Gilcomston Church is an independent evangelical congregation, which meets in the church buildings on Union Street,
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
. The congregation was formerly part of the Church of Scotland and known as Gilcomston South Church.
Overview
The church almost closed during World War II, but a subsequent new approach proved controversial but ultimately highly influential. The church became one of the Church of Scotland's most notable evangelical congregations, with a strong emphasis on biblically based
expository preaching
Expository preaching, also known as expositional preaching, is a form of preaching that details the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It explains what the Bible means by what it says. Exegesis is technical and grammatical expo ...
. The Rev William Still,
minister of the congregation 1945–97, developed this approach and gained international recognition. The systematic preaching of the entire bible, verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter, was then an innovation in 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 Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
; some others have subsequently copied this approach. The Rev William Still was close friends with the brothers Rev James Philip of
Holyrood Abbey Church in Edinburgh and Rev George Philip of Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, where similar approaches in ministry were also developed. William Still never married.
This
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
church is well attended, especially by students responding to this distinctive type of Christian ministry and witness. From 1998 to 2015, the minister was the Rev Dominic Smart. In June 2011, Rev Dominic Smart indicated that the congregation were considering leaving the Church of Scotland due to the General Assembly's decision to move towards the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry.
[.] In February 2013 the Rev Dominic Smart announced on the church website that he was leaving the Church of Scotland. The Elders and almost the entire membership also left the Church of Scotland, and formed an independent congregation with the Minister. The congregation initially rented the church building from the Church of Scotland before purchasing it outright.
As of Autumn 2016 the minister is Rev. Jeremy R H Middleton, who had been minister at Davidson's Mains Church of Scotland from 1988 until 2015.
Gallery
File:Gilcomston South Church, Aberdeen.jpeg, Gilcomston South Church main building
File:Aberdeen_Gilcomston_church_tower.jpg, The tower of Gilcomston South Church
See also
*
List of Church of Scotland parishes
The Church of Scotland, the national church of Scotland, divides the country into Presbyteries, which in turn are subdivided into Parishes, each served by a parish church, usually with its own minister. Unions and readjustments may however re ...
References
External links
Gilcomston Church
{{coord, 57, 8, 38.3, N, 2, 6, 31.4, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Church of Scotland churches in Scotland
Churches in Aberdeen
Category B listed buildings in Aberdeen
Listed churches in Scotland