| Gilcomston South Church | |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
|---|---|
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| Website | http://www.gilcomston.org |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Aberdeen |
| Clergy | |
| Minister(s) | Rev Dominic Smart |
Gilcomston South Church is a congregation in the Church of Scotland. The recently refurbished church buildings are located in Union Street, Aberdeen.
Contents |
The church almost closed during World War II, but a subsequent new approach proved controversial but ultimately highly influential. The church became one of the Church of Scotland’s most notable evangelical congregations, with a strong emphasis on biblically based expository preaching. The Rev William Still, minister of the congregation 1945-1997, developed this approach and gained international recognition. The systematic preaching of the entire bible, verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter, was then an innovation in the Church of Scotland; some others have subsequently copied this approach. The Rev William Still was close friends with the brothers Rev James Philip of Holyrood Abbey Church in Edinburgh and Rev George Philip of Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church in Glasgow, where similar approaches in ministry were also developed.
This Aberdeen church is well attended, especially by students responding to this distinctive type of Christian ministry and witness. The current minister (since 1998) is the Rev Dominic Smart. In June 2011, Rev Dominic Smart indicated that the congregation were considering leaving the Church of Scotland due to the General Assembly's decision to move towards the ordination of homosexuals to the ministry. [1]
Usual meetings are: