Give Us Scotland Again: The Stranraer Renewal Cooperative

The prayer long associated with John Knox is as simple as it is searching: “Give me Scotland, or I die.”

It’s not the language of distant concern, national nostalgia, or historical interest. It’s the cry of a man whose heart was bound up with the glory of Christ in a particular place. Knox prayed this bold prayer because Scotland needed Christ.

There’s something in that prayer that should still trouble and stir us. Many people, especially within the Reformed Presbyterian tradition, love Scotland. We love her theological inheritance, her psalm-singing, her martyrs, and her religious heroes — Knox, Rutherford, Gillespie, Boston, and the Covenanters. All of that is woven into the story of Christ’s church in that place.

By the grace of God, Scotland has seen days when the gospel ran with power, when pulpits thundered with Christ, and when ordinary men and women counted Christ more precious than life itself.

And yet, we must confront this truth: the Scotland that once saw his glory is now, in many ways, a mission field again. According to statistics, for the first time a majority of people in Scotland identify as having “no religion.” Christian identity has fallen sharply. Old church buildings remain, but many sit empty or repurposed, a perpetual reminder of how easily faithfulness grows dim. For many, historic Christianity is treated as a relic of the past, a curiosity for tourists, or a cultural memory with little relevance to ordinary life.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland knows something of both the glory and grief that are part of Scotland’s story. It’s a small denomination, with only a handful of congregations left. After a long period of decline, there are signs of renewed growth and encouragement. Yet the work remains fragile, and in some places the needs are very great.

One of those places is Stranraer.

Stranraer Reformed Presbyterian Church is the oldest of the current RP congregations in Scotland. Founded in 1796, it has borne witness in southwest Scotland for nearly 230 years. William Symington, one of the most significant Reformed Presbyterian ministers and authors of the nineteenth century, spent the first twenty years of his ministry there. In those days, the congregation saw blessing, and the building had to be enlarged to hold crowds that came to hear the gospel preached.

Today, Stranraer is still there. That alone is a significant mercy.

Humanly speaking, the congregation might not have survived. For decades it was not able to support a full-time minister. There were years of decline. And yet the Lord did not close the door. In 2015, Rev. Stephen Steele was ordained and installed as minister, and the congregation has been laboring toward renewal.

There have been real encouragements: conversions, new members, people returning after decades away, visitors from the community, hospitality, Bible studies, and Christ-centered preaching. But Stranraer is also a small and weary congregation. It’s a struggling church. It has no deacons. It has limited local leadership. The pastor’s family and elder’s family carry a tremendous load. There are newer Christians who need mature examples, children who need Sabbath school teachers, visitors who need to be loved, and practical needs in an old church building and manse. There’s much to do, and few hands to do it.

That’s where the Stranraer Renewal Cooperative comes in.

The Stranraer Renewal Cooperative is a grassroots effort among Reformed and Presbyterian congregations to help strengthen Stranraer RPC. It’s not complicated. It’s not flashy. It’s not an attempt to replace the ordinary work of the local church. It’s an attempt to help the local church keep doing the ordinary work of the church.

That matters. Much modern missions energy is directed toward new works, and we should rejoice whenever Christ is pleased to plant churches. But apostolic ministry was not only church planting. Paul didn’t merely establish churches and move on. He returned to strengthen the souls of the disciples and support weakened churches. He sent Timothy. He sent Titus. He longed to see congregations established, ordered, encouraged, and made firm. There’s a ministry of renewal as well as a ministry of planting — and both are part of Jesus' vision for his church.

The vision of the Cooperative is to send mature Christians — individuals, couples, and families — who can spend a month or more in Stranraer as Ministry Partners. They aren’t tourists looking for a religious vacation. They are servants willing to enter into the life of the congregation: attending Lord’s Day worship morning and evening, joining midweek Bible study, helping with the drop-in café, teaching children, giving rides, showing hospitality, encouraging leadership families, investing in newer believers, assisting with fellowship meals, helping with practical work, and simply being present as steady, mature Christians.

That last phrase may sound unimpressive, but it’s not. In a small and struggling congregation, the presence of steady Christians who have a history of using their gifts and graces well in their own local church is a profound gift. A retired couple who has spent decades loving Christ and his church can strengthen younger believers simply by being there. A family willing to come for a month can encourage another family that has been carrying heavy burdens. A Christian who knows how to teach a Bible lesson, wash dishes after a church lunch, start a conversation with a visitor, sing the Psalms, pray with a weary saint, or give a ride to someone without transportation can do real kingdom work.

The Great Commission isn’t only fulfilled in populated cities, prominent pulpits, or with large mission strategies. Jesus told his disciples they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. The inspired history of that witness took the church not only to major centers of influence, but also to villages and out-of-the-way places, making Jesus Christ known as far as the curse is found. The gospel doesn’t despise overlooked places. Rural congregations aren’t detours from the Great Commission. They are part of it.

Stranraer is in what some have called a “forgotten corner” of southwest Scotland. But it’s not forgotten by Christ. He has his people there. He has opened doors there. He has preserved a witness there. And now there’s an opportunity for Christians elsewhere to help strengthen what remains, not because we trust in our strength and resources, but because Christ loves his church wherever it is.

There is an immediate need. The Cooperative is looking for mature Christians who would be willing to serve in Stranraer during a two-month opening in September and October 2026. A month is helpful; two months would be a great encouragement. Those who come should be ready to serve without needing heavy oversight. The needs are ordinary, relational, practical, spiritual, and real.

There is also a financial need. The Cooperative is continuing to seek funds to help provide housing, transportation, and related support costs for Ministry Partners. Those who have served have often borne significant costs themselves, including travel, vehicle rental, meals, and living expenses. Gifts to the Cooperative help make it possible for more people to serve, and to serve more effectively.

If you’re able to go, consider going. If you’re able to give, consider giving. Checks may be made out to Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church with “Stranraer Renewal Cooperative” in the memo line and sent to Winchester RPC, ATTN: Boyd Tweed, 308 Delaware St., Winchester, KS 66097. More information is available through the Stranraer RPC website, or by contacting Rev. Stephen Steele [stephenrsteele (at) gmail (dot) com].

Above all, pray. John Knox’s old prayer should not be read only on a dusty page of history. It should become our renewed prayer: “Give us Scotland again, Lord! Let Scotland again see your glory!”