Historical Development of the Offices

A brief overview of the major works on the offices in the Scottish Presbyterian Church to-date reveals that there is a need for a comprehensive historical and theological study on the Presbyterian offices, which this work intends to provide. Chapter one gives attention to contemporary documents expressing the views of the Scottish reformers on the ministry in the local congregation. The second chapter deals with the question present at the beginning of the reformation: who represented Christ - the bishop or the Presbyter? The third chapter considers how the documents of the Westminster Assembly of Divines determined the future courses of Scottish Presbyterian ecclesiology. The following chapters analyse the development of the offices within the context of the established Presbyterian Church, providing an overview of the role and functions of the offices of the minister, elder and deacon in Scottish Presbyterianism. Finally the study considers the involvement of the Church of Scotland in twentieth century ecumenical discussions.