What we believe

St Machar's Ranfurly Church is a Church of Scotland congregation. The Church of Scotland is sometimes described as a 'broad church', meaning that within the range of congregations there is a wide variety of beliefs and practices in worship. These range from liberal to evangelical in terms of beliefs, and from traditional to modern in terms of liturgy and every mix in between! St Machar's Ranfurly Church is probably best described as 'happy to be in the middle' on all of these spectrums. What each individual believes will vary, of course, and we encourage questioning, study and conversation about matters of faith. We also acknowledge that experiencing doubt comes with the very enterprise of faith and doesn't rule anyone out of being part of the church. 

To give you an idea of the core beliefs of the Christian faith that we hold, we have taken the following from the Church of Scotland main website:

 

What we believe:

Our standards of belief are to be found in the Old and New Testament and in the Church's historic Westminster Confession of Faith. For a brief summary of our beliefs, it is useful to look at the Apostles' Creed, which is used by many churches in declaring Christian faith:

"I believe in God the Father Almighty,

maker of Heaven and Earth

and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,  

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead,

he ascended into Heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the Holy Catholic Church;

the Communion of Saints;

the Forgiveness of Sins;

the Resurrection of the Body;

and the Life Everlasting."

 

Church of Scotland statement

This creedal statement was approved by the General Assembly of 1992. You can find this statement in the Church's worship book, Common Order. It is used alongside the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, ancient creeds of the church:

We believe in one God:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God is love.

We praise God the Father:
Who created the universe and keeps it in being.
He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy, 
Living together in justice and peace,
Caring for his world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
Born of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us, sharing our life and our death. He made known God's compassion and mercy
Giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all.
By his death on the cross and by his resurrection He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
Who unites us to Christ and gives life to the Church;
Who brings us to repentance and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guide us in our; understanding of the bible, 
Renews us in the sacraments
And calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
We have sure and certain hope of resurrection through Christ, and we look for his coming again to judge the world.
Then all things wilI be made new.
And creation will rejoice in worshiping the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit,
one God, blessed for ever. 
Amen.

Westminster confession of faith

The Westminster Confession of Faith asserts the real presence in the Sacrament, the supreme authority of God’s Word, and the catholicity of the Church, made distinctive by three characteristics: the true preaching of the Word, the right administration of the Sacraments, and discipline.

The Westminster Confession of 1647 superseded but did not cancel out the original Scots Confession of 1560, drawn up by six 'Johns': Knox, Willock, Winram, Spottiswoode, Row, and Douglas in supposedly six days, which was accepted by Presbyterians and Episcopalians alike.

The full Confession of Faith was agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and examined and approved in 1647 by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and ratified by Acts of Parliament in 1649 and 1690.

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