What is St Andrew’s Church?
 
St Andrew's Church of Scotland, Brussels, is a Protestant church. As its name suggests, our church is a member of the Church of Scotland. It is also a member of the Belgian association of Protestant churches, the Église Protestante Unie de Belgique (EPUB) / Verenigde Protestantse Kerk in België (VPKB) .
 
History of the Church of Scotland
 
The Church of Scotland is a Protestant church of the Reformed tradition. It is not possible to point to a precise date at which it was "founded" - the Scots Reformation took place in 1560 but it was not until 1690 that it was finally settled that the church should be organized along Presbyterian lines. Even after that there have been moments of internal disagreement but by 1929 the majority of the movements had been reunited, the main exception being the body referred to as the Free Church.
 
Presbyterian Tradition
 
When we talk of the church being Presbyterian, this means, in very simple terms, that power is not vested in a hierarchy of individuals - there is no equivalent to the Pope and there are no bishops - but in the bodies of church members which operate at various levels. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland meets once a year in Edinburgh and lays down general church policy, although in a consultative and not autocratic way. The Assembly is chaired by a Moderator who nowadays just serves a one-year period of office and whose rôle is largely ambassadorial.
 
The Church in Brussels
 
The Church of Scotland is organised into a number of Presbyteries which group together individual churches (or "charges" as they are called) on a geographical basis. St. Andrew's is part of the Presbytery of Europe which brings together all the churches on the European mainland - there are 11 at present - but which because of the distances and differences involved, functions in a much looser fashion than the Presbyteries in Scotland. There is no inner circle of power - everybody is encouraged to participate in our congregational life as much as possible. The great mobility of our members means that there is always an opportunity and a real need for new blood.
 
Although the Church of Scotland has its roots in the Scottish nation and her people's culture, it is not exclusively Scottish. It has always had a strong missionary element to its work and is ecumenical in its outlook. Here in Brussels it attracts a very wide cross-section of people. The last time a straw-poll was conducted, it was found that we had members from 23 different countries and from 17 branches of the Christian church and other faiths, testimony to the active welcome we extend to Christians of all denominations - as well as, of course, to non-Christians seeking to know God.

Our congregation in Brussels was established in 1898. The present building was erected in 1925 as a memorial to Presbyterians who died in Belgium during the First World War. 
 
More Information
 
For more information on the Church of Scotland, Presbyterian and general organisation, please go to the Church of Scotland Website.
 
Address

St Andrew's Church of Scotland,
Chaussée de Vleurgat / Vleurgatsesteenweg 181,
B-1050 Brussels
 
Minister

Rev Dr Andrew Gardner