The Presbytery of the United States

The Act of 22 May 2008

At Edinburgh on 22 May 2008 the General Assembly passed Act XVII, “Act anent Boundaries of Presbytery of Great Lakes & Western Canada and Disjunction of Congregation of Smiths Falls”. In it the Assembly noted that the congregations and office-bearers in the United States “are seeking to establish in the near term an indigenous denomination organizationally distinct from the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) but committed to the same constitutional principles in doctrine, worship and government”.¹

It declared “that the bounds of the Free Presbytery of Great Lakes & Western Canada are hereby altered to comprise the area known as the United States of America, the Presbytery from henceforth to be known as the Free Presbytery of the United States of America.”²

By the same Act the Assembly resolved to “disjoin the Congregation of Smiths Falls from the Presbytery of Great Lakes and Western Canada and place it under the supervision of the Committee on Home and Foreign Missions, that Committee to act in loco synodi [in place of a synod].”³

The Presbytery’s petition of 2014 records that the St. Louis Preaching Station was erected on 6 June 2008, fifteen days later.⁴

The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) records that “Following a reorganisation in 2008 our church has five Presbyteries arranged into two Synods in Scotland and one active Presbytery in North America.”⁵

In 2024 the Committee on Home & Foreign Missions still reported on Smiths Falls, Canada, separately from the Presbytery. In 2025 the General Assembly noted “with regret that services in Smiths Falls have ceased and that the Congregation is now dissolved”, and were “thankful that the Congregation kindly donated their remaining funds to the Preaching Station at Nobleford, Alberta”.⁶

The Presbytery today

The Presbytery describes itself as operating “under the oversight of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) in Edinburgh, Scotland”, with the objective “to establish new congregations across the United States, leading to the creation of an American denomination committed to the principles of the Scottish Reformation.”⁷

Its website lists congregations at Atlanta, Georgia; Burlington, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Greenville, Texas; Nobleford, Alberta; Opelika, Alabama; and St. Louis, Missouri, with preaching stations at Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.⁸

Reporting to the General Assembly of 2024, the Presbytery wrote: “With the significant growth of the Presbytery over the last number of years, preparations are being made toward establishing an indigenous denomination in the USA.” It added: “The initial aim would be to have three Presbyteries with four Congregations in each, and a Synod formed from these three Presbyteries.”⁹

In 2026 it reported: “Perhaps the most significant development has been the calling of Rev. Brent C. Evans as Missionary Evangelist to Latin America.” It also reported that “four Congregations (Dallas, Nobleford, Philadelphia, and Atlanta) are vacant, representing one-third of the Presbytery”, and asked for prayer “as we seek, in the Lord’s timing, to take further steps toward becoming an indigenous denomination.”¹⁰

Before 2008

The Act of 2008 altered the bounds of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)’s Presbytery of Great Lakes and Western Canada, to which the Commission of Assembly had appointed ad interim [temporary] General Assessors in January 2000. Before the division, the undivided Free Church’s Presbytery of that name had been renamed from the Presbytery of Ontario and Western Canada in 1995. That Presbytery was formed in 1956 from the Free Church’s congregations in Toronto, Detroit, Fort William, Winnipeg and Vancouver. All but Detroit are named in the Act of 1924 anent [concerning] the North American Mission.¹¹

The Presbytery after the division (2000–2007)

In January 2000 the Commission of Assembly appointed “ad interim General Assessors” to the Presbytery of Great Lakes and Western Canada.¹²

The roll of the 2001 General Assembly lists the Presbytery of Great Lakes and Western Canada under the Synod of North America.¹³

Petitioning the Assembly on 21 May 2001, the Presbytery wrote that “the ranks of the Free Presbytery of Great Lakes and Western Canada were much depleted by the division of January 2000”, and that it had “reason for encouragement in the work being carried out at present by Rev David Compton”. The petition was granted.¹⁴

The Assembly rejoiced “to hear of Rev D Compton’s work in Smiths Falls”, and on 29 May 2002 raised Smiths Falls to a fully sanctioned charge on the Presbytery’s petition.¹⁵

The Commission raised the Preaching Station at Atlanta to a fully sanctioned charge on 7 March 2006, and that at Greenville, South Carolina, on 6 March 2007.¹⁶