The contemporary Free Church of Scotland is 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 to this day, and is commonly referred to (in Highland English, and mostly by outsiders) as The Wee Frees, though this nickname is sometimes used for the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (also occasionally known as The Wee Wee Frees). The United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (1847-1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Motto: , traditionally rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi me?[1] and in English as No one provokes me with impunity. ... Highland English is the variety of Gaelic influenced Scottish English spoken in the Scottish Highlands. ... St. ...

Aftermath of the union of 1900

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 United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (1847-1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. ... The United Free Church of Scotland (or ‘U.F. Church’) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or U.P.) and the Free Church of Scotland, which in turn united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. ...

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 to it, withdrew to another hall, where they elected John Bannatyne as moderator and held the remaining sittings of their Assembly. October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ...

It was reported that between 16,000 and 17,000 names had been received of persons adhering to the anti-unionist principle. At the Assembly of 1901 it was stated that the Free Church had twenty-five ministers and at least sixty-three congregations. However, her congregations were mostly in the Gaelic-speaking districts of Scotland. 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). ...

The initial problems were obvious, her congregations soon grew in number, but were far apart and there were not nearly enough ministers. The church received little sympathy or assistance from the United Free Church, and her work was conducted under considerable hardship. Nor could she appeal to the general popular sentiment of Scotland. However, the revenue of the church gradually increased, her sustentation fund was in 1901 only able to support 75 ministers, but from 1903 onwards 167.

The Free Church Case

(see Free Church case) Bannatyne v Overtoun, [1904] A.C. 515 (better known as the Free Church case), was a protracted legal dispute between the United Free Church of Scotland (which was a union in 1900 of the majority Free Church of Scotland with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland) and the minority of...

After the union of 1900, the United Presbyterian Church and the continuing Free Church, not only contested the legacy of the Free Church of 1843-1900, they perhaps more importantly also contested its assets. After attempts at agreement failed, the whole matter ended in the Scottish courts. The litigation was initially decided in favour of the Free Church, but in the end the matter was settled by Parliamentary intervention.

The Life of the Church

By 1906, a Free Church College had been re-established in Edinburgh. By 1925, there were 91 ministers and 170 congregations, in 12 Presbyteries (including two in Canada). The general magazine of the Free Church is The Monthly Record and there are magazines for young people. Two of the professors in the Free Church College began a theological journal the Evangelical Quarterly in 1929, but in 1942 control passed outside the church initially to Inter Varsity Fellowship. Today the College offers degrees in conjunction with the University of Glasgow.

Post 1945, the FC engaged with the wider evangelical cause, but after its growth in the early decades, it began a statistical decline that, except for a short period in the 1980s, has continued to this day. Currently it has a community of about 12,000 including about 5000 communicants, and is evidencing a greater effort to bring the Gospel to bear upon an increasingly secular society.

The church today maintains its strong commitment to the Westminster Confession and Reformed Theology. It continues in the traditional style of Scottish Presbyterian worship, chiefly the sole use of the Psalms in their metrical form, sung unaccompanied. A complete Psalter in modern English was published in 2003. Its offices and College remain on The Mound, Edinburgh.

The Free Church of Scotland belongs to the International Conference of Reformed Churches. It has maintained an extensive missionary commitment for its size, with former missions in India, Peru and South Africa now having self-governing status. There is a close relationship with the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia. The International Conference of Reformed Churches is a federation of calvinist churches in several continents. ... The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia (PCEA) is a denomination is known for its worship practice of exclusive psalmady, as opposed to the mainline Presbyterian Church of Australia. ...

The Free Church of Scotland continues its mission to glorify the Lord Jesus, and to present His gospel. New church plants continue to be developed, and recent successes can be seen in Dunfermline and St Andrews. Their is also an upswing in the numbers applying to the Free Church ministry, and studying in its successful saturday course (provided by the Free Church College.

Congregations

There are over 100 congregations throughout Scotland as well as 2 in London and 5 in North America. Some of the congregations are: Bon Accord (Aberdeen), Coigach, Ayr, Back, Dingwall & Strathpeffer , St Peter's (Dundee), East Kilbride, Edinburgh - Buccleuch & Greyfriars, St Columba's, Golspie, Glasgow - Dowanvale, St Vincent Street, Inverness - Free North, Greyfriars & Stratherrick, Knockbain, London City, Rosskeen, Scalpay, Smithton Culloden, St Andrews, Tain, Ullapool

References

Cameron, N. et al (eds) Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology, Edinburgh T&T Clark 1993.

External links

• The Free Church of Scotland official site.

• The Free Church of Scotland College official site.