Scots' Church, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
The Scots' Church, a Presbyterian church in Melbourne
, Australia
, was the first Presbyterian Church to be built in the Port Phillip District
(now the state of Victoria). It is located in Collins Street
and is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia
. It has been described as "an icon for well over a hundred years."
was recruited to come to Australia as a Presbyterian Minister by the Rev John Dunmore Lang
, arriving in Melbourne from Sydney by boat on 20 January 1838. He found that retired Church of Scotland
minister Rev James Clow
had arrived on 25 December 1837 and had commenced an afternoon service between 2 and 4 according to Presbyterian forms in a basic building constructed west of William Street and north of Little Collins Street (now the site of the AMP centre). Clow had been a Church of Scotland chaplain in Bombay but had retired and was of independent means. He had intended to settle in South Australia but when he stopped en route in Hobart the positive reports about Port Phillip led him to visit in October 1837 and then settle permanently.
and Little Collins Street
. The Church of England
soon made exclusive claims to this communal building and so Forbes held services in Craig and Broadfoot's store in Collins Street until a temporary timber building called Scots Church was opened on the adjoining land loaned by David Fisher in July 1838. The site was between where the Olderfleet and Rialto buildings were subsequently erected (Lot 14 Section 2). It was essentially a large room with a fireplace.
On Saturday 3 February 1838 a meeting of members and friends of the Church of Scotland was held with James Clow in the chair. It was resolved to build a church and that £300 be raised in order to obtain the matching grant available under the Church Act. This is regarded as the official birthday of Presbyterianism in Victoria and of the beginning of Scots’ Church. A committee of James Clow (treasurer), James Forbes and Skene Graig (secretaries) was appointed to collect subscriptions and to take the steps to obtain a church site. The sum of £139.19.0 was subscribed on the spot.
Scots Church secured a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets
as a Government grant. When the site was allocated, the elders objected that it was "too far out of town".
The temporary building also served as the Scots' Church School which relocated to new brick premises in September 1839 on the western part of the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets adjoining the present Baptist Church and on which the George's department store was later erected.
James Forbes built a simple manse
(minister's house) on the site where the Assembly Hall now stands and was later reimbursed.It was replaced by a two-stoey manse in 1852 during the ministry of Rev Irving Hetherington. The manse was sold to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria for 5,000 pounds in about 1913. In 2007 the Assembly Hall was bought by the Scots' Church Properties Trust to be renovated for use as congregational offices and meeting halls following the proposed demolition of the Scots' Church Hall in Russell Street and the heritage listed Scots' Church Car Park and the redevelopment of the site with a 10 story building.
The first church building was demolished partly because of concerns that the tower and spire
would collapse after it developed huge cracks and became crooked. During the ministry of Rev Peter Menzies (1868–74) the building was too small for the congregation but in any case a building more suited to the site and the social position of the congregation was considered appropriate.
of the firm Reed and Barnes, and built by David Mitchell
, the father of Dame Nellie Melba
. Reed and Barnes also designed the Melbourne Town Hall
, the State Library of Victoria
, Trades Hall, the Royal Exhibition Building
, the Wesley Church
in Lonsdale Street
, the original Presbyterian Ladies' College
in East Melbourne
, and Collins Street Independent Church, now St. Michael’s Uniting Church
, on the opposite corner of Russell Street.
Scots' is in the Neo-Gothic
style and built of Barrabool freestone, with dressings
in Kakanui stone from New Zealand
. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the spire of Scots' Church was the tallest structure in Melbourne at about 210 feet from the ground. The interior features the large stained glass window
depicting the Last Supper, basalt asile columns, timber beamed roof and an elevated floor for a good view of the pulpit
.
Laid up in the church are two sets of Regimental Colours of the Australian 5th Battalion
, The Victorian Scottish Regiment, which include the honour LANDING at ANZAC.
