about us
The Church of God Scotland is a member of the Church of God, with International headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee USA. The Church of God, since its beginning has been a movement, a moving church with a mission of ministry to the world. The Church of God Scotland is Christian, Protestant, Pentecostal denomination Evangelistic in outreach and Charismatic in worship. The Church of God has a presence in 184 countries with a worldwide of membership of over 7 million. The Church of God in Scotland consists of people just like you, from many different nations, languages, and age groups.
If after visiting this site you should have any questions or inquiries about the Church of God or its programs and ministries, please don’t hesitate to contact the Church of God.
Committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Scotland in the power of the Spirit and with the love of God
Declaration of Faith
- In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
- In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
- That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
- That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
- That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
- In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
- Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.
- In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
- In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
- In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
- Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
- In the Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet.
- In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
- In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
Doctrinal Commitments
Mark 1:15 / Luke 13:3 / Acts 3:19
Romans 5:1 / Titus 3:7
Titus 3:5
John 3:3 / 1 Peter 1:23 / 1 John 3:9
Romans 5:2 / 1 Corinthians 1:30 / 1 Thessalonians 4:3 / Hebrews 13:12
Luke 1:75 / 1 Thessalonians 4:7 / Hebrews 12:14
Matthew 28:19 / Mark 1:9, 10 / John 3:22, 23 / Acts 8:36, 38
Matthew 3:11 / Luke 24:49, 53 / Acts 1:4-8
As the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost. John 15:26 / Acts 2:4 / Acts 10:44-46 / Acts 19:1-7
Exodus 19:5, 6 / Psalm 22:22 / Matthew 16:13-19 / 28:19,20 / Acts 1:8 / Acts 2:42-47 / Acts 7:38 / Acts 20:28 / Romans 8:14-17 / 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 / 12:12-31 / 2 Corinthians 6:6-18 / Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:9, 21 / Philipians 3:10 / Hebrews 2:12 / 1 Peter 2:9 / 1 John 1:6, 7 / Revelation 21:2, 9 / Revelation 22:17
1 Corinthians 12:1, 7, 10, 28, 31 / 1 Corinthians 14:1
Mark 16:17-20 / Romans 15:18, 19 / Hebrews 2:4
Romans 6:22 / Galatians 5:22, 23 / Ephesians 5:9 / Philippians 1:11
Psalm 103:3 / Isaiah 53:4, 5 / Matthew 8:17 / James 5:14-16 / 1 Peter 2:24
Luke 22:17-20 / 1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26
John 13:4-17 / 1 Timothy 5:9, 10
Genesis 14:18-20 / Genesis 28:20-22 / Malachi 3:10 / Luke 11:42 / 1 Corinthians 16:2 / 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 / Hebrews 7:1-21
Matthew 3:8 / Luke 19:8, 9
First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
John 5:28, 29 / Acts 24:15 / Revelation 20:5, 6
Matthew 25:46 / Luke 18:30 / John 10:28 / Romans 6:22 / 1 John 5:11-13
No liberation nor annihilation. Matthew 25:41-46 / Mark 3:29 / 2 Thessalonians 1: 8, 9 / Revelation 20:10-15 / Revelation 21:8
Brief History of the Church
In the 1970s, Mike McKerracher came from the USA to Scotland to work for the Church of God in Dunoon as the Christian Servicemen’s Director. He came in contact with Jim McLaughlin and David Lawson who were part of an open-air ministry team in Glasgow. A church was started in Partick and David Lawson became the first pastor of that church. In 1978 Paul and Sheila McLaughlan moved their family from England (Lancaster) and started a church in Inverness.
In 1980 the Church of God was formally established in Scotland. US Missionary Jake Popejoy was appointed the first National Overseer for the country. Jim McLaughlin and David Lawson were holding an evangelism campaign in Glasgow. It was during this time that Neil and Lesley Morrison converted to Christianity and received a call to the Ministry.
The Morrisons were invited to the USA where they completed their Master of Divinity degrees (1981-84). They returned to Scotland in 1984 and started a church in the village of Auchinloch. Neil and Lesley also pioneered the Institute of Counseling (IoC) in the city of Glasgow. Both of these works are still active and viable today. It is noteworthy that the IoC has trained over 30,000 students.
1983 Paul McLaughlan, Sr. became the National Overseer of the country when Jake Popejoy returned to the U.S.A.
1990 Jim Hytte came from the U. S. A. and started a church in Elgin.
1995 Tony Summerfield became the National Overseer while Paul and Sheila McLaughlan went to the U. S. A. to further their education.
1996 Jim McLaughlin started a mission work in the village of Bargeddie.
1999 Billy McLaughlan became the National Overseer when Tony Summerfield returned to England.
2001 a work was started by Billy McLaughlan in Dingwall.
2004 David Lawson pastored a work in the Gorbals area of Glasgow which is now the Gorbals Church of God with Pastor Ambakisye Mufala.
2007 Dereck and Gabi Grant planted a church in Nairn.
2009 Dennis Tanner became the National Overseer of the country after having been a missionary in Belgium.
2012 Rev. Manuel Martín-Arroyo is appointed as Senior Pastor at Elgin Community Church of God.
Today The Church of God Scotland has 13 churches throughout the country, which include ethnic groups from countries outside the United Kingdom. The primary ministerial goals of Bishop Tanner have been to establish new churches, develop spiritual leaders within the local church, and to train men and women for the ministry.
Leadership
Bishop Dereck Grant
National Overseer
Dereck Grant has just been appointed as the new National Overseer of Scotland. This appointment took place on the 1st August 2020. Dereck is married to Gabi, and she has taken on the new role of National Women’s Director for Scotland. Dereck accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour in March 1983. At the same time, he worked at his father’s business until the Lord called him to full-time ministry in 1991. In fact, Dereck was called by God to study theology full-time at the European Bible Seminary in Germany. In fact, he even had a bigger write-up in the Sunday Mail than Billy Graham had that week (From Coals to Souls was the heading).
Now, it was at Bible college that Dereck met, Gabi, his wife-to-be whom he married in 1993. Dereck and Gabi then moved to Austria in 1994 where all three of their children were born. It was in Austria in 1994 that Dereck wanted to take his study further by doing an interdisciplinary honours degree in history, as well as the European Diploma in Humanities. It was not long after Dereck had graduated that he found himself pastoring an African church in Graz in 1999. A few years later, due to illness Dereck was unable to do ministry until 2007, when he started to pioneer a new church plant in Nairn which has become a successful little church.
Dereck has served as the District Overseer for the North of Scotland since 2010. He has also served as the National Administrator for the Church of God Scotland since 2012. Dereck and Gab look forward to this new challenge ahead with the help of God to reach the broken and lost people of Scotland. Dereck takes over from Dennis Tanner who has laboured much for the Lord in Scotland over a twelve-year period. Dereck and Gabi believe that we can all play a part in seeing revival come to Scotland; and with a great team of ministers to support them in Scotland they know all things are possible with God’s help…
Andrew Akilan
Northern-District Overseer
Francis Alao
Central Belt Distrcit Overseer
Gabi Grant
Women
Andrew Akilan
Youth
Dr Gabriel Kaifala
Education
Stephen Prem
Cross-Cultural
