United Free Church of Scotland

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The United Free Church of Scotland ( United Free Church of Scotland , UFC ) is a Presbyterian Free Church in Scotland .

1900 to 1929

The United Free Church of Scotland was created in 1900 through the merger of the vast majority of the Free Church of Scotland with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and comprised over 1,600 parishes with around half a million members at that time. It was the second largest Protestant church in the country after the Church of Scotland (CoS). After negotiations, the UFC and CoS merged in 1929.

1929 until today

A small minority of the United Free Church of Scotland under the leadership of the pastor and Labor MP James Barr , which rejected the principle of a state church or state-privileged church, opposed the unification of both churches and remained independent. The church, which was initially called the United Free Church (Continuing) until 1934, had around 14,000 members when it was founded and grew until the mid-1950s. In 1929 she was the first Presbyterian church in Scotland to introduce women's ordination , and in 1935 Elizabeth Barr became the first woman pastor of the UFC.

The United Free Church of Scotland now has around 75 congregations and is a member of the World Fellowship of Reformed Churches , the World Council of Churches and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches in Europe .

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