The crest & flag of Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies
are located near lectern. Queen Elizabeth II was present for the presentation by Dame Pattie Menzies
in 1983. Queen Elizabeth had been accompanied by Sir Robert in 1961 when they visited Scots' to unveil a war memorial mosaic in the vestible near the entrance.
, while Robin Batterham
is the assistant organist.
at Scots' was built in 1883 by Hill and Son. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1910 by George Fincham
and Sons and rebuilt again in 1959. The organ was removed for storage in 1999. The present organ was built in 1998 by Rieger Orgelbau
, Schwarzach, Austria
.
of Scots' Church has been under Lawrence's direction since 1984. He had started the Choir of Ormond College
(University of Melbourne) in 1982 and raised the standard at Scot’s considerably. The Choir released their first recording in 1987: Joy my Heart Outpoured. Scots' Choir consists of four principals, eight choral scholars and other members. Dame Nellie Melba reputedly started and finished her singing career in the choir at Scot's Church, and her funeral was taken from Scots' in February 1931.
, who, as well as being involved in the foundation of Scots' Church, was instrumental in the establishment of John Knox Free Presbyterian Church
on Swanston Street (now housing a Church of Christ
congregation), Scotch College
, Royal Melbourne Hospital
, and the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute
.
Rev Charles Strong
became the minister in 1875. His theology was questioned after the publication of an article in the Victorian Review entitled "The Atonement", but he resigned from Scots' Church before the Presbyterian Church of Victoria heard the case.
Scots' Church is currently served by a senior minister, Rev Douglas Robertson, and a minister to the central business district, Rev Richard O'Brien. Rev Geoffrey Blackburn
serves as the pastoral care minister.
Historically, most of the senior ministers at Scots' Church have been trained or served in the Church of Scotland, including Robertson, who first worked at Scots' as an assistant minister between 1991 and 1994. He returned to Scotland to take up the position of Parish Minister in Appin And Lismore, North Argyll, but was then called by the congregation of Scots' Church to come back to Melbourne and serve as senior minister from February 2001. Robertson recently served as moderator
of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.
As in any church with a Presbyterian structure
, the ministers of Scots' govern and care for the congregation with a body of Church Elders called the Session.
Every few years, a visiting preacher spends some time at Scots' under the terms of the Turnbull Trust. Past preachers have included Hugh Black
, Lauchlan MacLean Watt
, and James S. Stewart
. The most recent Turnbull Trust preacher is David Lunan
.
. A lunchtime service for innercity workers is held at 1pm every Wednesday. From time to time prominent members of the community are invited preach at this service. Australian golfer Aaron Baddeley
spoke in 2006, while Professor Ian Harper
spoke in 2007. On the Wednesday before the AFL Grand Final
, Scots' hosts a Grand Final Service. Shaun Hart
spoke at this service in 2009.
An Indonesian language service is held every Sunday at 5:15pm. On 1 April 2007, the congregation known as the Indonesian Christian Church officially joined Scots'.
, the ministers and elders of Scots' Church are required to ascribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith
, the major English statement of Calvinistic Christianity, read in the light of a Declaratory Statement
explanatory of certain clauses and which also allows liberty of opinion on matters not essential to the doctrine taught in the Confession.
Members are not required to ascribe to the Westminster Confession, but, if they are not already a member of a Christian church, are admitted to membership by making a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to the church.
in May 2005.
In September 2008, Francis Macnab
of St Michael's Uniting Church
launched what he called a "new faith" with a $120,000 advertising campaign including posters reading, "The Ten Commandments, one of the most negative documents ever written."
The Session of Scots' Church published a reply defending the Ten Commandments from "[t]he most incredible publicity war... being waged against the historic Christian faith." They installed a poster on their Russell Street frontage facing towards St. Michael's, outlining the influence of the Ten Commandments and calling it "the most positive and influential document ever written."
37.81478°N 144.96902°W
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, was the first Presbyterian Church to be built in the Port Phillip District
Port Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
(now the state of Victoria). It is located in Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
and is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
. It has been described as "an icon for well over a hundred years."
