The Free Church of Scotland (; ) is a conservative evangelical Calvinist denomination in Scotland. It is the continuation of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900, and remains a distinct Presbyterian denomination in Scotland.
From 1900, when the majority of the Free Church joined the United Presbyterians to form the United Free Church, the Free Church became known, pejoratively, as "The Wee Frees", even though, in 21st-century Scotland, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination after the Church of Scotland. As this term was originally used in comparing the Free Church unfavourably with the United Free Church, the Free Church of Scotland now deprecates its use.
Theology and doctrine The church maintains its commitment to Calvinist theology (as espoused by the Westminster Confession). 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 Reformed and conservative evangelical in character, presenting its understanding of the Christian message, namely that Jesus Christ is sole Lord and Saviour.
The Free Church of Scotland opposes both abortion and same-sex marriage. It has also stated its opposition to banning conversion therapy.
History 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 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 31 October and, failing to gain admission, withdrew to another hall, where they elected Rev Colin 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.
At the Assembly of 1901 it was stated that the Free Church had twenty-five ministers and at least sixty-three congregations, with most being found in the Gaelic-speaking districts of Scotland.
The initial problems were obvious: the congregations soon grew in number, but were far apart; there were not nearly enough ministers; the church was treated in a hostile manner by the United Free Church; work was conducted under considerable hardship; and there was little success in appealing to the general popular sentiment of Scotland. However, the revenue of the church gradually increased; in 1901, the sustentation fund was able to support only 75 ministers, but by 1903 it maintained 167.
The Free Church case
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, but also claimed its assets. After attempts at agreement failed, the matter ended in the Scottish courts. The litigation was initially decided in favour of the Free Church by the House of Lords in 1904, on the basis that in the absence of a power to change fundamental doctrines in the trust deed, a dissenting minority retains the property. As it was not possible for the Free Church to use all the property, Parliament intervened, the Elgin Commission generally securing for the church the congregational property she could effectively use plus a significant share of central assets.
The following was the result:
Congregations where the Free Church rather than the United Free Church ended up with the buildings. (In most of these cases the UFC subsequently built a new church. In one case (Tongue) they actually bought the church straight back again.)
Aberdeen St Columba's, Acharacle, Alvie, Arisaig, Assynt, Aultbea, Back, Barvas, Berriedale, Bower, Brodick, Bruan, Carloway, Clyne, Coatbridge West, Coigach, Contin, Creich, Croick, Cross, Daviot, Dingwall, Dornoch, Dundee St Stephen's, Duthil, Eddrachillis, Edinburgh Buccleuch-Greyfriars, Farr, Fearn, Fort Augustus, Gairloch, Glasgow Cranstonhill, Glasgow Duke Street, Glasgow Hope Street, Glasgow Milton, Glenelg, Glenorchy, Glenshiel, Golspie, Greenock Gaelic, Helmsdale, Inverness North, Keiss, Kilbrandon, Kildalton-Oa, Killearnan, Kilmallie, Kilmory (Arran), Kilmuir (Skye), Kilmuir Easter, Kiltearn, Kincardine, Kinglassie, Kinloch, Knock, Knockbain West, Kyle of Lochalsh, Lairg, Leith Elder Memorial, Lochalsh, Lochcarron, Lochs, Lybster, Moy, North Uist, Olrig, Park, Perth Knox's, Raasay, Renton Gaelic, Rogart, Rosehall, Rosskeen, Shawbost, Shiskine, Sleat, Snizort, Stornoway High, Strathgarve, Strathpeffer-Fodderty, Strathy, Tarbat, Tarbert (Loch Fyne), Tobermory, Tongue, Urquhart, Watten, Whiting Bay
Congregations with more than one place of worship, where one of the churches was allocated to the FC:
Bernera (Lewis), Forres Cumming Street, Kilninver, Kingussie, Tayvallich
The Church in the 20th century
In 1906, a Free Church College was re-established in Edinburgh and by 1925 there were 91 ministers and 170 congregations in 12 presbyteries. 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 Free Church 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, continued throughout the 20th century.
2000 events
In the 1980s and 1990s there were allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Macleod, principal of the Free Church College. No misconduct was ever proven against Macleod; he was tried and acquitted in 1996 in the civil courts.Bruce McKain, "Church professor in sex case a free man," The Herald, 26 June 1996. A faction hostile to Macleod's modernising theology pursued the charges in church courts, to no avail.Johnston McKay, A church born out of division, BBC News, 21 January 2000.
There was considerable dissatisfaction with the handling of the charges, and claims of a cover-up. When Rev Maurice Roberts of the Free Church Defence Association (FCDA) publicly reiterated accusations against Macleod, and denounced the General Assembly for its "wickedness and hypocrisy", he was suspended sine die for contumacy. Roberts' supporters demanded his reinstatement; in January 2000, 22 FCDA ministers were removed from their pulpits. These and other ministers formed the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (FCC); they are approximately 20% of the ministerial strength of the pre-2000 Free Church of Scotland. From 2005 to 2010, the Free Church of Scotland saw an 18% drop in its membership.
Following the split, the Free Church Continuing sought a declarator from the Court of Session as to ownership of the central funds and properties of the church. In a landmark decision, Lady Paton dismissed their action without granting absolvitor. The Continuing Church then said they would appeal Lady Paton's decision, but ultimately chose not to proceed. In March 2007, the Free Church filed suit to reclaim the church manse at Broadford, Isle of Skye. Lord Uist ruled that the property belonged to the Free Church. The Continuing Church had to pay the expenses of the Free Church. The Continuing Church appealed to the Inner House of the Court of Session, which upheld Lord Uist.
