A church is not just a building; it's an extended family of people, set within a whole community. You can learn more about our community on the page that deals with our parish, but this page is about our church family itself.
We are a parish church in the Church of Scotland and, until very recently, within the Stirling Presbytery. However, significant changes are taking place in the Church of Scotland just now. The aim is to focus on having "well equipped spaces in the right places". It involves reducing administrative costs and selling redundant buildings and properties. Hence, the number of "presbyteries" (administrative areas) is being reduced from forty-five to about twelve and the existing four "councils" will be merged into two. This should enable us to focus on church planting and the development of about one hundred new worshipping communities in areas of spiritual growth. As part of this nationwide reassessment, Balquhidder Kirk has recently conducted a survey to try and establish the level of community interest and support for the ongoing work of a parish church in the local area. You can see the results in this link: Balquhidder Kirk Survey - April 2022
Our minister, Revd Dr Russel Moffatt, retired at the end of October and Revd Jeff McCormick (of Callander Kirk) was appointed as interim Moderator, pending a far-reaching reorganisation of presbyteries and churches throughout Scotland. Revd McCormick joined us on 20th November to lead our service and meet the congregation for the first time. For the time being, he will normally visit us on the second Sunday of each month. For the remainder of our weekly services, we plan to continue with contributions from the regular worshippers in the Kirk.
The number of people coming to church services, week by week, can vary quite a bit. During the winter, there may be only a handful of people whilst, during the summer months, we regularly have around fifteen to twenty people with the occasional boost from visitors staying in the area. Our "regulars" are drawn from all three of the local villages, Balquhidder, Strathyre and Lochearnhead. We normally hold one service each Sunday, starting at 11:30 a.m. in the Kirk. Outwith the main holiday periods, a small house group meets each week on a Wednesday morning in Lochearnhead for Bible study.