Background
The Rev James ForbesJames Forbes (minister)
James Forbes was a Scottish-Australian Presbyterian minister and educator. He was the first Christian minister to settle in Melbourne, holding the first Presbyterian service there in 1838...
was recruited to come to Australia as a Presbyterian Minister by the Rev John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang , Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist, was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism.-Background and Family:...
, arriving in Melbourne from Sydney by boat on 20 January 1838. He found that retired Church of Scotland
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....
minister Rev James Clow
James Clow
James Clow was a minister, and the first white settler in the area which now consists of the outer-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia....
had arrived on 25 December 1837 and had commenced an afternoon service between 2 and 4 according to Presbyterian forms in a basic building constructed west of William Street and north of Little Collins Street (now the site of the AMP centre). Clow had been a Church of Scotland chaplain in Bombay but had retired and was of independent means. He had intended to settle in South Australia but when he stopped en route in Hobart the positive reports about Port Phillip led him to visit in October 1837 and then settle permanently.
Original church
Forbes continued the Presbyterian services commenced by Clow on 31 December 1837 in the Pioneers Church near the north west corner of William StreetWilliam Street, Melbourne
William Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north-south from Flinders Street to Victoria Street, and is located in the western half of the Hoddle Grid....
and Little Collins Street
Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Little Collins Street is a minor street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.The street runs parallel to and to the north of Collins Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main street....
. The Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
soon made exclusive claims to this communal building and so Forbes held services in Craig and Broadfoot's store in Collins Street until a temporary timber building called Scots Church was opened on the adjoining land loaned by David Fisher in July 1838. The site was between where the Olderfleet and Rialto buildings were subsequently erected (Lot 14 Section 2). It was essentially a large room with a fireplace.
On Saturday 3 February 1838 a meeting of members and friends of the Church of Scotland was held with James Clow in the chair. It was resolved to build a church and that £300 be raised in order to obtain the matching grant available under the Church Act. This is regarded as the official birthday of Presbyterianism in Victoria and of the beginning of Scots’ Church. A committee of James Clow (treasurer), James Forbes and Skene Graig (secretaries) was appointed to collect subscriptions and to take the steps to obtain a church site. The sum of £139.19.0 was subscribed on the spot.
Scots Church secured a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
as a Government grant. When the site was allocated, the elders objected that it was "too far out of town".
The temporary building also served as the Scots' Church School which relocated to new brick premises in September 1839 on the western part of the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets adjoining the present Baptist Church and on which the George's department store was later erected.
First Scots' Church
The foundation stone of the first purpose built church building was laid on 22 January 1841 and it was opened on 3 October 1841. It was designed to seat 500 and the contract sum was £2,485 without plastering, gallery, vestry or fittings. The building was opened with temporary seating. Plastering was carried out the following year, proper pews, gallery and vestry were added in 1849 and a spire some years later.James Forbes built a simple manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
(minister's house) on the site where the Assembly Hall now stands and was later reimbursed.It was replaced by a two-stoey manse in 1852 during the ministry of Rev Irving Hetherington. The manse was sold to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria for 5,000 pounds in about 1913. In 2007 the Assembly Hall was bought by the Scots' Church Properties Trust to be renovated for use as congregational offices and meeting halls following the proposed demolition of the Scots' Church Hall in Russell Street and the heritage listed Scots' Church Car Park and the redevelopment of the site with a 10 story building.
The first church building was demolished partly because of concerns that the tower and spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
would collapse after it developed huge cracks and became crooked. During the ministry of Rev Peter Menzies (1868–74) the building was too small for the congregation but in any case a building more suited to the site and the social position of the congregation was considered appropriate.
