UK Churches

The Church of England

As an officially established church, the Church of England is the “mother church” of all the Anglican Communion worldwide, as also the oldest one among it. The Church of England is both catholic and reformed. It starts its formal corporate history in 597. Queen Elizabeth II is the present British monarch and the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”.

Christianity is thought to have been spread in Britain through the first or the second century. Most probably, it arrived via the Irish and Spanish tin trade route. In the 6th century (in 597) Saint Augustine was sent by the Pope from Rome for evangelize of the Angles. Saint Augustine received help from other Christians in Kent. And then, the church of Canterbury was established, and its first Archbishop was Augustine.

Today, proclaiming the Gospel in words and acts, the Church of England plays a vital role in the life of the English nation.

The Church of Scotland

For 42% of the Scottish people, the Church of Scotland is their religion. The first people, through who Christianity was spread in Scotland, are Saint Ninian and Saint Columba. But the formation of the Church of Scotland’s identity is shaped through the period of the Reformation in 1560.

The national church is called Kirk. It was a women's movement, and is still the largest voluntary organization in Scotland. It is not a “state church”, and is dissimilar to the Church of England. The Kirk has complete independence from the state in spiritual matters.