Presbytery of Europe
Encyclopedia
The Presbytery of Europe covers the Church of Scotland
's congregations in continental Europe.
As a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland has no bishops. Instead courts of ministers, elders and deacons have collective responsibility for the governance of the church. The Presbytery is the intermediate court of the church, subject to the General Assembly
and responsible for the oversight of Kirk Sessions (at a congregational level.)
The Presbytery of Europe is one of three presbyteries operating outside Scotland
(the other two are the Presbytery of England and the Presbytery of Jerusalem.) The Presbytery in its current form dates from 1974, following the union of the former Presbyteries of North Europe, South Europe and Spain & Portugal.
Most Scottish presbyteries meet monthly. Because of geography, the Presbytery of Europe meets only twice per year (March and October) for a conference-style meeting.
The Presbytery meets at one of its congregations on a six yearly cycle. The "sanctioned charges" of the Church of Scotland in continental Europe (determined by an Act of the General Assembly) are:
Most of the congregations are very long-established. Some are also joint members of the Church of Scotland and the local Reformed Church (notably in the Netherlands and Belgium.) The Scottish Reformer John Knox
was minister of the Geneva congregation prior to his return to Scotland.
The Presbytery is also exploring ways of establishing links with other existing English-speaking Reformed congregations. Associated congregations have now been developed at Bochum
and Regensburg
in Germany, other locations are also being investigated. There is also a close link with the English-speaking congregation in Turin
, which was formerly served by a Church of Scotland minister.
. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1992/march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19920307_presbiterio-scozia_en.html
and St Andrew's Church
, Colombo
, Sri Lanka
should become part of the Presbytery of Europe. They were previously listed as "overseas charges" under the direct supervision of the World Mission Council.
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
's congregations in continental Europe.
As a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland has no bishops. Instead courts of ministers, elders and deacons have collective responsibility for the governance of the church. The Presbytery is the intermediate court of the church, subject to the General Assembly
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
and responsible for the oversight of Kirk Sessions (at a congregational level.)
The Presbytery of Europe is one of three presbyteries operating outside Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(the other two are the Presbytery of England and the Presbytery of Jerusalem.) The Presbytery in its current form dates from 1974, following the union of the former Presbyteries of North Europe, South Europe and Spain & Portugal.
Most Scottish presbyteries meet monthly. Because of geography, the Presbytery of Europe meets only twice per year (March and October) for a conference-style meeting.
Office bearers
As with all courts of the Church of Scotland, the Presbytery is chaired by an (annually elected) moderator. The Presbytery Clerk is the Reverend John Cowie, minister in Amsterdam.Recent moderators
- 2003-04 The Rev Kenneth Mackenzie (Budapest)
- 2004-05 The Rev Ian Manson (Geneva)
- 2005-06 The Rev David Morris (Malta)
- 2006-07 The Rev William McCulloch (Rome)
- 2007-08 The Rev Stewart Lamont (Gibraltar)
- 2008-09 The Rev James Sharp (Auxiliary minister, Geneva)
- 2009-10 The Rev Matthew Ross (Conference of European ChurchesConference of European ChurchesThe Conference of European Churches was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most...
