Kenneth D Macleod (2011) *David Campbell (2012) *Neil M Ross (2013) *D Macdonald (2014) *Keith M Watkins (2015) *Douglas W.B Somerset (2016) *John MacLeod (2017) *Allan W MacColl (2018) *

Presbyteries

The individual churches of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland are each part of one of six Presbyteries. Presbyteries meet regularly, and all Presbyteries meet at the yearly Synod in May.

Asia Pacific Presbytery

The Asia Pacific Presbytery covers Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The congregations in Australia are found on the East Coast: one in Grafton (received 1911), and one in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The congregations in New Zealand are all on the North Island:

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, Gisborne (founded 1954),

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, and Carterton. There is one congregation in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

(received 2000).

Northern Presbytery

The Northern Presbytery comprises the congregations Inverness, Dingwall, and Aberdeen among others.

Outer Isles Presbytery

The Outer Isles Presbytery consists of the congregations on the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...

Southern Presbytery

The Southern Presbytery consists of the Scottish congregations South of the Scottish Highlands, and the congregations in England and North America. There is one congregation in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(founded 1898). There is one congregation in Canada, in Chesley, Ontario (founded 1902). In the United States there is one congregation, in Santa Fe, Texas (received 2000).

Western and Skye Presbytery

The Western and Skye Presbytery consists of the Western parts of Scotland including

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

, but also the congregation in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, in the

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

(received 2002).

Zimbabwe Presbytery

services are held in forty locations with their centres in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

, Ingwenya, Mbuma,

New Canaan New Canaan () is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of G ...

and Zenka. The Zimbabwe mission began in 1904.

List of congregations in the UK

References

External links

*
Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in AustraliaFree Presbyterian Church of Scotland in New ZealandTexas Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland
{{Authority control Presbyterianism in Scotland Religious organisations based in Scotland Religious organizations established in 1893 Presbyterian denominations in Scotland Protestant denominations established in the 19th century 1893 establishments in Scotland Anti-Catholicism in Scotland Christian fundamentalism King James Only movement Fundamentalist denominations

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Protestantism in the United Kingdom Presbyterian denominations in Europe Reformed denominations in the United Kingdom