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 ...

, the

national church A national church is a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in a draft discussing ...

of Scotland, divides the country into Presbyteries, which in turn are subdivided into

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es, each served by a parish church, usually with its own minister. Unions and readjustments may however result in a parish having more than one building, or several parishes sharing a minister. There are currently 42 presbyteries in Scotland, and around 1500 parishes. In addition, the Church of Scotland has three presbyteries outwith Scotland: the Presbytery of England, the

Presbytery of Europe The International Presbytery (officially, the Presbytery of International Charges) covers the Church of Scotland's congregations in continental Europe, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean. Until 2016 it was called the Presbytery of Europe. In October 2014 ...

and the Presbytery of Jerusalem. These presbyteries have ''"gathered congregations"'' rather than parishes. What follows is a list of Church of Scotland parishes, congregations and places of worship. Use :Church of Scotland for an alphabetical index of parishes with Wikipedia articles. A complete list of parishes with statistical data will be found in the Church of Scotland Yearbook (known as ''the Red Book''). See also

List of Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries The Church of Scotland has a Presbyterian structure, which means it is organised under a hierarchy of courts. Traditionally there were four levels of courts: the Kirk Session (at congregational level), the Presbytery (at local area level), the S ...

. PC stands for Parish Church. * denotes the parish church of a medieval parish (Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Peebles, Ross, Roxburgh, Selkirk, Sutherland, Wigtown) or the successor church to one.

Statistics

In Scotland, at least 275 churches have closed since 1 January 2000, a decline of 15.6% in 21 years.

Most populous charges

¹a ''sui generis'' parish with 3 ministers

Least populous charges

Presbytery of Aberdeen and Shetland

The two presbyteries merged on 1 June 2020. The presbytery website indicates there are 33 congregations, a figure arrived at by counting the Shetland churches as one. On Shetland, one parish is made up of a number of churches. In 2018, there were 31 churches on Shetland; a process is underway by which 20 will be closed and 11 retained. ¹closed 31 December 2020 ²comprises the former parishes of Burra Isle; Delting; Dunrossness; Fetlar; Lerwick & Bressay; Nesting & Lunnasting; Northmavine; Sandsting & Aithsting; Sandwick, Cunningsburgh & Quarff; Tingwall; Unst; Walls & Sandness; Whalsay & Skerries; and Yell.

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Abernethy

Closed churches

Presbytery of Angus

¹formed by the union of the parishes of Airlie, Ruthven, Kingoldrum, Glenisla, Kilry and Lintrathen

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Annandale and Eskdale

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Ardrossan

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Argyll

The Presbyteries of South Argyll, Lorn & Mull, and Dunoon united in 2004. ¹formed by the union of the parishes of Kilarrow, and Kildalton & Oa ²formed by the union of the parishes of Kilchoman & Portnahaven, and Kilmeny ³formed by the union of the parishes of Kilninian & Kilmore; Salen & Ulva; Tobermory; and Torosay & Kinlochspelve

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Ayr

¹To be united in 2021

Closed churches

Presbytery of Buchan

Closed churches

Presbytery of Caithness

¹formed by the union of the parishes of Reay, and Strathy & Halladale ²formed by the union of the parishes of Canisbay, Dunnet, Keiss and Olrig

Closed churches

Presbytery of Clyde

The presbyteries of Greenock and Paisley united to form Greenock & Paisley in 2020; Dumbarton united with Greenock & Paisley in 2020 to form Clyde. ¹includes population of the parish of the recently closed Lochwinnoch church ²to be linked with Stow Brae Kirk in 2021 ³to be united with Kilmacolm St Columba's in 2021 ⁴includes population of the parishes of the recently closed St James's and St Ninian's churches

Closed churches

Presbytery of Dumfries and Kirkcudbright

¹merger of Auchencairn & Rerrick, and Buittle & Kelton

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Dundee

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Dunkeld and Meigle

Closed churches

Presbytery of Duns

¹union of the parishes of Ayton & Burnmouth, Foulden & Mordington, and Grantshouse, Houndwood & Reston ²union of the parishes of Coldstream, Swinton, and Ladykirk & Whitsome ³to be closed 2021 ⁴union of the parishes of Bonkyl & Preston, Duns, Edrom Allanton, and Langton & Lammermuir Kirk

Closed churches

Presbytery of Edinburgh

Closed churches

''Not exhaustive; only churches with a medieval foundation, which have articles or which closed after 2000 are listed.''

