The Church in Scotland
Guide to resources for study and research into Christian denominations in Scotland
New College Library & the Church of Scotland
Library resources relating to the Church of Scotland will be found throughout in New College Library and also in the Main Library – check DiscoverEd.
Try browsing in :
- BR (Christianity)
- BT (Doctrinal Theology)
- BV (Practical Theology)
- BX (Christian denominations) especially BX 8901-9225 (Presbyterianism)
Books about the Church of Scotland
Search DiscoverEd to find print and electronic books. These include:
- The Clergy in Early Modern Scotland by A nuanced approach to the role played by clerics at a turbulent time for religious affairs. From the early percolation of Protestant thought in the sixteenth century through to the controversies and upheaval of the civil wars in the seventeenth century, the clergy were at the heart of religious change in Scotland. By exploring their lived experiences, and drawing upon historical, theological, and literary approaches, the essays here paint a fresh and vibrant portrait of ministry during the kingdom's long Reformation. The contributors investigate how clergy, as well as their families and flocks, experienced and negotiated religious, social, and political change; through examination of both wider themes and individual case studies, the chapters emphasise the flexibility of local decision-making and how ministers and their families were enmeshed in parish dynamics, while also highlighting the importance of clerical networks beyond the parish. What emerges is a ministry that, despite the increasing professionalisation of the role, maintained a degree of local autonomy and agency. The volume thus re-focuses attention on the early modern European ministry, offering a multifaceted and historically attuned understanding of those who stood at the forefront of Protestant reform.ISBN: 9781800102309
- From Reform to Renewal by This popular history offers a broad sweep of major themes in the story of the post-reformation Church of Scotland, century by eventful century. Accessible, informed and engaging, it is written for church people wishing to learn more of their story and also for general readers interested in the history of a significant Scottish institution.The headline events and key issues of each century are explored: . 16th - the aftermath of Reformation; John Knox and Mary Queen of Scots and the laying of foundations for a new presbyterian church;. 17th - the struggles between presbyterian democratic concepts of leadership and episcopacy, kirk and king, crown and covenant, leading to the 1690's establishment of the Kirk as the national church of Scotland;. 18th - official recognition of a separate Scottish EpiscopalChurch; fragmentation and splits within the presbyterian establishment; theological and political controversies underlying these;. 19th - the rise of foreign missions; development of biblical criticism;the major split of the 1843 Disruption;. 20th - the great reunion of 1929 followed by the kirk's 'glory days' with membership peaking mid-century 1.3 million and its subsequent decline; new ventures - the church extension movement, women's ordination, acceptance of gay ministers;. 21st - the renewal of mission, the work of the church today and tomorrow.ISBN: 9780861539765
- Mission by the People by How is Christianity to express itself in the public forum within Western nations? This book seeks answers through a historical retrieval of the dynamic mission in post-war Scotland of Tom Allan and his contemporaries: the Iona Community; the Gorbals Group Ministry inspired by the East Harlem Protestant Parish; and Robert Mackie, Ian Fraser and Scottish Churches House. Allan's missiology focused upon the apostolate of the laity: allowing ordinary people to express their faith in word and deed in a full contextualization of Christianity to seek a missionary parish of constant witness and service. The book examines his work in parish ministry, nationally as leader of the Tell Scotland Movement, and internationally with the WCC; and the rich sources and context of his missiology. Key questions are asked about tensions caused by the role of the church, and the effect of the Billy Graham "All Scotland Crusade," which Allan instigated, on the rapid decline in Christian adherence from the late fifties. His work is placed alongside his contemporaries, who took bold steps beyond those of Allan to relocate faith to the rhythms of the streets. Utilizing present day missiology as a lens, their inspiration leads to derivations and principles, offered as guideposts for Christian mission now.ISBN: 9781498232692
- Mission in contemporary Scotland : music ministries in the local church byISBN: 9781800830226
- Speaking from the Heart : essays on being the Church of Scotland by "We don't have to agree with our friends all the time, but it is certainly worth listening to what they want to tell you... You'll read Marjory's words with interest - especially the parts you disagree with!" -- Gordon Kennedy, Chairman of Forward Together, 2004-2008. "Marjory's insight and experience are wonderfully woven into these essays and if you don't learn something about yourself in them - then you have to read them again!" -- John Chalmers, Principal Clerk designate, 2010ISBN: 9781905565160
- Worship and Liturgy in Context byISBN: 9780334041689
Occasional reports and documents by the Church of Scotland
The Witness
The Witness was a twice-weekly Christian newspaper created by Hugh Miller, an influential writer, geologist and stone mason in 1840. Between 1840-1856, The Witness reported on current events, news and comment from across Scotland, including the Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843. This makes The Witness newspaper a fantastic primary source for this significant event in Scotland’s social and religious history,
Thanks to grant support from the Church of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh has been able to digiitise the entire New College Library run of The Witness. In total, we processed over 11,000 images as part of this project which can now all be found on our Image Collections Website.
