Cross Denominational Mission
The
Scottish Episcopal Church (formerly Episcopal Church in Scotland) is a
Christian denomination in Scotland with a long and varied history. A
member of the Anglican Communion, it consists of seven dioceses in
Scotland. Like all Anglican churches, it recognizes the supremacy of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Incorporated in 1712, the Scottish Episcopal
Church can trace its origins to medieval times. It is a thoroughly
Scottish institution and
is neither Roman nor English. It did not 'come out' of the Church of
England and so is
not a Daughter Church in the Anglican communion. For many centuries,
the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of England grew side by
side, although not always amicably. Also, the American Episcopal Church
(Anglican) 'came out' of the Scottish Episcopal Church rather than the
Church of England! (see below).
Early Origin
About 563AD St Columba travelled from Ireland to Scotland with twelve
companions, landing on the
Kintyre peninsula. From there St Columba and his party moved further
north up the west coast to the island of Iona off the west coast of
Scotland which became the centre of his evangelising mission to the
Picts. Establishing a church and monastry here, Iona was the only
centre of learning and literacy in the
region. St Columba's reputation as a holy man led to him becoming a
diplomat among the tribes; there are also a number of stories of
miracles
which he performed during his work to convert the Picts. He won the
local tribal king's respect and subsequently played a major role in the
politics
of the country. The evangelical work continued: several churches
in the Hebrides were planted and the monastery at Iona opened a school
for missionaries. He
was a renowned man of letters, having written several hymns and being
credited with having transcribed 300 books personally. He died at
and is buried in the abbey at Iona which he established. The church in
Scotland
continued to grow in the following cenutries, and in the 11th century,
St Margaret would strengthen the church's relationship with the Roman
Catholic
Church, which would last 400 or so years.
Reformation
The Reformation in Scotland happened
around 1560. From then, the church in Scotland broke with Rome, in
a process of Protestant reform led by, among others, John Knox. It
reformed its doctrines and government, drawing on the principles of
John Calvin which Knox had been exposed to while living in Switzerland.
At this time the Scottish Parliament abolished papal jurisdiction
approving instead Calvin's Confession of Faith. However, they did not
accept many of the
principles laid out in Knox's First Book of Discipline. One area of
disagreement was that all the assets of the old church should
pass to the new. The 1560 Reformation Settlement Act was not ratified
by
the crown until 12 years later. The form of church government also
remained unresolved. In 1572 the acts of 1560 were finally approved by
King James VI (who would also become King James I of England: he wore
both crowns), but the Concordat of Leith allowed the crown
to appoint bishops with the church's approval. John Knox was unclear on
the office of bishop: whilst not seeking to dissolve the bishopric, he
preferred to see them renamed as
'superintendents'. The new Concordat of Leith was resented amongst some
and a Presbyterian
party emerged led by Andrew Melville, who wrote the church's Second
Book
of Discipline. The Scottish Episcopal Church became a seperate entity
in
1582 when the Church of Scotland rejected episcopal government (by
bishops), and adopted full presbyterian government (by elders) and
reformed theology. Scottish monarchs made repeated efforts to retain
bishops, and two church traditions began.
Episcopal structure endures
In
1584 King James VI of Scotland (he was not yet King of England) had the
Parliament of Scotland pass the Black
Acts bringing the Kirk under royal control with two bishops. This met
with fierce opposition and he was forced to concede that the General
Assembly continue to run the church. Calvinists reacted
against the formal liturgy and Episcopalian structure.
After acceding to the English throne in 1603 King James wound up the
General
Assembly. He then increased the number of Scottish Bishops
and in 1618 held a meeting which he called a General Assembly and
pushed through Five Articles of
Episcopalian practices which were widely hated and hence boycotted. King Jame's son,
Charles I
was crowned in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, in 1633 with full
Anglican rites. Charles attempted to introduce a Scottish
version of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer in 1637,
written by Archishop Laud (which drew from the first of Thomas Cranmer's
reformation books and was very likely to offend the Calvinistic Scots).
When this was
used in the King's presence in St. Giles, Edinburgh, it set off a
revolt which led to the Wars of the
Three Kingdoms, the Bishops Wars and led to the
English Civil War.
