Church of Scotland is the national church in Scotland, where it is sometimes called the Kirk. It is the largest Protestant church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland is Reformed (Protestant) and Presbyterian—that is, it is organized and governed democratically through a hierarchy of gatherings called courts. All ministers have equal status. Local congregations are governed by Kirk sessions, consisting of the minister and ordained leaders called elders. Both men and women may serve as ministers and elders. Regional courts are called presbyteries, and the highest court, at the national level, is the General Assembly.
The Assembly meets annually. It consists of elected ministers and elders, generally in equal numbers, plus some professional deacons, who are ordained members of the clergy. The British monarch appoints a high commissioner to observe the Assembly and sometimes attends the Assembly meeting. The Assembly president, called the moderator, is elected annually. The church has complete freedom of self-government. Its decisions on spiritual matters are not subject to parliamentary debate or consent.
The Church of Scotland, like all Presbyterian churches, regards Jesus Christ as the head of the church. The Bible serves as the supreme guide in faith and life. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are held to be the word of God. The Church of Scotland accepts, as a less important doctrine, the Westminster Confession of Faith, a statement of belief formulated in the 1640’s by a council of clergymen called the Westminster Assembly. The teachings of the reformers John Calvin of France and John Knox of Scotland are sources of the church’s form of worship.
The church recognizes the identity of the Christian Sabbath, and some members make Sunday a day of rest and religious observance. Church services are simple, with an emphasis on Bible readings and preaching. Communion services take place infrequently but regularly. Most churches hold Communion between 4 and 12 times a year. Most services follow no set liturgy (worship service) or prayer book. However, many ministers use the Book of Common Order to provide a general pattern.
See also Knox, John ; Presbyterians ; Scotland (Religion) .