Current Building
Construction of the current building took place between 1871 and 1874, during the ministry of Rev Irving Hetherington and his colleague Rev Peter Menzies, and was opened on 29 November 1874 with fixed seating for about 900. It was designed by Joseph ReedJoseph Reed (architect)
Joseph Reed , a Cornishman by birth, was probably the most influential Victorian era architect in Melbourne, Australia. He established a practice, Reed and Barnes in Melbourne in 1852. The practice now known as Bates Smart is one of the oldest continually operating in the world.Reed's buildings...
of the firm Reed and Barnes, and built by David Mitchell
David Mitchell (builder)
David Mitchell was a Scottish-Australian builder. He was born in Forfarshire, Scotland. He left for Australia, arriving in Melbourne on 24 July 1852....
, the father of Dame Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
. Reed and Barnes also designed the Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne Town Hall is the central municipal building of the City of Melbourne, Australia, in the State of Victoria. It is located on the northeast corner of Swanston and Collins Streets, in the central business district. It is the seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Melbourne...
, the State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria
The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
, Trades Hall, the Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
, the Wesley Church
Wesley Church, Melbourne
Wesley Church is a Uniting Church in the centre of Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Australia.Wesley Church was originally built as the central church of the Wesleyan movement in Victoria. It is named after John Wesley , the founder of Methodism...
in Lonsdale Street
Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Lonsdale Street is located in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid, it runs roughly east-west. Lonsdale Street's eastern end intersects with Spring Street while its western end intersects with Spencer Street. It is home to multiple office buildings, courts,...
, the original Presbyterian Ladies' College
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne , is an independent,private, Presbyterian, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in East Melbourne
East Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, adjacent to Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,330....
, and Collins Street Independent Church, now St. Michael’s Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
, on the opposite corner of Russell Street.
Scots' is in the Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style and built of Barrabool freestone, with dressings
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
in Kakanui stone from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the spire of Scots' Church was the tallest structure in Melbourne at about 210 feet from the ground. The interior features the large stained glass window
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
depicting the Last Supper, basalt asile columns, timber beamed roof and an elevated floor for a good view of the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
.
Laid up in the church are two sets of Regimental Colours of the Australian 5th Battalion
Australian 5th Battalion
The 5th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in Victoria as part of the First Australian Imperial Force for service during World War I, the battalion formed part of the 2nd Brigade, attached to the 1st Division...
, The Victorian Scottish Regiment, which include the honour LANDING at ANZAC.
The crest & flag of Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
are located near lectern. Queen Elizabeth II was present for the presentation by Dame Pattie Menzies
Pattie Menzies
Dame Pattie Maie Menzies GBE was the wife of Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies.-Biography:...
in 1983. Queen Elizabeth had been accompanied by Sir Robert in 1961 when they visited Scots' to unveil a war memorial mosaic in the vestible near the entrance.
Music
The Director of Music and principal organist since 1984 is Douglas LawrenceDouglas Lawrence
Douglas Lawrence OAM is an Australian organist who is Director of Music at the Scots' Church, Melbourne and Teacher of the Organ at the University of Melbourne. He founded and directs the Australian Baroque Ensemble and the . He also founded the Choir of Ormond College...
, while Robin Batterham
Robin Batterham
Robin John Batterham AO is an Australian scientist specialising in chemical engineering. He was the Chief Scientist of Australia from 1999 to 2006....
is the assistant organist.
Organ
The first pipe organPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
at Scots' was built in 1883 by Hill and Son. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1910 by George Fincham
George Fincham
George Fincham & Sons was an Australian company that designed and built pipe organs.It was a family run company, founded in 1862 by George Fincham and based in Melbourne, Australia. The company has completed many projects in more than a century of organ building...
and Sons and rebuilt again in 1959. The organ was removed for storage in 1999. The present organ was built in 1998 by Rieger Orgelbau
Rieger Orgelbau
Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian firm of organ builders, known generally as Rieger. The firm was founded by Franz Rieger. From 1873 it was known as Rieger & Söhne, and from 1879 as Gebrüder Rieger, after his sons took over. At the end of World War II, the firm was nationalised by the Czech government...
