Reformed in Doctrine,
Worship, and Practice
* Free Presbyterian services are held when office bearers are present; click on locations for upcoming services.
Places of Worship:
‘Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.’ Psalm 60:4
We are Strictly Reformed
The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland endeavors to preserve faithfully the doctrine, worship, government, and practice of the Scottish Reformation. We trace our ecclesiastical descent directly from the original Church of Scotland of 1560 and through the Free Church of Scotland as settled in the Disruption of 1843. In order to maintain the original constitution of the Reformed Church of Scotland and protest against the Free Church of Scotland’s departures from her constitution (which culminated in the passing of the infamous Declaratory Act of 1892), the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland was formed in 1893.
The witness the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland seeks to uphold is:
Reformed Doctrine and Preaching
We adhere to the Reformed religion and maintain unqualified adherence to the whole doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith. We believe in the necessity of the preaching of the free offer of the gospel, warmly inviting all sinners without exception to embrace Christ for salvation. We also uphold discriminating preaching that emphasizes the distinguishing marks of grace, the necessity of the new birth and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit to produce an experimental acquaintance with Christ. We warn people against the shallow presumption prevalent in so much of professing Christianity today.
Worship According to God’s Word
We adhere to the Regulative Principle of Worship, believing that the worship of God is to be governed by His Word, and that only those elements of worship which He has appointed are to be observed according to Scripture. Accordingly, we maintain the exclusive use of the metrical Psalms in worship, sung without the accompaniment of musical instruments, as the divinely inspired song book given to the Church. We do not observe Christmas or other ecclesiastical festivals or holy days besides the Christian Sabbath, since we find no warrant in Scripture for their institution. Our worship therefore seeks to follow the simplicity and purity of the worship prescribed in Scripture, and we stand opposed to the introduction of human inventions into the public worship of God.
Church Government
In following the practice of the historic Church of Scotland and the Covenanters, we believe that Jesus Christ is the only King and Head of the Church and witness against popery, believing the Pope of Rome to be “that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition.” In the government and practice of the Church, we seek to maintain the principles and order set forth in Scripture and historically practiced by the Reformed Church of Scotland. This includes Presbyterian church government, the proper exercise of Church discipline, the fencing of the Lord’s Table, and the careful admission of individuals to the privileges and sealing ordinances of the Church (baptism and the Lord’s Supper).
Practical Godliness
We maintain a testimony against the worldliness that has infected so much of the professing church as being incompatible with a profession of godliness. Accordingly, as outlined in our Synod’s “Statement of Differences”, we are opposed to immodest attire, attendance at dances, professional sporting events, and frequenting bars or public houses, listening to worldly music, watching of films and theatre, the reading of immoral novels, and social meetings organized in connection with the Church. We also maintain that the Word of God requires a distinction between men and women in hair length, dress, and (in public worship) head coverings. We recognize the biblical requirement of family worship and individual worship in secret, morning and evening.
Sabbath Observance
We insist on the abiding requirement of Sabbath keeping, on the Christian Sabbath, or Lord’s Day (and reject the heathen name “Sunday”). We believe that the Sabbath is to be “sanctified by an holy resting all the day, not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy) in the public and private exercises of God’s worship” (Larger Catechism). The church also bars from admission to baptism and the Lord’s Supper, those who use public transport run in systematic disregard of the Lord’s Day, and “counsels against the use of the internet on the Sabbath, except for purposes of necessity and mercy” (Synod’s “Statement of Differences”, Section 8).
Jesus Christ as King of Nations
We uphold the Establishment Principle, believing that civil government is ordained by God and has a duty to maintain a public profession of the Christian faith, to recognize and honour Jesus Christ as King of nations, and to promote the interests of Christ’s Church, while respecting the spiritual independence and distinct jurisdiction of the Church in matters belonging properly to her office. We believe this shall come to pass in the Millennium when kings shall be nursing fathers to the Church.
The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland does not seek to preserve these principles merely as matters of historical tradition. Rather, we uphold them because they arise from the authority of Scripture and are essential to the Church’s witness in the world.
Historic Witness in Canada
The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland has maintained a presence in Canada for over a hundred years, including in Southern Ontario, as well as Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. At present we have an established congregation in Chesley, ON, and a preaching station in Vancouver, BC; Free Presbyterian services are conducted in Vancouver and Calgary when office bearers are present.