Free Church of Scotland (post-1900)
| Free Church of Scotland | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Reformed |
| Theology | Calvinist |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Moderator | Rev Dr John Nicholls |
| Associations | |
| Region | Scotland and North America |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh |
| Origin | 1843 |
| Congregations | circa 136 (details) |
| Members | over 13,000 5,400 communicant members |
| Ministers | circa 60 |
| Official website | www |
The Free Church of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Shaor,Scots: Free Kirk o Scotland) is an Evangelical and Reformed Presbyterian denomination in Scotland. Historically it comprised that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900. It remains a distinct Presbyterian denomination in Scotland, and is commonly referred to as The Wee Frees, although this practice has been recently challenged by the Free Church's Moderator.
After the Church of Scotland, the Free Church is the second largest Presbyterian denomination in Scotland.
The church maintains its strong commitment to the Westminster Confession and Reformed Theology. Its polity is Presbyterian. A complete psalter in modern English was published in 2003. Its offices and theological college remain on The Mound, Edinburgh, although the denomination no longer holds the original Free Church College buildings.
The Free Church continues to be evangelical in character, presenting its understanding of the Christian message, namely that Jesus Christ is sole Lord and Saviour.
In 1900 the Free Church of Scotland united with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland. However, a minority of the original Free Church remained outside of this new union. The protesting and dissenting minority at once claimed to be the legitimate Free Church. They met outside the Free Assembly Hall on October 31 and, failing to gain admission, withdrew to another hall, where they elected Colin A. Bannatyne as moderator and held the remaining sittings of their Assembly. It was reported that between 16,000 and 17,000 names had been received of persons adhering to the anti-unionist principle. It has been estimated that the number of Free Church communicants dropped from a little under 300,000 in 1899 to just over 4,000 in 1900.
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