, Schwarzach, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Choir
The ChoirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of Scots' Church has been under Lawrence's direction since 1984. He had started the Choir of Ormond College
Choir of Ormond College
The Choir of Ormond College, the University of Melbourne, was founded by Douglas Lawrence in 1982. It was an eight-part choir with twenty four choral scholars, who were both residents and non-residents of the College...
(University of Melbourne) in 1982 and raised the standard at Scot’s considerably. The Choir released their first recording in 1987: Joy my Heart Outpoured. Scots' Choir consists of four principals, eight choral scholars and other members. Dame Nellie Melba reputedly started and finished her singing career in the choir at Scot's Church, and her funeral was taken from Scots' in February 1931.
Ministers
The first minister of Scots' Church was Rev James ForbesJames Forbes (minister)
James Forbes was a Scottish-Australian Presbyterian minister and educator. He was the first Christian minister to settle in Melbourne, holding the first Presbyterian service there in 1838...
, who, as well as being involved in the foundation of Scots' Church, was instrumental in the establishment of John Knox Free Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia is a Presbyterian denomination which was formed in Sydney on 10 October 1846 by three ministers and a ruling elder...
on Swanston Street (now housing a Church of Christ
Churches of Christ in Australia
The Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
congregation), Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The Royal Melbourne Hospital , located in Parkville, Victoria an inner suburb of Melbourne is one of Australia’s leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research...
, and the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute
Athenaeum, Melbourne
The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is one of the oldest public institutions in Victoria, Australia, founded in 1839. The first President was Captain William Lonsdale, the first Patron was the Superintendent of Port Philip, Charles La Trobe and the first books were donated by Vice-President Henry...
.
Rev Charles Strong
Charles Strong
Charles Strong was a Scottish-born Australian preacher and first minister of the Australian Church.-Early life:...
became the minister in 1875. His theology was questioned after the publication of an article in the Victorian Review entitled "The Atonement", but he resigned from Scots' Church before the Presbyterian Church of Victoria heard the case.
Scots' Church is currently served by a senior minister, Rev Douglas Robertson, and a minister to the central business district, Rev Richard O'Brien. Rev Geoffrey Blackburn
Geoffrey Blackburn
Geoffrey Herbert Blackburn OAM is a Baptist minister, who served as Secretary and President General of the Baptist Union of Australia....
serves as the pastoral care minister.
Historically, most of the senior ministers at Scots' Church have been trained or served in the Church of Scotland, including Robertson, who first worked at Scots' as an assistant minister between 1991 and 1994. He returned to Scotland to take up the position of Parish Minister in Appin And Lismore, North Argyll, but was then called by the congregation of Scots' Church to come back to Melbourne and serve as senior minister from February 2001. Robertson recently served as moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a presbyterian or reformed church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator....
of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.
As in any church with a Presbyterian structure
Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...
, the ministers of Scots' govern and care for the congregation with a body of Church Elders called the Session.
Every few years, a visiting preacher spends some time at Scots' under the terms of the Turnbull Trust. Past preachers have included Hugh Black
Hugh Black (theologian)
Hugh Black was a Scottish-American theologian and author.Black was born on March 26, 1868 in Rothesay, Scotland. He received a Master of Arts degree from Glasgow University in 1887, and studied divinity at Free Church College in Glasgow from 1887 until 1891. Black was ordained in 1891 and became...
, Lauchlan MacLean Watt
Lauchlan MacLean Watt
Lauchlan MacLean Watt was the minister of Glasgow Cathedral from 1923-44, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1933. He was a published poet and author, and respected as a literary critic....
, and James S. Stewart
James S. Stewart
James Stuart Stewart was a minister of the Church of Scotland. He taught New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at the University of Edinburgh ....
. The most recent Turnbull Trust preacher is David Lunan
David Lunan
David Ward Lunan is a Church of Scotland minister. On 30 October 2007 was he nominated to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2008-9, formally being elected as Moderator on the first day of the Assembly ....