, Brussels) - 2010-11 Mrs Alice Tulloch (Elder, Geneva)
- 2011-12 The Rev James Brown (Bochum)
Congregations
The Presbytery has 12 congregations in Europe, 2 outside Europe, plus associated congregations. Whilst appreciating their close links with Scotland and the Church of Scotland, all seek to provide English-language Reformed Christian worship and pastoral care to people of all nationalities. Scots are thus a minority at almost all the congregations.The Presbytery meets at one of its congregations on a six yearly cycle. The "sanctioned charges" of the Church of Scotland in continental Europe (determined by an Act of the General Assembly) are:
- BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- St Andrew's Church, BrusselsSt Andrew's Church, BrusselsSt Andrew's Church in Brussels is a congregation in membership of both the Church of Scotland and the United Protestant Church in Belgium Services are conducted in English... - FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- The Scots Kirk, ParisThe Scots Kirk, ParisThe Scots Kirk is situated at 17, rue Bayard, near the Champs-Elysées in Paris. It is the only congregation of the Church of Scotland in France. The church building is modern but somewhat inconspicuous from the street. The nearest Paris Métro station is Franklin D. Roosevelt.-History:The origins of... - GibraltarGibraltarGibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
- St Andrew's Church, GibraltarSt Andrew's Church, GibraltarSt Andrew's Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar and is part of the Presbytery of Europe. The church was opened in 1854... - HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- St Columba's Church, Budapest - ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- St Andrew's Church, RomeSt Andrew's Church, RomeSt Andrew's Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland in Rome, Italy, belonging to the Church's Presbytery of Europe. The current minister is Rev. William B. McCulloch.... - MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
- St. Andrew's Scots Church, VallettaSt. Andrew's Scots Church, MaltaSt. Andrew's Scots Church, Malta, is a joint congregation of the Church of Scotland and the Methodist Church of Great Britain. For Church of Scotland purposes it is part of the Presbytery of Europe. It is the only Reformed Church in Malta... - The Netherlands - English Reformed Church, AmsterdamEnglish Reformed Church, AmsterdamThe English Reformed Church is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam, situated in the centre of the city. It is home to an English-speaking congregation which is affiliated to the Church of Scotland and to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands...
- The Netherlands - The Scots International Church, Rotterdam
- PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- St Andrew's Church, Lisbon, PortugalSt Andrew's Church, Lisbon, PortugalSt Andrew’s Church is the only congregation of the Church of Scotland in Portugal. It seeks to provide English-speaking Reformed Christian worship and pastoral care to a multinational community.... - SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- The Scots Kirk, Costa del Sol (FuengirolaFuengirolaFuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a large town and municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga, autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches, and home to a mediæval Moorish fortress...
) - SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- The Scots Kirk, Geneva - SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- The Scots Kirk, LausanneScots Kirk, LausanneThe Scots Kirk is situated at 24 Avenue de Rumine, Lausanne. It is one of two congregations of the Church of Scotland in Switzerland, the other being the Scots Kirk in Geneva, and is part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe....
Most of the congregations are very long-established. Some are also joint members of the Church of Scotland and the local Reformed Church (notably in the Netherlands and Belgium.) The Scottish Reformer John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
was minister of the Geneva congregation prior to his return to Scotland.
The Presbytery is also exploring ways of establishing links with other existing English-speaking Reformed congregations. Associated congregations have now been developed at Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
and Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in Germany, other locations are also being investigated. There is also a close link with the English-speaking congregation in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, which was formerly served by a Church of Scotland minister.
Papal visit
Whilst meeting in Rome in 1992, the Presbytery of Europe was addressed by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1992/march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19920307_presbiterio-scozia_en.html
Bermuda and Sri Lanka
In 2008, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland agreed that the congregations of Christ Church, Warwick, BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and St Andrew's Church
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Colombo
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, formerly known as St. Andrew's Scots Kirk, is the only Presbyterian church in Sri Lanka. Founded in the late 19th century, and prospering during the colonial and post-colonial periods, it was a center for the Scots element in Colombo, the capital city of what was...
, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
should become part of the Presbytery of Europe. They were previously listed as "overseas charges" under the direct supervision of the World Mission Council.
See also
- Presbytery of AberdeenPresbytery of AberdeenThe Presbytery of Aberdeen is one of the forty-six presbyteries of the Church of Scotland, being the local presbytery for the city of Aberdeen. The current moderator is the Rev John M Watson, who is minister of St Mark's Church. The presbytery represents and supervises forty-four Church of Scotland...
- Presbytery of GlasgowPresbytery of Glasgow (Church of Scotland)The Presbytery of Glasgow one of the 46 Presbyteries of the Church of Scotland. It dates back to the earliest periods of Presbyterian church government in the Church of Scotland in the late 16th century...
- :Category:Presbyterian churches in Europe