A History of Crown Terrace Baptist Church.

Crown Terrace was formally constituted in 1839, the first Baptist Church in Aberdeen, although the church actually first began in 1821 when John Gilmore, a student of the Baptist Education Society came to Aberdeen at the beginning of that year with a view to exploring the position and the possibility of establishing a Baptist Church.

Later in the year he was invited by a group of 13 men and women to become their pastor and they began to look for ground on which to build a Chapel. A chapel was built in Union Terrace but the church later moved to a new chapel in John Street which served for the next 40 years. It was during this time that the original Constitution of the church was drafted and accepted as follows:-

Constitution

I. That it shall be indispensably requisite to admission into Church Fellowship, that all afford satisfactory evidence of possessing decided Christian principle by a corresponding Christian conduct and profession.

II. That the honour of religion requires that they who have come under any public scandal shall, before being received into the Church, or restored into Church privileges (if they have been excluded therefrom) be able to afford such evidence of repentance and consequent amendment as may be judged by the Church to be sufficient for the vindication of their character before the world.

III. That although the said Church is on the whole a Baptist Church, and its Ministers and Members may publicly and privately freely advocate Baptist principles, any person or persons may be received into full communion with said Church who give satisfactory evidence of their piety and willingness to obey the commands of Christ according to their convictions, though they be not Baptists.

IV. That as it cannot be expected but that differences of opinion will arise upon some particular Church questions that require to be decided in some definite way, it is hereby understood that after an opportunity has been given for objections being stated, the minority shall peacefully yield to the majority, if the endeavours that may be made to procure unanimity shall prove unsuccessful.

This is a very simple document which was far in advance of its time.

In 1837 the church was without leadership and dissolved but only for a short time. The present fellowship has continued unbroken since 1839.

A history of the church between 1839 and 1939 was written in the centenary year.

Then in 1989 a history of the next 50 years was completed which is now available here.

A booklet was also produced in 1970 on the centenary of the building. It makes interesting reading in light of the recent alterations we have made to the building. It is also available to view here.