.
Services
Services are held on every Sunday of the year. A traditional service is held at 11:00am and a contemporary service known as engage city church (formerly known as sevententhirty) at 5pm at 156 Collins Street. Communion is held on the first Sunday of each season (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer) and on Easter SundayEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
. A lunchtime service for innercity workers is held at 1pm every Wednesday. From time to time prominent members of the community are invited preach at this service. Australian golfer Aaron Baddeley
Aaron Baddeley
Aaron John Baddeley is an American-Australian professional golfer. He was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA and now plays on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, has joint U.S. and Australian citizenship and was raised in Australia from the age of two...
spoke in 2006, while Professor Ian Harper
Ian Harper
Ian Harper FASSA FAICD is an Australian economist. He was the inaugural chairman of the Australian Fair Pay Commission before that body was abolished in 2009....
spoke in 2007. On the Wednesday before the AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
, Scots' hosts a Grand Final Service. Shaun Hart
Shaun Hart
Shaun Hart is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire Australian Football League at the Brisbane Lions where he was a premiership winning utility player known for his courage...
spoke at this service in 2009.
An Indonesian language service is held every Sunday at 5:15pm. On 1 April 2007, the congregation known as the Indonesian Christian Church officially joined Scots'.
Theology
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of AustraliaPresbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
, the ministers and elders of Scots' Church are required to ascribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
, the major English statement of Calvinistic Christianity, read in the light of a Declaratory Statement
Basis of Union (Presbyterian Church of Australia)
The Basis of Union of the Presbyterian Church of Australia is the document under which the constituent state churches agreed to unite at its first General Assembly on 24 July 1901, and is still a foundational text for the Uniting Church....
explanatory of certain clauses and which also allows liberty of opinion on matters not essential to the doctrine taught in the Confession.
Members are not required to ascribe to the Westminster Confession, but, if they are not already a member of a Christian church, are admitted to membership by making a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and their commitment to the church.
Ecumenism
Scots' Church has participated in a number of ecumenical activities. Two Catholics have preached from the pulpit of Scots' Church: the Archbishop of Melbourne, Sir Frank Little, in 1974 and Bishop Mark ColeridgeMark Benedict Coleridge
Mark Benedict Coleridge DD B.A. DSS is the Catholic Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn, Australia. He was previously Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, Australia.-Early life:...
in May 2005.
Francis Macnab & the Ten Commandments
Francis Macnab
Francis Macnab is the Executive Minister at St Michael's Uniting Church, a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia in Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia, and a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar.-Personal:...
of St Michael's Uniting Church
St Michael's Uniting Church, Melbourne
St. Michael’s Uniting Church is a Uniting Church in Australia church in Collins St in central Melbourne, Australia. Originally the Collins Street Independent Church, a Congregational Union of Australia church, and later Collins Street Uniting Church, it has become well known as a centre of liberal...
launched what he called a "new faith" with a $120,000 advertising campaign including posters reading, "The Ten Commandments, one of the most negative documents ever written."
The Session of Scots' Church published a reply defending the Ten Commandments from "[t]he most incredible publicity war... being waged against the historic Christian faith." They installed a poster on their Russell Street frontage facing towards St. Michael's, outlining the influence of the Ten Commandments and calling it "the most positive and influential document ever written."
External links
- Scots' Church home page
- The Choir of Scots' Church at Move Records
- Catholic bishop preaches at Scots'
Photos
- Design for the new Presbyterian Church, Collins Street, 1872 from wood engraving. From the State Library of Victoria
- Scots' Church in 1877 by Nicholas J. Caire. From the National Library of Australia
- Scots' in situ, Collins Street 1880s. From the National Library of Victoria
- Original pulpit from the State Library of Victoria
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from east
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from east II
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from west
- Scots' Church today. Exterior from west at night
37.81478°N 144.96902°W