Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)

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The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination formed by the withdrawal of a large section of the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the Disruption of 1843. In 1900, the majority Free Church of Scotland united with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland, which in turn re-united with the Church of Scotland in 1929.

However, a minority of the original Free Church of Scotland remained outside the union of 1900, and claimed the title Free Church of Scotland for itself. It continues to this day. (See Free Church of Scotland (post 1900))

1 Origins
2 The nature of the Church
3 Unions and relationships with other Presbyterians
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Origins

See Disruption of 1843 for a fuller account

The Free Church was formed by the Evangelicals who broke from the Church of Scotland in 1843 protest against what they regarded as the state's encroachment on the spiritual independence of the Church.

[edit] The nature of the Church

[edit] Finances

The first task of the new church was to provide incomes for her initial 500 ministers and places of worship for her people. Indeed, as she aspired to be the national church of the Scottish people, she set herself the ambitious task of establishing a presence in every parish in Scotland (except in the Highlands, where FC ministers were at first in short supply.)

A church building programme produced 470 new churches within a year and 700 by 1847. Manses and 700 schools soon followed. All of this represented unprecedented financial generosity made possible by the Evangelical awakening, and the wealth on the new middle classes.

The downside of the church building boom, was to leave many communities in Scotland with an oversupply of ecclesiastical properties — particularly after the reunion of 1929.

There was also a new Sustentation Fund, the brainchild of Thomas Chalmers, to which congregations contributed according to their means, and from which all ministers received an 'equal dividend'. The fund provided a modest income for 583 in 1843/4, and by 1900 was supplying almost 1200. This represented a sharing and centralising of resources previously unknown within the Church of Scotland, but which later became the norm.

[edit] Theology

Great importance was attached to the educated ministry within the FC. Whilst the established Church of Scotland controlled the divinity faculties of the universities, the FC set up its own colleges. New College, Edinburgh was opened in 1850 with five chairs. Christ's College, Aberdeen and Trinity College, Glasgow followed later. The first generation of teachers were enthusiastic proponents of Westminster Calvinism - although this quickly moved towards a more liberal understanding of the faith, including theologians such as Dr AB Bruce, Marcus Dods and George Adam Smith. 'Believing criticism' of the Bible was a central approach taught by such as William Robertson Smith. Attempts were made between 1890 and 1895 to bring many of these professors to the bar of the Assembly for heresy, but in these failed, with only minor warnings been issued.

In 1892 the Free Church, following the example of the United Presbyterian Church and the Church of Scotland (1889), passed a Declaratory Act relaxing the stringency of subscription to the confession, with the result that a small number of ministers and congregations, mostly in the Highlands, severed their connection with the church and formed the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In 1907 this body had twenty congregations and twelve ministers.

[edit] Activity

The FC was active in foreign missions. Many of the staff of the India mission of the established church adhered to the FC. The church soon also established herself in Africa, and under James Stewart and Robert Laws. She also involved herself in the evangelisation of Jews. The net result was one of the largest missionary organisations in the world.

Home mission was also given prominence. Thomas Chalmers himself gave the lead with a territorial mission in Edinburgh's West Port, epitomising the idea of the 'godly commonwealth'. Free churchmen were at the forefront of the 1859 Revival, and the Moody and Sankey campaign of 1873-5. However, Chalmer's social ideas were never fully realised, and the gap between the church and the urban masses continued to increase.

The use of instrumental music was sanctioned in Free Churches. An association was formed in 1891 to promote order and reverence in public services, and it published in 1898 A New Directory for Public Worship which while not providing set forms of prayer, offered directions. The Free Church took an interest in hymnology and church music, which led to the production of The Church Hymnary.

[edit] Unions and relationships with other Presbyterians

The Free Church always claimed to be the authentic Church of Scotland. Constitutionally, despite the disruption, she continued to support the establishment principle. However, this support quickly decreased and many joined with the United Presbyterian Church in calling for the Disestablishment of the Church of Scotland.

In 1852, the FC united with the Original Succession Church, and in 1876 with the Reformed Presbyterian Church. However, a leadership-led attempt to unite with the United Presbyterians in was thwarted. As early as 1863 the Free Church began talks with the UPC, with a view to a union. However, a report laid before the following Assembly showed that the two churches were not agreed as to the relationship between state and church. The Free Church maintained that national resources could be used in aid of the church, provided that the state abstain from all interference in its internal government. The United Presbyterians held that as the state had no authority in spiritual things, it was not within its jurisdiction to legislate as to what was true in religion, or to prescribe a creed or form of worship for its subjects, or to endow the church from national resources. Any union would therefore have to leave this question open.

The Free Church Assembly, increasingly, was willing for a union on these terms. However, the 'establishment' minority prevented a successful conclusion during 1867-73. This 'antidisestablishmentarianism' party became increasingly alienated. Indeed, some Highland Free Presbyterians left in 1893 - and others refused to enter the eventual union with the UPC in 1900.

After the failure of their negotiations in 1873, the two churches had agreed a 'Mutual Eligibility Act' enabling a congregation of one to call a minister from the other. But, from 1895, union was being discussed again. A joint committee noted remarkable agreement on doctrinal standards, rules and methods, and with few concessions on either side, a common constitution was agreed. The ever decreasing minority in the Free Church Assembly, protested, and threatened to test its legality in the courts.

The respective Assemblies of the churches met for the last time on October 30, 1900, and on the following day the union was completed, and the United Free Church of Scotland came into being. However, those who dissented, and remained outside the union, claimed themselves to still be the Free Church (see Free Church of Scotland (post 1900))