Presbytery of Falkirk

Closed churches

Presbytery of Fife

The former presbyteries of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and St Andrews merged in January 2021. ¹union of the parishes of Elie, Kilconquhar and Colinsburgh ²union of... ³union of Abdie & Dunbog, and Newburgh

Closed churches

Presbytery of Glasgow

¹union (?) of Balornock and Barmulloch ²New parish 2020

Closed churches

''Not exhaustive; only churches with a medieval foundation, which have articles or which closed after 2000 are listed.''

Presbytery of Gordon

¹union of the parishes of Lumsden, Strathdon and Towie ²union of the parishes of Alford, Keig, and Tullynessle & Forbes

Closed churches

Presbytery of Hamilton

Closed churches

Presbytery of Inverness

¹previously Inverness West Church; relocated to Inshes 2003

Closed churches

Presbytery of Irvine and Kilmarnock

Closed churches

Presbytery of Jedburgh

¹union of the parishes of Ancrum; Crailing & Eckford; and Lilliesleaf ²union of the parishes of Bedrule, Denholm, and Minton ³union of the parishes of Roxburgh; Makerstoun & Smailholm; and Stichill, Hume & Nenthorn ⁴union of the parishes of Hownam, Linton, Morebattle, and Yetholm

Closed churches

Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside

¹formed by the union of the parishes of Coull, Migvie, Logie Coldstone, and Tarland ²formed by the union of the parishes of Banchory-Devenick, Cookney, and Maryculter ³formed by the union of the parishes of Benholm, Garvock, Johnshaven and St Cyrus ⁴formed by the union of the parishes of Torphins, Kincardine O'Neil and Lumphanan ⁵formed by the union of the parishes of Auchenblae, Fettercairn and Glenbervie

Closed churches

Presbytery of Lanark

¹including the population of the recently suppressed Lesmahagow: Abbeygreen

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Lewis

Closed churches

Presbytery of Lochaber

¹The building was put up for sale in 2020 but the congregation intends to continue meeting in a new building.

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Lochcarron-Skye

Closed churches

Presbytery of Lothian

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of Melrose and Peebles

Closed churches

Presbytery of Moray

Closed churches

Presbytery of Orkney

The presbytery of Orkney was split into the three presbyteries of Cairston, Kirkwall and North Isles in 1725. It is not known when they reunited.

Closed churches

Presbytery of Perth

¹union of the parishes of Gask, and Fowlis Wester, Madderty & Monzie

Closed churches

Presbytery of Ross

Closed churches

Presbytery of Stirling

Closed churches

Presbytery of Sutherland

The presbyteries of Dornoch and Tongue were united at an unknown date. ¹To be linked with Lairg & Rogart

Closed churches

Presbytery of Uist

The Presbytery of Long Island, covering Lewis to Barra, was severed from the Presbytery of Skye in 1724. The Presbytery of Uist was severed from the Presbytery of Lewis by the General Assembly in 1742. In recent times South Uist and Barra have moved to the Presbytery of Argyll.

Closed churches in this presbytery

Presbytery of West Lothian

Closed churches

Presbytery of Wigtown and Stranraer

The presbyteries of Wigtown and Stranraer were united in 1963.

Closed churches in this presbytery

Outwith Scotland

Presbytery of England

* Crown Court Church, London * St Columba's Church, London *

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...