When the Scottish bishops refused to recognize
William III in 1689, presbyterianism was re-established
in the Church of Scotland. However, the Comprehension Act of 1690
allowed episcopalian clergy to take an Oath of Allegiance and to
retain their benefices, but excluded them from any share in the
government of the Church of Scotland (unless they renounced the episcopy and made a declaration of
presbyterian principles). Many 'non-jurors' as these episcopal clergy were called succeeded for a time in
retaining the use of the parish churches.
The
excluded bishops
were slow to organize the episcopalian remnant to be a church
independent of the state. They regarded the arrangements as temporary,
hoping in future a reconstituted national episcopal
Church under a 'legitimate' sovereign would be recognised (note: look
up Jacobitism). Several collegiate bishops, known as prelates, were
consecrated without sees (that is in this case without having oversight of a
diocese), to preserve
the succession (see Apostolic Succession). Eventually, they recognised
that the Stuart cause would not succeed; moreover, the number of
congregations forming outside of the established church forced the
bishops to
accept canonical jurisdiction seperate from royal prerogative and they
reconstituted themselves into a territorial episcopate. The Anglican Book
of Common Prayer came into general use at start of William
and Mary's reign. A book called the Scottish Communion Office, compiled
by the Scottish episcopalians, and based on primitive models,
had varying degrees of
authority.
At the formation of the United Kingdom
When
Charles Stuart died things became better for the Church. In 1712 Queen
Anne passed an act that protected the Episcopal Communion, which at a
stroke incorporated it as a distinct society. Remember that the
presbyterian Scottish church, which was seen by many as the 'proper'
church was also very active at this time. Matters were further
complicated by a considerable, although declining, number of
episcopalian clergy holding the parish churches. Moreover, the Jacobite
tendancies of the episcopalians provoked a state policy of repression
in 1715 and again in 1745. This
fostered the growth of congregations which looked to the Hanoverian
theologians, and led by clergy
episcopally ordained but answerable to no bishop, who qualified
themselves under this act of 1712. This act was further modified in
1746
and 1748 to exclude clergymen ordained in Scotland. This caused
the reduction of the Episcopalians, who at the Revolution included a
large
section of the population, to today a small but significant minority.
The official
recognition of George III on the death of Charles Edward Stuart in
1788, removed many obstacles. The qualified congregations
were gradually absorbed, though traces of this ecclesiastical solecism
may still be traced. In 1792 the penal laws were repealed, but clerical
disabilities were only finally removed in 1864. In 1784 Samuel Seabury,
the first bishop of the American Episcopal Church, was consecrated at
Aberdeen. Seabury had been refused consecration by the Church of
England.
A Theological College was founded in 1810,
incorporated with Trinity College, Glenalmond, in 1848, and
re-established at Edinburgh in 1876. Theological training is now
provided by the various dioceses and is supervised by the Theological
Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The
Episcopal Church in Scotland as it was then called comprised of 356
congregations, with a total
membership of 124,335 and 324 working clergy in 1900. Membership did
not grow in the following decades as was hoped. In
1995, the Scottish Episcopal Church embarked on a process
known as Mission 21. This is a renewal plan with a missionary emphasis
within the
congregations of the church throughout Scotland. This is called 'Making
Your Church More Inviting', a program which has
now been adopted by many congregations. Mission 21 also reaches out to
new populations which have previously not had contact with the church,
and as part of this changing patterns of ministry have been
embraced.
Leadership
The Primus, styled The Most
Revd the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is the elected presiding
bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church has the following duties:
to preside at all Provincial Liturgical Functions to preside at all meetings of the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church to preside at all meetings of the Episcopal Synod to declare and carry out the resolutions of the General Synod, the Episcopal Synod and the College of Bishops to represent the Scottish Episcopal Church in its relation to all other Churches of the Anglican Communion and other Communions to perform the functions and duties of Primus as specified in the Canons of the Scottish Episcopal Church to
correspond on behalf of the Scottish Episcopal Church with Primates,
Metropolitans and the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative
Council.
The
Primus does not have any metropolitan jurisdiction, metropolitan
responsibilities are held by the diocesan bishops instead. The
last leader of the Scottish Episcopal Church who was Primate and
Metropolitan was Archbishop Ross of St Andrews
(died 1704).
Bishops
Unlike the
Church of England, the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church are
elected. The election procedure involves clergy and lay representatives
of the vacant diocese voting at an Electoral Synod. Each diocese (except
Edinburgh, which was founded by Charles I) is a pre-Reformation see. While no
existing ministry can claim regular historic continuity with the
ancient hierarchy of Scotland, the bishops of the Episcopal Church are
direct successors of the prelates consecrated to Scottish sees at the
Restoration.
