Information can be found on the following:
Service Times
Please refer to p.2 of the current magazine (link on magazine editions page) for latest times / events.
Contact us
By email: bristobaptistchurch@bigfoot.com
By telephone: (0131) 332 9488
By post: 41 Buckingham Terrace / 1 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh EH4 3DJ
How to find us
Bristo Baptist Church is
located in Buckingham Terrace, Edinburgh. We are situated on
the outskirts of the city centre just at the crossroads of
Queensferry Road, Dean Path and Orchard Brae, as shown
below:
History of Bristo Baptist Church
Origins
The earliest written record
of what is now Bristo Baptist Church is a manuscript extract
from the Scots Magazine for November 1765. This is unsigned
so we do not know which of the church's founders made the
note nor who ensured its survival. The extract reads as
follows:
" on Monday November 25 an
antipaedobaptist administered the ordinance of Baptism to
two adults in the water of Leith hard by Canonmills near
Edinburgh in the following manner the two persons being
first stripped were cloathed with long black gowns and then
went into the water along with their Minister who after
repeating some words in thier ordinary form took them by the
nape of the neck plunged them down over head and ears and
keept them for a little time wholly under the water
"
This was in fact the second
such baptism. Shortly before, Robert Carmichael, pastor of a
small independent church in Edinburgh, had come to accept
Baptist principles through a close study of Scriptures and
correspondence with Archibald McLean, a Glasgow bookseller
and printer. Knowing no other Baptist in Scotland, Mr
Carmichael had travelled to London where he had been
baptised on 9 October 1765 by Dr John Gill of Carter Lane, a
noted Baptist evangelical. It was on his return to Edinburgh
that Carmichael baptised five members of his independent
congregation, so instituting the first "Scotch Baptist "
church.
Unknown to them, however,
there was another Baptist in Edinburgh. Sir William
Sinclair, founder of the Keiss church on his Dunbeath
estate, was in the debtors' prison in the grounds of
Holyroodhouse, where he had sought sanctuary. As long as he
remained there he could not be asked to repay his debts. Sir
William died in 1768 and is buried in Lord MacLeod's grave
in the Canongate Churchyard.
Had he and the founders of
the Edinburgh church met what might have been the effect on
Scottish Baptist history? A few weeks after Carmichael had
baptised these seven, Archibald McLean travelled from
Glasgow to be baptised in turn. In 1767, settling in
Edinburgh, he naturally joined the infant church, being
elected co-pastor with Carmichael a year later. Archibald
McLean very quickly became leader of the Baptist work in
Scotland. In 1785 the church asked him to give up his work
in the printing trade and supported him in full time church
and denominational work. He died in 1812, remembered
affectionately as "Father McLean ".
Buildings
During its long history
Bristo has had various meeting places:
1. The Magdalene Chapel in
the Cowgate, which was also the home of the first General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1560 under the
leadership of John Knox. (The building is now owned by
the Scottish Reformation Society and is open to the
public.)
2. Richmond Court, built in
1787 as the first place of worship erected by Baptists in
Scotland.
3. St Cecilia's Hall, Niddry
Wynd, bought in 1802 as Richmond Court had become too small.
This was sold to the Freemasons in 1809 and the congregation
met in :
4. the Old High School,
Infirmary Street, until
5 the Pleasance Chapel was
completed. This was occupied from 1811 until 1834.
6 St Cecilia's Hall again,
pending the opening of the Chapel in Bristo Place on 20
November 1836. There the church remained until
7 our present building
opened on 20 February 1935. (This explains why the name
"Bristo " was retained.)
But a church is not a
collection of buildings, no matter how historic they may be.
"Church" is the people of God and any church history must
concentrate on their work and witness.
A church set in order
From its inception the
Edinburgh church ordered itself on the New Testament model
described in Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine (teaching) and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread and in prayer" (New King James Version).
It is appropriate, therefore, that consideration of these
four key activities formed the core of our Anniversary
celebrations on 21 November. Before an individual church was
set in order a plurality of Elders or Pastors (the words
were synonymous) as well as deacons, were considered
essential, both groups elected by the congregation. Breaking
of Bread (Communion) took place every Lord's Day and was
only for baptised believers who held to the same principle
of order and faith (i.e. only church members could
participate). An Elder had to be present to administer
communion. Public prayers and exhortations of the brethren
were observed in meetings and offerings for poorer brethren
were taken. Occasionally the Agape or Love Feast was
observed. Our present practice of a monthly congregational
lunch reinstates this tradition. Decisions of the church
meetings had to be unanimous. Because of the distinctive
plural pastorate form of government, those following the
Edinburgh pattern became known as "Scotch Baptist" churches,
to distinguish them from later foundations, such as
Charlotte Chapel, based on the "English" model of a single
full-time pastor. These terms do not reflect the church's
country of origin.
