Central to the Church of Scotland is our love and worship of God through following the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. We express our love for God by our love and practical care for each other and for those we live with and encounter in our daily lives.
Although the Church traces its roots back to the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland, its identity was principally formed by John Knox in the Reformation of 1560. At that time, the Church split from the Roman Catholic Church and instead adopted the reformed tradition. The Church of Scotland is Calvinist Presbyterian; we recognise no head of faith other than the Lord God, and no one person or group within the Church has more influence than any other.
Our role in the community
Church of Scotland parish churches play a crucial role across a range of communities, from remote villages to deprived urban areas where shops, banks, schools, and other institutions have disappeared.
Pastoral care of parishioners is an essential part of Christ's calling to the Church, particularly in times of need. As part of their caring task, local churches also aim to resource and run projects relating to groups such as asylum seekers and unemployed people.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion, also called the Lord's Supper, is open to all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and have made public profession of faith.
Five Marks of Mission
The General Assembly of October 2020 endorsed the Five Marks of Mission, agreeing that for the Church to be fit for purpose in the 21st Century, these five marks must be evidenced at local, regional and national levels. Originally developed by the Anglican Communion in the 1980s as a way to define Christian mission they are:
- To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
- To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
- To respond to human need by loving service
- To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
- To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
The Assembly Trustees noted that they will be interpreted and expressed differently across the Church and said that church members may also use an alternative definition of the Five Marks of Mission created by the Anglican Board of Mission in Australia in 2013:
- Witness to Christ's saving, forgiving, reconciling love for all people
- Build welcoming, transforming communities of faith
- Stand in solidarity with the poor and needy
- Challenge violence, injustice and oppression, and work for peace and reconciliation
- Protect, care for and renew life on our planet
Whichever way of expressing these essential ideas is preferred by the local, regional or national Church, the call to Christ's people to do and to be something in the image of Christ, and serve within the world, remains clear.
Our Statement of Faith
We believe in one God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is love.
We praise God the Father:
Who created the universe and keeps it in being.
He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy,
Living together in justice and peace,
Caring for his world and for each other.
We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
Born of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us, sharing our life and our death. He made known God's compassion and mercy
Giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all.
By his death on the cross and by his resurrection He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.
We trust God the Holy Spirit:
Who unites us to Christ and gives life to the Church,
Who brings us to repentance and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us in our; understanding of the Bible,
Renews us in the sacraments
And calls us to serve God in the world.
We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
We have sure and certain hope of resurrection through Christ, and we look for his coming again to judge the world.
Then all things wilI be made new.
And creation will rejoice in worshipping the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit,
one God, blessed for ever.
Amen.