A Stickit minister is a term of obloquy in Scotland, for a candidate for holy orders who has failed to pass the necessary examination, or to give satisfaction before whom he preached the probationary sermon. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is ministear-maide. There are two possible origins, firstly, as the Scottish Gaelic version maide implies, that the minister is "wooden" and stick like, or alternatively that it refers to hesitancy, or "sticking". (stickit is the Lowland Scots for stuck). John Jamieson quotes an example: "Puir lad! The first time he tried to preach, he stickit his sermon", and further glosses: "A speech is stickit when the speaker hesitates and is unable to proceed". The term is still in minor use, but is becoming extinct.
The "stickit minister" was a staple of Scottish literature during the 18th and 19th centuries, the most notable example being S. R. Crockett's short story, The Stickit Minister, published in 1893. A common theme of this work is the humanity of Christianity. The stories reveal both good and bad examples of ministers and their behaviour and deal with the role of faith in confronting hypocrisy, in others and oneself. The life of a minister is described in a considerate manner.
The term is not related to the Religion of the Yellow Stick.