Associated Presbyterian Churches

Although the APC was formed in 1989, its history may be traced back to the earliest Christian missionaries in Scotland and to the sixteenth century Reformation. Since then, the Scottish Presbyterian church has seen divisions and unions, two of which are significant to the APC, the formation of the Free Church of Scotland (1843) and then the Free Pr... esbyterian Church of Scotland (1893). The APC came into being in 1989, following the failure of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland to put into practice two chapters of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Church's Subordinate Standard. In this way, it may be said that the APC 'distinctives' which caused its separate existence in May, 1989 were a re-asserting in its Church Practice of chapters 20 and 26 of the Westminster Confession of Faith viz: Chapter 20: "Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience" - 'God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in any way contrary to His Word; or beside it, if matters of faith or worship. So that, to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands, out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience: and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also. Members of the APC value highly this new-found experience of the right of private judgement and liberty from Church Courts, making men lords of faith and conscience'.Read More