Our history

Congregationalism is a form of church organisation which has no hierarchy.    (Episcopal churches vest authority in a hierarchy of individuals - Presbyterian churches vest authority in a hierarchy of courts.)    There was a Congregational Church in Perth during the Commonwealth period - but of this early church, we know virtually nothing.   In the 18th century, there were several groups with Congregational characteristics - the Glasites, the Old Scots Independents and the Bereans.    The revival of Scottish Congregationalism from the 1790s onwards really started with brothers Robert and James Haldane and their associates.   Preaching tours took place across Scotland - and itinerant preachers were trained and resourced.

Our roots in Perth go back to 1794 - not initially as a break-away from the Church of Scotland.    Indeed the original plan was that Paul's Chapel should come under the auspices of the Kirk.    There was also a short-lived Gaelic Congregational Church in Perth.    In 1843 a new group of churches started - the Evangelical Union.    

Our current building opened in 1899 - and is a union of churches from the Congregational and Evangelical Union background.