List of moderators Moderators 1900 to 1931 taken from: Preserving a Reformed Heritage by John KeddieModerators from 1930 to 1939 taken from Proceedings of the Free Church of Scotland 1930 to 1939Moderators 1940 to 1949 taken from Proceedings of the Free Church of Scotland 1940 to 1949
1900: Colin Archibald Bannatyne, Coulter, South Lanarkshire 1901: James Duff MacCulloch, Hope Street, Glasgow 1902: Donald MacKinnon Macalister, Edinburgh 1903: Angus Galbraith, Lochalsh 1904: Murdoch MacQueen, Kiltearn 1905: Ewan Macleod, Oban 1906: Colin Archibald Bannatyne, Free Church College 1907: Murdo Mackenzie, Inverness; Interim Moderator J. C. Robertson (resigned) 1908: William MacKinnon, Gairloch 1909: James Hendry, Forres/Burghead 1910: John Kennedy Cameron, Free Church College 1911: William Menzies Alexander, Free Church College 1912: William Fraser, Strathpeffer, Dingwall 1913: Samuel Lyle Orr, Glasgow 1914: Finlay MacRae, Plockton 1915: John MacDonald, Rosskeen 1916: Angus Mackie, Kingussie 1917: John Macleod, Urray 1918: Donald Munro, Ferintosh, Black Isle 1919: Donald Maclean, Free Church College 1920: John Macleod, Inverness 1921: Roderick Macleod, Knock, Isle of Lewis 1922: Norman Campbell, Dingwall 1923: George Mackay, Fearn 1924: Kenneth Cameron, Stornoway 1925: Robert Moore, Free Church College 1926: Alexander Stewart, Edinburgh 1927: Alexander Dewar, South Africa 1928: Archibald Donald Cameron, Creich 1929: John R. Mackay, Free Church College 1930: Robert M. Knox, Edinburgh 1931: Alexander Macdonald Renwick, Free Church College 1932: Peter Clarkson 1933: A. M. Ross 1934: Duncan MacDonald 1935: Alexander Ross 1936: Peter W. Miller 1937: Donald MacLean 1938: John MacKay MacLennan, Lairg 1939: Farquhar Matheson, Stoer 1940: William MacLeod 1941: John Shaw 1942: John Calvin MacKay, Kincardine & Croick, Sutherland 1943: D. MacKenzie 1944: Ewen MacRury, Glen Urquhart 1945: Roderick Alick Finlayson, Free Church College 1946: William Fraser 1947: William Campbell 1948: Alexander MacDonald 1949: G.N.M. Collins 1950: A. MacLeod 1951: Murdoch MacRae Kinloch, Isle of Lewis 1952: John A Macdonald, Kiltearn 1953: Alex R Fraser, Dumbarton 1954: Duncan Leitch, Dingwall 1955: John Morrison, Ness 1956: Murdoch Campbell, Resolis 1957: Murdoch Macphail, Croy 1958: William R MacKay, Kingussie 1959: Hugh G MacKay, Aberdeen 1960: Alexander Macdonald Renwick, Free Church College 1961: R J Murray, Killearnan and Fortrose, Black Isle 1962: William John Cameron, Free Church College; son of Rev Kenneth Cameron 1963: R C Christie, Saltcoats 1964: Angus Finlayson, North Tolsta 1965: James W Fraser, Buccleuch & Greyfriars, Edinburgh 1966: James Mackintosh, Colegio San Andres, Peru 1967: Murdo MacLeod, Tarbat 1968: John R Aitken, Rogart 1969: Clement Graham, Tain 1970: Murdo K Murray, Knock, Isle of Lewis 1971: G N M Collins, Free Church College 1972: Donald MacDonald, Greyfriars, Inverness 1973: George C Dunnett, Knockbain 1974: A.G. Ross, Oban 1975: Duncan MacLeay, Snizort 1976: Kenneth J Nicolson, Barvas 1977: William John Cameron, Free Church College 1978: Hugh Ferrier, Free North, Inverness 1979: Murdo MacRitchie, Stornoway 1980: Hector Cameron, Bon Accord, Aberdeen 1981: Donald Gillies, Lochs 1982: Donald Lamont, St. Columba's, Edinburgh 1983: John MacLeod, Point, Lewis 1984: Murdo A Macleod, Christian Witness to Israel 1985: Archibald C Boyd, Free Church College 1986: Angus Smith, Cross 1987: Fergus A J Macdonald, United Bible Societies 1988: John A Gillies, Partick Highland, Glasgow 1989: Kenneth W R Cameron, Thurso & Reay 1990: A Gollan, Lochcarron 1991: W D Graham, Southern Africa 1992: Donald MacDonald, Carloway 1993: Clement Graham, Free Church College 1994: Alex Murdo Macleod, Kinloch, Lewis 1995: Murdo A MacLeod, Stornoway 1996: Neil Macdonald, Fearn 1997: Donald M MacDonald, Bishopbriggs 1998: D K Macleod, Kingussie & Alvie 1999: K Macleod, Barvas, Isle of Lewis 2000: John M MacPherson, London 2001: W M MacKay, Peru