, St Andrew's *Corby, St Ninian's *

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, St Columba's *

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, St Andrew's in the Grange *

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, St Andrew's *Liverpool, St Andrew's (dissolved 2017)

International Presbytery

Session Clerk; Rev. John Cowie BSc B.D. (Minister of English Reformed Church, Amsterdam)

Europe

English Reformed Church, Amsterdam The English Reformed Church is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam, situated in the centre of the city. It is home to an English-speaking congregation which is affiliated to the Church of Scotland and to the Protestant Church in the Nethe ...

(1607) *English-speaking Christian Congregation, Bochum, Germany *

St Andrew's Church, Brussels St Andrew's Church in Brussels (Ixelles) is a congregation in membership of both the Church of Scotland and the United Protestant Church in Belgium (EPUB/VPKB) (in French ''Église Protestante Unie de Belgique'' and in Dutch ''Verenigde Protestan ...

(1898) *St Columba's, Budapest, Hungary *Church of Scotland, Fuengirola, Spain *

St Andrew's Church, Gibraltar St Andrew's Church was a congregation of the Church of Scotland in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar and was part of the Presbytery of Europe. The church was opened in 1854. Whilst originally built primarily to serve as a garrison chur ...

(1854) *The

Scots Kirk, Lausanne The Scots Kirk, Lausanne, is a protestant, presbyterian church situated in Lausanne, avenue de Rumine 24. It is part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe and one of two congregations of the Church of Scotland in Switzerland, the other ...

, Switzerland (1874) *Scots Kirk, Geneva *

St Andrew's Church, Lisbon St Andrew's Church is the only congregation of the Church of Scotland in Portugal. It seeks to provide English-speaking Reformed Christian worship and pastoral care to a multinational community. About An English-speaking congregation was establ ...

(1866) * St. Andrew's Scots Church, Valletta, Malta *

The Scots Kirk, Paris The Scots Kirk Paris (french: L'Église écossaise) is a Presbyterian Protestant church situated in Paris, in rue Bayard near the Champs-Elysées in the 8th arrondissement. It is the only congregation of the Church of Scotland in France, part o ...

*English Language Congregation, Regensburg, Germany (closed?) * St Andrew's Church, Rome *The Scots International Church, Rotterdam *Church of Scotland, Turin, Italy (closed?)

North America

* Christ Church in Warwick, Bermuda (1719) * St Ann's, Port of Spain, Trinidad *Former: St Andrew's United Church, Toronto (1830–1925) *Former: St Andrew's Church, Toronto (1876–1925)

Asia

* St Andrew's Scots Kirk, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Presbytery of Jerusalem

* St Andrew's Church, Jerusalem (1930) * St Andrew's Church, Tiberias, Galilee *Haifa *Jaffa

Other Church of Scotland buildings and institutions

Trinity College, Glasgow Trinity College, Glasgow, Scotland, is the Church of Scotland's College at the University of Glasgow. It provides special supervision of candidates for the ministry through a Principal (appointed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ...

St Mary's College, St Andrews (In the Beginning was the Word) , established = , type = College , endowment = , staff = , faculty = , rector = , chancellor = , principal = Oliver D. Crisp , free_label = Teaching staff , free = 20 , ...

New College, Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Student ...

Christ's College, Aberdeen Christ's College, Aberdeen was one of three colleges in Scotland founded by the Free Church of Scotland for the training of ministers following the Disruption of 1843. The other two were New College, Edinburgh and Trinity College, Glasgow. Foll ...

* Church of Scotland Offices, 121 George St, Edinburgh *

General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland The Assembly Hall is located between Royal Mile#Castle Esplanade and Castlehill, Castlehill and Mound Place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. History Following the Disruption of ...

St Ninian's Centre, Crieff The St Ninian's Centre (1960–2001) was a conference centre owned by the Church of Scotland which was located in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. It was converted from the former Crieff West Parish Church (Crieff West and Crieff North Parish Church ...

(now closed)

References

External links

Map of civil parishes

* ttps://archive.today/20130505102258/http://live.cos-vps01.squiz.co.uk/church_finder/ Find your local church – Church of Scotlandbr>Presbytery list
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Church of Scotland Parishes List

Parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...