“Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Romans 15:21
Scotland used to be called the “Land of the Book.” For such a tiny country, it was instrumental in the fight for Reformation and for the supremacy of God’s Word over man’s word in the Church. It was the birthplace of Presbyterianism, too. And it was home to some of the most zealous missionaries and preachers in Church history including the likes of Thomas Chalmers, Thomas Guthrie, Eric Liddell, John Paton, Mary Slessor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, David Livingstone, John Knox, and Samuel Rutherford. Scotland was a land on fire with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today, however, that fire is diminished to a few sputtering sparks as Christianity in Scotland continues a marked decline. What used to be known as a “Christian country” is now deeply secularized. Some of Scotland’s regions are as unreached with the Gospel as the countries in the 10/40 window.
The Schemes
Scotland’s spiritual decline is especially evident in Scotland’s schemes…places which are marked by high levels of both physical and spiritual poverty. These “schemes” are equivalent to America’s housing projects or ghetto/inner city.
For Scotland, the levels of crime, abuse, drugs, mental illness, and poverty reach record highs in the schemes. Saddest of all, the schemes are also marked by a lack of Gospel witness.
About 1% or fewer of people in Scotland attend a Gospel-preaching church. That number is even lower in the schemes where generations of people have lived in tight-knit communities with little to no Gospel presence.
There are approximately 996 schemes in Scotland with more than half of these schemes having no Gospel contact whatsoever (click here to learn more.)
The story isn’t over, though.
Back in 2014 I learned about a ministry called 20schemes which is committed to bringing the light of the Gospel to Scotland’s schemes through church planting and revitalization.
20schemes believes that Gospel witness, encouragement, and discipleship is best accomplished through the local church. As Mez McConnell, the director of 20schemes, often says, the best mercy ministry is a healthy local church; what the poor in Scotland’s schemes need most is the good news about Jesus Christ.
In order to reach their goal of growing healthy, reformed churches in Scotland’s hardest, most deprived places, 20schemes rigorously trains and equips their ministry teams through one-on-one discipleship and their Ragged School of Theology. (Learn more about the Ragged School of Theology by clicking here.)
These 20schemes teams have to date reached 10 schemes in 6 different cities. The vision of 20schemes is for their church plants and revitalizations to one day be pastored and staffed 100% by people indigenous to the schemes.
For now, however, there are so few Christians in the schemes that 20schemes is asking for Christians from different parts of the country and world to serve with them. That is why I am partnering with 20schemes.
My Role
I believe heartily in the work of 20schemes and have joined their church planting team in Merkinch, Inverness as a two-year Ministry Intern. In this role I am discipled in missions work in the context of one of the toughest housing projects in Scotland.
My internship includes reaching out to the people in my assigned scheme, assisting the pastor and Gospel workers on my church team with practical, hands-on duties, and participating in ministry work and discipleship with women and children…it is full-time, pioneering church life.
I am also attending classes at 20schemes’ Ragged School for the full two years I am in Scotland.
How You Can Partner with This Work
1. Pray
Ministry work in the schemes is long and hard. My biggest need as I serve in Scotland is prayer. There are specific ways you can partner through prayer!
2. Give
Because 20schemes is a non-profit ministry that works in areas marked by high levels of poverty, my role as a Ministry Intern relies 100% on the generous support of those who partner through financial giving.
Claire in Scotland 