The Presbytery of Glasgow is one of the 46 Presbyteries of 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 ...

. It dates back to the earliest periods of

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church government in the Church of Scotland in the late 16th century. The Presbytery of Glasgow currently has 125 congregations, making it by far the largest Presbytery in the Church of Scotland. Congregations vary in location from suburbs and urban priority areas (representing part of the poorest 5% of Scotland’s population) to outlying towns and villages. The Presbytery boundaries extend beyond the City of Glasgow to include parts of four other local authority areas (East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire).

Presbyterianism

As a

church, the Church of Scotland has no

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s. Instead courts of ministers, elders and

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

s have collective responsibility for the governance of the church. The Presbytery is the intermediate court of the church, subject to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

and responsible for the oversight of

Kirk Session A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyterian ...

s (at a congregational level.) As with all courts of the Church, the Presbytery is chaired by an annually elected Moderator.

Moderator of the Presbytery

Each year Presbytery nominates a Moderator to serve for one year. The Moderator begins their term in June, and represents the Presbytery at church, ecumenical, inter-denominational and civic events, among others. In 2003-2004, the Rev. Adah Younger (minister at Dennistoun Central Parish Church) became the first woman to be Moderator of the Presbytery.

Presbytery meetings

The Presbytery meets each month (except January, July and August). Twice a year, smaller regional meetings are held covering a number of topics. All meeting dates, times and venues are advertised on the Presbytery website (www.presbyteryofglasgow.org.uk).

Presbytery structure

The Presbytery is based around a committee structure made up of: Community Responsibility; Ecumenical Relations & Interfaith Matters; Education; Learning & Nurture; Ministry; Mission; Nominations; Property; Staffing; Stewardship & Finance; Strategic Planning; Superintendence (including Safeguarding); World Mission; and Worship.

Presbytery Clerk

The Presbytery Clerk is Rev. George S. Cowie, formerly parish Minister a
South Holburn
i
Aberdeen Presbytery
who also serves as a Chaplain in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen. Previous Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland, Presbytery Clerks include Very Rev. Bill Hewitt (Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2009-2010), Rev. Dr Graham Blount, Rev. Dr Angus Kerr, and Very Rev. Dr

David Lunan David Ward Lunan is a Church of Scotland minister. On 30 October 2007 he was nominated to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2008-9, formally being elected as Moderator on the first day of the Assembly (15 May ...

, (Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2008-2009). The Presbytery Office is located in Glasgow city centre within the Renfield Centre, attached to St Andrew’s West Church, at 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP.

References

External links

*
Glasgow Churches Together
{{Glasgow Christianity in Glasgow

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 ...

Calvinist organizations established in the 16th century 16th-century establishments in Scotland