As leader of the Scotch
Baptists, Archibald McLean was responsible for setting in
order churches in Glasgow (1769 John Street, closed 1969),
Dundee (1769 South Seagate, closed c. 1855), Montrose (1769,
closed 1790), Largo (1790), Kirkcaldy (1798, Rose Street,
part of which later became Whytescauseway) and Paisley
(1795, Coats Memorial). These all looked to the Edinburgh
church as their mother church, since, before they were
established, converts were baptised in Edinburgh and became
members of that church. In an age when the Church of
Scotland was rent by various schisms over points of doctrine
and the relationship between church and state theological
debate became something of a national pastime. The Edinburgh
church was often called upon to arbitrate in disputes among
the "connexion" of Scotch Baptist churches. Particular
problems were caused by the need for an Elder to preside at
Communion. For smaller fellowships this meant that they
could not observe the Lord's Supper until an Elder from
another church could visit them. The churches divided on
this issue in 1810 and in 1834.
Largely because of McLean's
influence and writings, Scotch Baptist Churches were formed
in England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and
Welsh speaking ones in North Wales. David Lloyd George,
prime minister from 1916 to 1922, was brought up by his
uncle, who led the Scotch Baptist church in
Criccieth.
Until the appointment of
William Grant as the first full-time pastor in 1870, our
leaders were all laymen who carried on their own business or
professional employment while serving the church. Is it more
than coincidence that William Grant's ministry, which lasted
until his death in 1902, was the most fruitful in Bristo's
history? Membership increased from 200 to over 600. The
first ordained minister was Rev. W.B. Nicolson (1897-1919).
He left Bristo to become secretary of the Baptist Union of
Scotland but died the following year. The dual pastorate
ended with the retiral of Percival Waugh (1903-23) who was
an assistant secretary, a very senior position, in the
Inland Revenue. It was said that government ministers
"quailed before him".
Since then we have followed
the mainstream Baptist practice of one full-time ordained
minister. This change was recognised by the decision to
delete the word "Scotch" before "Baptist Church" on the
title paper of the roll book (Minute 21 February 1927 A
Journal of Proceedings in Connection with Bristo Place
Baptist Church Edinburgh).
Practices
As leader of the Edinburgh
church, Archibald McLean was responsible for setting in
order the Scotch Baptist churches which followed its
foundation. He therefore laid the ground-rules for worship
and practice in the new church order. These were firmly
based on the New Testament. In considering his Institutions
of Divine Worship it is interesting to note how these have
changed over the years yet fundamentally remain the same.
The following were considered essential each Sunday
:-
a) public reading of the Old
and New Testaments;
b) mutual exhortation of the
brethren on the Lord’s Day, immediately after the
reading of the Scriptures;
c) preaching and expounding
the word, a work proper to the Elders or Pastors, who were
to feed the flock;
d) public prayers and
Thanksgivings, not only of the Elders, but also of the
brethren, according to directions given them as a
body;
e) singing of praise
(Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs);
f) collection for the
support of poor saints (i.e. church members);
g) Breaking of Bread
(Lord’s Supper); and
h) feast of charity (love
feast, in the interval of public worship)
Other practices, less
frequently observed, were prayer and fasting on particular
occasions, the kiss of charity on various occasions, washing
of feet, “not as a ceremony but whenever it could be of
real service to a disciple of Christ.”
The discipline of the church
was based on Matthew 18:15-17 “Moreover if thy brother
shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault
between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast
gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take
one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to
hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to
hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and
a publican” (AV). If a member did not repent of an
offence he was excluded from communion and fellowship with
members until he acknowledged his error or wrongdoing. The
aim of this form of discipline was to reinforce the
separation of the church from the world, to show brotherly
love to an erring member and give him opportunity to repent,
after which he would be reinstated as a member. (These
notes are based on a summary of McLean's writings in Robert
Dawson Mitchell's Ph.D thesis “Archibald McLean,
Baptist Pioneer in Scotland”, Edinburgh University,
1950, pp. 196-200).
Exhortation was not the same
as preaching a sermon, but could be used as a trial for
young men in preparation for future election to the
Eldership. The congregation chose those whom they considered
suitable to exhort. One of these voting slips has survived,
undated but the style of the printing and written notes
suggest the late 18th or early 19th century. The printed
instructions are as follows:-
“Make a Cross (thus X)
opposite the Names of those whom you think qualified to
Exhort on the Lord’s days. Return your List, Crossed as
above, on or before next Sabbath. If any Exhorters Name has
been omitted, add it. If there be any on the List who, in
your opinion ought not to Exhort at all, Score out the
Name.”
There follows a list of 27
names of which a cross is against Lawson, Kemp and W.
Wilson. In manuscript, underneath the list of names, our
anonymous elector has written “ye may speak one by one
that all may learn. Do not speak to please men if they(?)
should not be the servant of Christ--Paul.”
