Comments on: 12 Differences Between Scottish and American Churches https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/  Informing Minds. Moving Hearts. Directing Hands. Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:08:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.41 By: benjamin meng https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-50596 Thu, 28 Feb 2019 16:33:00 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-50596 As a Presbyterian in the United States who often listens to Sermons preached in Scotland via the Internet, I would say that in the United States a tendency exists to preach the importance of something, to the exclusion of actually preaching the thing itself which I do not find in any of the men I listen to in Scotland.

]]> By: Latest Links | blog of dan https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6383 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 08:05:19 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6383 [...] 12 Differences between American and Scottish Churches [...]

]]> By: David Murray https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6372 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:55:57 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6372 There are some happy exceptions to your observations, Alistair, but I’m afraid what you say is too often too true.

]]> By: David Murray https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6371 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:55:02 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6371 The last thing Northern Ireland needs is more Scots ;)

]]> By: David Murray https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6370 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:54:35 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6370 Agreed.

]]> By: David Murray https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6369 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:54:20 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6369 No, not all Scottish churches. I’m speaking generally. Destiny Church does not sound typically Scottish to me. And its website looks VERY American!

]]> By: David Murray https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6368 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:53:00 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6368 Yes, there’s a degree of smoothing when only Scottish cities are compared. I’m not convinced of the Youth Worker/Youth Pastor thing. You’re right, a lot of this can be done by committed couples.

]]> By: The Weekly Review | jtcochran.com https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6354 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:07:28 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6354 [...] 6/15 – 12 Differences Between Scottish and American Churches by David Murray [...]

]]> By: Alistair Bruce https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6352 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:44:22 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6352 David, thank you for this helpful list. I have been in the US since 1996, 3 places, 4 churches. Interesting journey!

One addition to the list that I have observed from day one here is that American Christians have a completely different set of expectations regarding the type of relationship they are going to have with their pastor. In Scotland we expected regular personal contact with the minister, not just on Sunday but at other mid-week meetings etc. We expected the minister to get to know us and our family and critically we expected pastoral care. This pastoral care would not just be in a serious emergency but through life events. I attended churches of up to 500 members in the UK and this was pretty much the case.

In the US Americans do not expect this degree of relationship in my experience. They expect interaction in emergency but that is about it. The pastor is pretty much a preacher and that is it. Pastor care is only available is pursued.

I am not saying one model is right and the other wrong but it is a massive difference. Perhaps it is a function of the transient nature of the American urban population that many City churches are revolving door and the spills over the church.

In my view there is a dearth of pastoral care here compared to the UK. All the talk about member to member pastoral care and leave it to the elders does not fill the gap in for me.

]]> By: Angus MacKillop https://headhearthand.org/blog/2012/06/15/scottish-and-american-church-differences/#comment-6347 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:32:13 +0000 http://headhearthand.org/?p=8233#comment-6347 I look forward to the next 12 :)
Relevant and understated for sure…. but accurate from my experiences too.

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