Representative bodies
The College of Bishops
constitutes the episcopal synod, the church's supreme court of appeal. This
synod elects from among its own members a presiding Bishop who has the
title of Primus (from the Latin: Primus
inter pares — 'First among equals'). The Primus has the style but not
the functions of a metropolitan. The Primus is addressed Most Reverend,
while the other bishops are addressed Right Reverend.
The church
is governed by the General Synod. This consists of the House of
Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity. The General Synod
makes canon (church) law, administers finance and monitors the work of the
boards and committees of the Church. Most decisions are arrived at by a
simple majority of members of the General Synod voting together. More
complex legislation, such as changes to the Code of Canons requires
each of the Houses to agree and to vote in favour with a two-thirds
majority.
Each diocese has its synod of the clergy and laity.
Its dean (similar to an archdeacon in the Church of England) is
appointed by the bishop, and, on the voidance of the see, summons the
diocesan synod, at the instance of the primus, to choose a bishop. Each
diocese has one or more (some dioceses are united)
cathedrals. The senior priest of a Scottish Episcopal cathedral is
styled 'provost' (as the title of 'dean' is given to the senior priest
of the diocese as a whole, see above). The only exception
is the Cathedral of the Isles on the island of Cumbrae which is led by
a member of the clergy styled as 'precentor'. Diocesan deans and
cathedral provosts (and precentor) are addressed as Very Reverend.
The
Scottish Episcopal Church embraces the episcopal orders of ministry:
deacon,
priest and bishop. Interestingly, given the history of the Episcopal
and the Presbyterian churches of the Scottish, see above, their priests
are also called 'presbyters'. This term is used in other episcopal
churches; it is interesting here because the disagreements over
episcopal or presbyerian incumbents in the parishes of Scotland in the
17th century.
Liturgy
In
addition to the Book of Common Prayer and the Scottish Prayer Book of
1929, the church has a number of
other liturgies available to it. In recent years, revised Funeral Rites
have appeared, along with liturgies for Christian Initiation (e.g.
Baptism and Affirmation) and Marriage. The Eucharistic rite of 1982
includes Eucharistic prayers for the various seasons in the
Liturgical Year and is commonly known as "The Blue Book" - because of
the colour of its covers. A further Eucharistic prayer is provided
in the Marriage liturgy.
Doctrine and practice
The Scottish Episcopal Church is Anglican and follows Anglican doctrine
The
central teaching of the Scottish Episcopal Church is the life and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basic teachings of the church, or
catechism, includes:
Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected from the dead.
Jesus provides the way of eternal life for those who believe.
The
Old and New Testaments of the Bible were written by people "under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit". The Apocrypha are additional books
that are used in Christian worship, but not for the formation of
doctrine.
The two great and necessary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
Other sacramental rites are confirmation, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction.
Belief in heaven, hell, and Jesus's return in glory.
The
threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition,
and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a
dynamic way. This balance of scripture, tradition and reason is
traced to the work of Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century apologist. In
Hooker's model, scripture is the primary means of arriving at doctrine
and things stated plainly in scripture are accepted as true. Issues
that are ambiguous are determined by tradition, which is checked by
reason.
Social Policy
The Scottish Episcopal
Church has been involved in Scottish politics and at the centre of Scottish politics for all of its history! The Church is an
opponent of nuclear weaponry. It supported devolution: it was one of
the parties involved in the Scottish Constitutional Convention, which
resulted in the setting up of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The
Church actively supports the work of the Scottish Churches
Parliamentary Office in Edinburgh and the Society, Religion and
Technology Project. In some areas, such as human sexuality, the
church has struggled. All orders of ministry are open to both
male and female candidates but as yet, no women have been elected to the
Episcopate and thus there are no bishops who are women. Debate
continues in the church over the
presence of lesbian and gay church members.
Like
many other Anglican churches, the Scottish Episcopal Church has entered
into full communion with the Old Catholics. The Scottish Episcopal
Church is also a member of the Porvoo Communion and is a member of
several ecumenical bodies, including Action of Churches Together in
Scotland and the World Council of Churches.
Links
Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church - Skye
Glasgow & Galloway Diocese
Iona Abbey (Historic Scotland site)