Perhaps the most obvious feature of the Free Church is the centrality of the Bible in all that we do. The Free Church believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. That’s why, for example, in our worship we sing only the words of the Bible, hear them read, explained, and applied to our lives in a sermon.
The central focus of the whole Bible is to be found in a person - Jesus Christ. Because the Free Church is a Bible Church it is necessarily also a Jesus-centred Church, a Gospel Church.
Of course, the Free Church is historic. At the heart of the identity of the Free Church of Scotland is a passion for sharing and living the good news about Jesus Christ - the gospel.
So, in all our congregations each Sunday you will hear the same wonderful message explained from the Bible and applied to everyday life. Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully human, came into the world to seek out and rescue lost, sinful men and women.
The gospel message is for everyone. Jesus commanded his church to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19). The Free Church of Scotland takes that command seriously. We seek to bring the gospel to every person in Scotland and, in partnership with other churches, to the whole world, through:
Another result of being a Bible Church and a Gospel Church is that we are a Contemporary Church. The gospel is a ‘change-agent’, bringing new life and fresh challenges to both the church and our society in every age. While the Free Church continues to prize its heritage and traditions, it also feels compelled to work creatively to bring the good news about Jesus to bear on each generation.
As a church we believe that every congregation is responsible for the spread of the good news in its own location, and yet we believe that every local congregation is connected to every other. All comprising one church, belonging together. The Free Church expresses that connection in a Presbyterian system. Each Presbytery is represented at a national level at the annual General Assembly. In this way the Free Church seeks to ensure that we share a common vision, are able to offer support, and remain accountable to one another as members together of the Body of Christ, the church.