Reports of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
- Church of Scotland General Assembly reports (2013-)Since 2013 Church of Scotland General Assembly reports have been freely available online
- Church of Scotland reports to the General Assembly (Blue Book)Call Number: Per CChurch of Scotland reports to the General Assembly up to 2013
- Church of Scotland Yearbook (Red Book)Call Number: Reference: Ref. BX9076 Chu.
Reports and documentation produced by the Church of Scotland General Assembly have had several different series and name changes over time. We have created a single complete sequence of Reports to the General Assembly at Per C, located on the New College Library Hall landing as you come in. Please note that some individual reports or separate sequences of General Assembly reports are also catalogued on DiscoverEd as parts of named Special Collections. Before you make an appointment or request to see General Assembly reports held in Special Collections, we recommend you check the open shelves first as this will enable you greater freedom of browsing access.
Searching the academic literature about the Church of Scotland
- Atla Religion database with ATLA serialsA comprehensive reference database designed to support religious and theological scholarship including the integration of the Atla Catholic Periodical and Literature Index
- Oxford Scholarly EditionsIncludes The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly 1643–1652.
- Twentieth Century Religious Thought - ChristianityTwentieth Century Religious Thought: Christianity is a multivolume, cross-searchable online collection that brings together the seminal works and archival materials related to key worldwide religious thinkers from the early 1900s until the turn of the 21st century.
Journals about the Church of Scotland
Search DiscoverEd to find print and electronic journals about the Church of Scotland. These include:
- The Church of Scotland home and foreign mission record.Call Number: Per C
- Church Service Society AnnualCall Number: Per C
- Life and Work (Edinburgh, Scotland)Call Number: Per L
- The Liturgical ReviewCall Number: Per L
- The Record (Journal of the Church Service Society)Call Number: Per C
- Records of the Scottish Church History SocietyCall Number: Per S
- The Scottish bulletin of evangelical theology.Call Number: Per S, Online
- Scottish Journal of TheologyCall Number: Per S
- Theology in ScotlandCall Number: Per T
New College Library Special Collections about the Church of Scotland
University of Edinburgh Heritage Collections
Foirm na nurrnuidheadh agas freasdal na sacramuinteadh (Knox, John. Gaelic Liturgy, 1567) Dd.10.44
The Heritage Collections teams preserve, provide access to and interpret the heritage collections looked after by the University. They are based at Centre for Research Collections (CRC), which supports access to rare books and manuscripts, University of Edinburgh archives, personal and institutional archives, University of Edinburgh PhD theses, art collections, and more. The Heritage Collections represent over four hundred years of collecting in the areas of theology and ethics.
The CRC is located on the 6th floor, Main Library.
Key Reference books about the Church of Scotland
Search DiscoverEd to find print and electronic reference books, or browse the shelves in the New College Library Hall. These include:
- Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae : the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation by "New edition"--t.p. Electronic version in PHP and PDF formats of the first six volumes of the 9 vol. work published: Edinburgh : Oliver & Boyd, 1915-1961. Includes indexes. Vol. 8 contains 1914-1929 plus addenda and corrigenda 1560-1949; vol. 9 edited by John Alexander Lamb; v. 10 edited by Donald Farquhar Macleod Macdonald, published by Saint Andrew Press; v. 11 edited by Finlay Angus John Macdonald, published by T&T Clark.Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781554933549
- Fasti ecclesiae Scoticanae : the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation. Volume XII, Ministers of the Church from 1 October 1999 to 30 September 2020Call Number: Ref. BX9099 Sco.Publication Date: 2021
- The Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology byCall Number: (REFERENCE) ; Ref. BR782 Dic.ISBN: 0830814078
- Book of Common Order by Common Order is the Church's book of services and resources for public worship drawing from a wide range of church traditions. It offers complete Orders of Service, devotional prayers, and additional resources such as Scripture sentences, collects and a three year lectionary.Call Number: (REFERENCE) ; Ref. BX9185 Chu.ISBN: 0715208306
- Church Hymnary by The new hymnal, widely known as CH4, consists of over 850 hymns and psalms and is the latest in a series published successively in 1898, 1927 and 1972. A considerable number of twentieth century items have been introduced from around the world, primarily the USA and New Zealand, but also translations and adaptations of little known material from countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Zimbabwe. These compliment the traditional and contemporary hymns and tunes from UK authors and composers. This volume is the Large Print Words edition.Call Number: (REFERENCE) ; Ref. BV431 Chu.ISBN: 1853116122
Historical Alumni Database
A database of brief information about New College students 1843-1943 is available through the Historical Alumni pages. Thanks to project grant funding from the Church of Scotland, entries have been annotated with some additional information from the Fasti.
New College Library does not hold transcripts of students’ academic records and is unable to provide any contact information for current or former students. For more information about historic student records, contact Heritage Collections :