Free Church of Scotland | |
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Classification | Protestant |
Theology | Reformed theology |
Polity | Presbyterian |
Moderator | Rev. Callum Macleod |
Associations | |
Region | Scotland and North America |
Headquarters | Edinburgh |
Origin | 1843 |
Branched from | Church of Scotland |
Separations | Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (separated 2000) |
Congregations | circa 111 (details) |
Members | (Average attendance:) 8,000[2] 5,400 communicant members[3] |
Ministers | circa 60 |
Official website | freechurch |
The Free Church of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: An Eaglais Shaor;[4] Scots: Free Kirk o 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",[5][6] even though, in 21st century Scotland, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination after the Church of Scotland.[7] 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.[8][9]
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