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{{Redirect|Free Church Continuing|the denomination which continued after the formation of the United Free Church|Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

factoids

}}The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (abbreviation: FC(C), Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Shaor Leantainneach) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination which was formed in January 2000. It claims to be the true continuation of the Free Church of Scotland, hence its name.

Formation

In 1996, Professor Donald Macleod, later to be principal of the Free Church College in Edinburgh, was acquitted of charges of sexual assault when a sheriff ruled there had been a conspiracy against him.NEWS, Templeton, Sarah-Kate, Free Church in crisis as two ministers face suspension,weblink 24 January 2011, Sunday Herald, 2 October 1999, An organisation called the Free Church Defence Association believed that "it was wrong not to put Professor Macleod on trial in the General Assembly and that the majority has therefore departed from the principle that allegations of misconduct must be investigated not by a Committee of the General Assembly but by the whole General Assembly."NEWS, McKay, Johnston, A church born out of division,weblink 24 January 2011, BBC News, 21 January 2000, The FCDA's chairman, Rev Maurice Roberts, was suspended for contumacy in June 1999 for refusing to withdraw his claim that General Assembly in May of that year was characterised by "gross and irremediable wickedness and hypocrisy".{{ReligionScotland}}In August 1999, the FCDA's magazine, Free Church Foundations, referred to "the evil of Mr Roberts' suspension".Notices {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017150153weblink |date=2012-10-17 }}, Free Church Foundations. Accessed 24 January 2011. A deadline was set for 30 November 1999 for the FCDA to disband, which it did not.NEWS, McNeil, Robert, Rebels warn Free Church of their plan to break away, The Scotsman, 1 December 1999, Libels were drawn up against 22 ministers who refused to comply, and in a hearing by the Commission of Assembly on 19–20 January 2000 those libels were declared to be relevant. The 22 ministers were suspended, and they responded by leaving the commission.On 20 January 2000 the 'Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)' was formed when those ministers and a number of others adopted a "Declaration of Reconstitution of the historic Free Church of Scotland".Act XVIII, General Assembly Acts 2000-2008 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725181137weblink |date=2011-07-25 }}. Johnston McKay suggests that although on the surface the split was about Donald Macleod, in reality it was about theology, with the FCDA "composed of people who adhere much more firmly to the Westminster Confession of Faith".

Legal issues

Following their departure, the FC(C) sought a declarator from the Court of Session as to ownership of the central funds and properties of the Church. When the appeal was sent to the Outer House of the Court of Session, Lady Paton dismissed their action without granting absolvitor.Opinion of Lady Paton, retrieved 16 June 2007 In March 2007 the Free Church of Scotland proceeded to take legal action at Broadford, on the island of Skye, seeking to reclaim the church manse. The Free Church (Continuing) lost the action at first instance on the decision of Lord Uist,WEB,weblink (First) Reverend Donald Smith, As Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland + (Second) Reverend James MacIver as the Principal Clerk of the Said General Assembly v. (First) Reverend John Morrison + (Second) Peter MaCaskill + (Third) Roderick MacKay + (Fourth) Peter Matheson, 31 July 2009, Lord Uist, scotcourts.gov.uk, and also lost their appeal to the Inner House of the Court of Session.WEB,weblink The Reverend Donald Smith as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free church of Scotland and Others v. The Reverend John Morrison and Others, 12 August 2011, Lord Bonomy + Lord Drummond Young + Lord Osborne, scotcourts.gov.uk, The FC(C) expressed its intention to appeal both the above decisions, but in 2009, the International Conference of Reformed Churches noted that the FC(C) had "withdrawn its appeal of the civil matter that was pending".WEB, 2009 Conference Minutes,weblink International Conference of Reformed Churches, 24 January 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110527163529weblink">weblink 27 May 2011,

Recognition

The denomination is a member of the International Conference of Reformed ChurchesWEB, Press Release,weblink International Conference of Reformed Churches, 24 January 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110527163503weblink">weblink 27 May 2011, and of Affinity.WEB, Affinity Partners,weblink Affinity (Christian organisation), Affinity, 24 January 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060822032841weblink">weblink 22 August 2006,

