The Parish of Ardoch lies to the west of the A9 just north of Dunblane. It is comprised of the villages of Braco and Greenloaning and the surrounding rural areas. The Church was originally built in 1780 and has been open for worship since 1781. The history of the Church is recorded under Church Information.
The current minister is Rev Dr Stuart DB Picken,
From the Minister
Welcome to the Ardoch Parish Church website. The history and background of the parish of Ardoch, along with a list of ministers who have served the church since the Scottish Reformation of 1560, is documented elsewhere on this website. The minister, elders and members of the congregation hope you will enjoy reading about a parish that has seen many changes in Scotland and in its own surroundings, but which has dealt with these and remained faithful to its mission. It exists to proclaim the Gospel of the Sovereign Grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ, and to be the His Church guided by the Holy Spirit of God for the people of the parish. This fulfils part of the commitment of the Church of Scotland in terms of its Articles Declaratory of 1929 to provide a territorial ministry to throughout the entire country.
The church is older than the village of Braco which grew up in the 19th century on a cattle drovers’ route. The parish is designated Ardoch because of the name of the principal estate in the 18th century, when the church was established as a place of worship for local tenant farmers. The population declined with the decrease in the number of tenant farmers but was revived with the addition of new housing in Braco village. Greenloaning also went into serious decline until the addition of a housing development around 1998, close to the A9, brought new families with children who in turn helped to save the school from closure. The parish now has two primary schools, one in Greenloaning and one in Braco. The combined rolls are around 100.
Public Worship during 2009 is at 10.00 am and if you are passing through on weekend, please feel welcome to drop in and join in our Sunday service. We are linked with Blackford Parish.
The Blackford website is http://www.blackfordparishchurch.com/
If you have any questions or wish further information, please contact me either by telephone or e-mail as shown in Church Contacts page. Thanks for visiting our website.
Sincerely,
The Minister of Ardoch with Blackford
Rev. Professor Stuart DB Picken
Order of the Sacred Treasure (瑞中章) MA (Hons), BD, Ph.D. FRAS
