Scotland
- The General Assembly Hall in Edinburgh – Venue for the Synod of the Church of Scotland
The Scottish National Church is simply called the Kirk. In the 16th century the reformer John Knox brought the reformation to Scotland and founded the Reformed Presbyterian Church which currently has about 600,000 registered members. But 1.7 million people, out of a total of 5 million Scots, feel devoted to this church. The Protestant Church of Scotland became known to many people in Germany via the Iona Community. Iona services are famous for new songs, new liturgical forms and for their particular spirituality. The Iona Community – as a part of the Church of Scotland – is also actively involved in social and diaconal projects in the metropolis of Glasgow at the Scottish West Coast. The Church of Scotland is active with its priority area teams in the poor city districts of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and particularly in Glasgow. It offers numerous projects in the field of social and community-based work as well as counselling for refugees and redundant workers. Spiritual offers are part of its holistic approach. The Church of Scotland also shows commitment in the field of dialogue and understanding between religions and confessions – in Glasgow particularly between Catholics and Presbyterians – the word "Protestant" is reluctantly used in Scotland, because one does not intend to intensify distinctions between Protestants and Catholics.
- Camera monitoring in a Glasgow priority area of a city district
The Church of Scotland has European relationships with the Lutheran Church of Norway and the Waldensian Church in Italy. In Germany the Church of Scotland maintains a partnership with the Evangelical Church in Bavaria in education and training sectors. Scottish and Bavarian reverends may serve their first years in office in each other’s respective churches. At present a Bavarian pastoral couple provide services on the Orkney Islands.
In 2007 the Standing Committee for World Mission, Ecumenism and Global Responsibility of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia decided to take up exploratory talks with the Church of Scotland, because both churches face comparable situations, for instance, a decrease in members and a breach with traditions. In 2008 a delegation of the Church of Scotland from Falkirk came to Westphalia and visited the MÖWe Institute in Dortmund.
Further Information
Further information about the Church of Scotland, particularly should you wish to establish a church partnership with Scotland, may be obtained by Thomas Krieger in the MÖWe Institute.