Preparing for the Creation of the Free Church of Scotland - Mobilising Popular Support and Setting up a Financial System, November 1842 - May 1843

蘇格蘭自由教會建立前的準備－從組織與動員群眾到募款系統的規劃與實踐，1842年11月到1843年5月

蔡育潞(Tsai, Yu-lu)

Disruption of the Church of Scotland ； Free Church of Scotland ； Thomas Chalmers ； Non-intrusionists ； Sustentation Fund ； 蘇格蘭教會的分裂（Disruption of the Church of Scotland） ； 蘇格蘭自由教會（Free Church of Scotland） ； 查麥士（Thomas Chalmers, 1780-1847） ； 非入侵派（Non-intrusionists） ； 教士薪資基金（Sustentation Fund）

興大歷史學報

33期（2019 / 12 / 01）

119 - 167

英文

At the Disruption of 1843, over a third of the ministers and perhaps half the lay membership left the Established Church of Scotland and formed the Free Church of Scotland in protest against what they viewed as unwarranted state interference in Church affairs. The preparation for the creation of the new Church had begun with the efforts of the Non-intrusionists in November 1842. To mobilise popular support, leaders of the Non-intrusionists promoted the formation of local associations and the appointment of financial collectors throughout Scotland. A celebrated leader, Thomas Chalmers, also designed an innovative and solid financial system, the Sustentation Fund, for the Church. This article discusses the Non-intrusionists' preparations for the separation from the Established Church, with the focus chiefly on the plans and measures adopted by the leadership. In practice, these plans and measures were proposed by the Convocation and the Provisional Committee. During the Convocation in November 1842, the Non-intrusionists agreed on leaving the Established Church together and would follow the instructions of the leading figures. Through the formation of local associations, the Convocationists endeavoured to gain popular support, and made preliminary plans to organise the sympathisers. Subdivided into three departments, the Provisional Committee developed comprehensive schemes and undertook concrete actions for the separation. The main measures of the Financial Sub-committee included setting up a central fund and collecting subscriptions. The Architectural Sub-committee proposed the designs of the churches to be built, while the Statistical Sub-committee was in charge of arranging congregations, the appointing office-bearers, and recruiting itinerant preachers in the event of the disruption. With all these arrangements made beforehand, the Non-intrusionists and their adhering people were ready to create a new church.

1843年5月超過三分之一的國教牧師與約莫半數的國教信眾離開了蘇格蘭教會（Church of Scotland），並創建蘇格蘭自由教會（Free Church of Scotland），以抗議國家不合理的介入教會事務。自由教會建立的準備事實上早在1842年底已由「非入侵派」（Non-intrusionists）開始籌備，此派主張牧師的任命不能違反信眾的意願，強行安插地主所安排之人選來擔任牧師乃違反人民選舉牧師之權。為了獲得信眾的支持以建立新教派，非入侵派的領導牧師在蘇格蘭各地建立組織並任命收取捐獻者。非入侵派的著名領導人物查麥士（Thomas Chalmers, 1780-1847）更設計了一套創新且健全的教會財務系統，並建立了教士薪資基金，從而替自由教會的建立奠定了基礎。本文探討非入侵派脫離蘇格蘭教會所做的前置準備，特別會聚焦在領導者們所採取的計畫和措施。領導者們首先在1842年11月召開一個非公開的會議（Convocation），此會議團結了非入侵派的牧師，多數與會者達成共識，未來將一起離開國教。而後， 非入侵派的領導者們組織臨時委員會（Provisional Committee），並由其下的三個附屬委員會來規劃並執行準備建立新教會的行動：財政委員會設立了中央基金並負責捐款的收取與運用；建設委員會負責教堂建築的設計與指導各地興建教堂；而統計委員會則調查各教區在新教會建立時的支持者人數，以利事先規劃地方會眾的管理與招募巡迴牧師與佈道者。透過這些事前的準備工作，非入侵派及其信眾逐步邁向新教會的建立。

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2. Witness, 17 December 1842.
3. Witness, 23 November 1842
4. Witness, 24 December 1842.
5. Witness, 26 November 1842.
6. Witness, 29 April 1843.
7. Witness, 1 March 1843.
8. Witness, 30 May 1843.
9. Fifth CFCS, p. 2..
10. Witness, 4 February 1843.
11. Witness, 1 April 1843.
12. Witness, 17 May 1843.
13. Sixth CFCS, p. 1..
14. Tenth CFCS, p. 1.
15. Seventh CFCS, p. 6..
16. Witness, 10 December 1842.
17. Witness, 19 November 1842.
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19. Witness, 22 April 1843.
20. Third CFCS, p. 2..
21. Witness, 13 May 1843.
22. Witness, 6, 13 May 1843.
23. Witness, 15 April 1843.
24. Eighth CFCS, p. 4.
25. Witness, 10 May 1843.
26. Witness, 22 October 1842.
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28. Witness, 25 February 1843.
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60. Church of Scotland, The Third Sub-Committee, or Section of This Committee, Entrusted with the Charge of the Statistical or Ecclesiastical Arrangements, Rendered Necessary in the Prospect of the Disruption of the Church, Submit the Following Suggestions and Queried, to the Brethren throughout the Church ([Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not identified], 1843), p. 1.
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76. William Henry Oliphant Smeaton, Thomas Guthrie (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1900), p. 57.
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