Congregations

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) presently has 34 functioning congregations, of which seven are in North America.WEB,weblink Congregations, freechurchcontinuing.org, These churches belong to six presbyteries: the Northern, the Skye and Lochcarron, the Inverness, the United States of America, the Outer Hebrides and the Southern Presbyteries.WEB,weblink Presbyteries, freechurchcontinuing.org, There are six congregations and preaching stations in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Washington Metro, Upstate South Carolina, Mebane, North Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri in the United States,WEB,weblink Presbytery of United States of America, David Blunt, freechurchcontinuing.org, a congregation in Canada, Northern Ireland, and a seminary and demonstration farm in Zambia.WEB,weblink Free Church of Scotland, freekirkcontinuing.co.uk, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090403160221weblink">weblink 2009-04-03, WEB,weblink Free Church of Scotland, freekirkcontinuing.co.uk, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081120074849weblink">weblink 2008-11-20, {| class="wikitable"!Church!Location!Presbytery!Web!Founded|Ness FCSCNorth Dell>North Dell, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides|weblink|2000|Harris FCSC|Northton, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides||2000|Knock and Point FCSCGarrabost>Garrabost, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides|weblink|2000|North Uist and Grimsay FCSC|Bayhead, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides|weblink|2000|Scalpay Harris FCSCScalpay, Outer Hebrides>Scalpay, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides||2000|Shawbost Preaching StationBragar>Bragar, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides||2000|Stornoway FCSCStornoway>Stornoway, Na h-Eileanan Siar|Outer Hebrides||2000|Assynt and Eddrachillis FCSCScourie and Lochinver>Lochinver, Highland|Northern||2000|Brora FCSCBrora>Brora, Highland|Northern||2000|Kiltearn FCSCEvanton>Evanton, Highland|Northern||2000|Tarbat FCSC|Portmahomack and Inver, Highland|Northern|weblink|2000|Bracadale FCSCStruan, Skye>Struan and Carbost, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron|weblink|2000|Duirinish FCSCDuirinish, Skye>Duirinish, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron|weblink|2000|Lochalsh & Strath FCSCArdelve, Corran, Loch Hourn>Corran and Broadford, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron||2000Snizort Free Church>Snizort FCSCSkeabost>Skeabost, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron|weblink|2000|Kilmuir and Stenscholl FCSCStaffin>Staffin, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron||2000|Portree FCSCPortree>Portree, Highland|Skye and Lochcarron||2000|Grace Reformed Church, AberdeenAberdeen>Aberdeen, Aberdeen|Inverness|weblink|2000|Dores FCSC|Dores, Highland|Invernessweblink {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063210weblink |date=20 February 2019 }}|2000|Westhill Inverness FCSCInverness>Inverness, Highland|Invernessweblink {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063104weblink |date=20 February 2019 }}|2000|Kilmorack and Strathglass FCSCBeauly>Beauly, Highland|Inverness||2000|Poolewe and Aultbea FCSCAultbea>Aultbea, Highland|Inverness|weblink|2000|Arran FCSCBrodick>Brodick, North Ayrshire|Southern||2000|Bethel Free Church, AyrAyr>Ayr, South Ayrshire |Southern|weblink|2000|Dumfries FCSCLockerbie>Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway|Southern||2000|St Columba's FCSC, EdinburghEdinburgh>Edinburgh, Edinburgh & Galashiels, Borders|Southern|weblink|2000|Knightswood FCSCKnightswood>Knightswood, Glasgow|Southern|weblink|2000|Partick FCSCPartick>Partick, Glasgow|Southernweblink {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220065601weblink |date=20 February 2019 }}|2000|Shettleston FCSCShettleston>Shettleston, Glasgow|Southern|weblink|2000|London Preaching Station|Ham, London|Southern|||RothesayRothesay>Rothesay, Argyll and Bute|Southern||2000|Ballyclare and Doagh FCSCDoagh>Doagh, Antrim|Home & Foreign Missions|Free Church (Continuing) website|2013|Portavogie Preaching StationPortavogie>Portavogie, Down|Home & Foreign Missions|Free Church (Continuing) website||Smiths Falls Reformed ChurchSmiths Falls>Smiths Falls, Ontario|Home & Foreign Missions|weblink|2002|Reformation Presbyterian Church, AtlantaAtlanta>Atlanta, Georgia|United States||2004|Greenville Presbyterian Church|Greenville, South Carolina|United States|weblink|2006|Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Mebane|Mebane, North Carolina|United States|weblink|2012|Metropolitan Presbyterian Church, WashingtonWashington, D.C.>Washington, D. C.|United States||2003|Sovereign Grace Presbyterian Church, St LouisSt. Louis>St Louis, Missouri|United States|weblink|2008

Seminary

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) maintains a seminary on the outskirts of Inverness for the training of its ministers.

Music

The Free Church Continuing continues to hold to the exclusive use of metrical Psalms sung without instrumental accompaniment in worship, a position which the Free Church of Scotland has ceased to hold.WEB,weblink Free Church to allow music and hymns -- BBC News 19 Nov 2010 retrieved 15 April 2016,

See also

• John MacLeod, Principal Clerk of Assembly, Moderator of 2006 General Assembly

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)

{{Scottish religion}}{{Christianity in the United Kingdom}}{{Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in the United States}}{{Authority control}}