Religion in Scotland. National Church of Scotland

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 441.

The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterian church, founded in 1560 along Calvinist principles, and grew out of the Reformation led by John Knox.

It is recognised in law (by the Church of Scotland Act 1921) as the national church in Scotland, but is not anEstablished church and is independent of state control in spiritual matters. Although the British Monarch is an ordinary member of the Church of Scotland, she is represented at the General Assembly by the Lord High Commissioner.

'Presbyterian' government refers to the sharing of authority in the church by an equal number of 'elders' (elected from the membership of the church) and ministers. Both are ordained for their special tasks. The local council is the Kirk Session, consisting of elders and the minister. The regional council is the Presbytery, which looks after all the churches in the area. The national council is known as the General Assemblyand convenes each year in Edinburgh. This meeting establishes the laws which govern the church and the priorities for the coming year. The most public position in the Church of Scotland is that of Moderator who chairs the General Assembly. It is an honorary (which means unpaid) and elected role held for a year. (For further details, see Table 1)

The indigenous Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, is a relatively small denomination and not established.