A record of the early church
services is contained in “Reminiscences of the Old
Baptist Church, Pleasance” by James Williamson, a
manuscript dated 1891 but describing his experiences as a
small child in the 1820's. The morning service lasted from
10 a.m. to just before 1 p.m. with the following
order:
1st Psalm or Hymn - Prayer
by one of the brethren
2nd Psalm or Hymn - Prayer
by one of the brethren
3rd Psalm or Hymn - Prayer
by one of the brethren
Lessons from the Old and New
Testaments
Prayer by the presiding
Pastor 1st, 2nd and 3rd Exhortation
The exhortations were
spontaneous addresses, not pre-arranged. If more than one
Elder or Deacon stood to speak at the same time, the
presiding Pastor decided on the order. After a much-needed
break the afternoon service commenced at 2 p.m. with three
psalms or hymns and prayers, lessons from the Prophets and
Epistles, another Hymn, the Sermon by one of the Pastors, a
closing hymn during which non-members left as only members
could partake of the Lords Supper which followed. Now we can
understand why the love feast was such an important part of
Bristo’s early history. The Williamson family lived in
Leith so had to walk to the Pleasance and similarly back
home after the afternoon service arriving there about 5 p.m.
or even later. With our modern transport and multiplicity of
churches it is difficult to imagine the problems our
ancestors faced in meeting to worship and listen to
God’s Word according to their principles. We have much
to learn from their steadfastness.
Social aspects of church
life
By the 1870s, as well as the
morning and afternoon services each Lord's Day (which were
described in part 3) there was a Sunday School at 5.15 p.m.
and an Evangelistic Meeting at 7 p.m. The Young Men's
Fellowship met at 9.45a.m. but in 1892 the Sunday School
changed to 4 p.m. and the Young Men's Fellowship to 4.15
p.m. A prayer meeting was also held on the first Sunday of
every month at 10 a.m. (which the Sunday School teachers,
the Fellowship Association and other church workers were
expected to attend) "for special prayer on behalf of all
work carried on by the Church and its members." This
concentration of activity on a Sunday must be seen in the
context of a 6-day working week with an average finishing
time of 6-7 p.m. For the committed Christian Sunday was
hardly a day of rest. A weekly Bible Class was held on
Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and each Thursday there was a meeting
"for worship" at 8 p.m., the first Thursday of every month
being "specially devoted to prayer for the Spread of the
Gospel". The church also conducted "missions" in Potterrow
and Hatter's Court, Pleasance. These were poor parts of the
city and work was mainly with children and young people.
Churches then, like society in general, were more segregated
socially than now. Many poor people did not feel comfortable
in church, considering that they did not have suitable
clothes. In other churches it was also the practice to
charge pew rents as the main source of income, which
restricted attendance to those who could afford to pay.
Bristo never adopted that practice. Occasionally we find
people from the Potterrow mission coming into
membership.
Despite the limited leisure,
there were also several weekday activities, mainly during
the winter and spring months from October to May. The Band
of Hope promoted total abstinence from alcohol. During the
meetings, readings were given by the members and addresses
by various friends. The Mutual Improvement Association was
first formed in 1863 and, initially, lasted until 1871. The
aim of the Association was "the moral, social and literary
improvement of its members".
Membership was initially
restricted to the young men of the church. When it was
reformed in 1877, ladies were admitted as associates (which
meant they could not present papers or serve on the
committee). Their talents were utilised, however, for the
annual soirée and they were admitted as full members
in 1920, having filled the gaps made by the men on war
service. The Society continued until the 1940s. Among the
topics debated was "Will the freedom of the Negro be most
likely to be promoted by the dissolution or reconstruction
of the American Union?". This was on 19 February 1864 in the
midst of the American civil war. The result was 6 in favour
of re-construction and 11 for dissolution. Other topics
covered included capital punishment and the union of church
and state. It was therefore no light meeting. In 1865,
honorary membership of the association was granted to Mr
William Gillon "for the repetition of his kindness in the
loan of the necessary china for our
Soirée."
More practical meetings were
the Dorcas Meeting, a ladies sewing meeting, and the
Missionary Working Party, again a sewing meeting where
"garments" were made for the Zenana Mission under the
auspices of the B.M.S. These limitations on female service
illustrate the general view of women, particularly the
middle and upper classes, in Victorian society. Their social
work was seen as an extension to their domestic role.
Incidentally Bristo may have
played some part in the founding of the Baptist Missionary
Society. The Church Newsletter of December 1965 carried a
report of the Bicentenary celebrations from 26-28 November
that year. The guest speaker on Monday 28 November was Dr
Ernest Payne, general secretary of the Baptist Union of
Great Britain and a former president of the Baptist
Historical Society. In his address Dr Payne
stated:
"Dr Charles Stewart joined
Bristo in 1778 and soon afterwards got to know a group of
ministers in Northampton. He sent parcels of books to them,
including the works of Johnathan Edwards, and it was through
reading these works that eventually led these ministers to
take steps which led to the formation of the
B.M.S."
Who knows where a simple
gift of books might lead?
Christine Lumsden |
