What We Believe
The Church of Scotland allows much liberty of doctrinal opinion but our doctrine is rooted in the classical understanding of Christian faith.
That understanding is coloured especially by teachings of the early church fathers who were most influential in the development of orthodox teaching in the first few centuries of the New Testament. The Kirk though owes its distinctive character to the Reformers of the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin.
The Reformer who most influenced Scotland was, of course, John Knox. He did more than anyone to establish the theological confession of the Church of Scotland.
Our church government is Presbyterian, which means that it is ruled by a system of courts rather by individual bishops.
Doctrinal Summary
We believe that God, in his forgiving love, became a human being as the person Jesus of Nazareth in order to redeem us. We believe that Christ alone, by his death and resurrection, cleanses the human soul from sin and enables us to live in the power of his Holy Spirit. We believe that God is sovereignly in control of the whole universe and not only that he is personally present and active in the world but also that he has a keen interest in our lives.
Enquirers Course
Membership of our Congregation is open to all who are prepared to take the five vows of membership, shown on this page.
Preparation for admission to membership requires (a) regular attendance at services, (b) completion of a course of classes about the Christian faith and, of course, (c) living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Course Content
The typical content of such a course is shown in the form of a chart, which can be downloaded by anyone wishing to study it whilst away from a computer.