Who we are

We are church of all ages in the heart of Edinburgh with a vision to love the city, be family together and follow Jesus.

We love Edinburgh – Edinburgh is our home and we want to love and serve the people that live in this city. We believe that God’s love can transform lives and communities, and we want to see that happening in the places that we live.

We are family together – we are different kinds of people from different places who share our lives generously with each other.

We are following Jesus – we call ourselves disciples because the most important thing in our lives is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do.

Our story

We began as a church called Morningside Baptist Church in 1894. For many years our church faithfully served the community of Morningside in the south of the city.

In the 00s as our church expanded we outgrew our church building. In 2011 the church purchased a new building from the Edinburgh Methodist Church called ‘Central Hall’. Central Hall is in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh on the edge of the city centre. In 2012 the church changed its name to ‘Central’, with a renewed vision to love our city, be family together and follow Jesus. 

Our beliefs

Triune God

We believe there’s only one true God, who made and rules over everything, who is loving, perfect, powerful, knows everything, has no beginning and will never end. God exists in a relationship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three persons, one God.

Father

God reveals himself in the Bible as a gentle, forgiving Father, intimately involved with every detail of our lives. He’s compassionate, holy, patient and just. He keeps his promises and answers our prayers. God made everyone in his image, and desires that everyone he made knows him.

Ephesians 3:14–15; Luke 11:11–13

Son

God has written himself into the story of world history as a man – Jesus. We see what God is like by seeing what Jesus did, what he said, and the way he related to other people. Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth fully man and fully God, born of a virgin. He lived a life without sin and chose to die on the cross to deal with our sin. Jesus encouraged people to follow him and called them his disciples. Jesus welcomed in the Kingdom of God as heaven on earth. He rose from the dead on the third day and ascended to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God. He’ll return in power and on that day those who have believed him will be with God forever, and those who don’t will be separated from him.

John 1:1–18; Philippians 2:6–11

Spirit

The Spirit indwells all who trust in Jesus, and he draws alongside us with direct communication from God’s heart to ours. Because we’re God’s children, we can hear his voice to us. As we participate with the Holy Spirit’s mission to heal, restore and redeem the broken parts of our lives and this world, he brings the very power and presence of God into our lives. The Holy Spirit enables us to follow Jesus and represent him; sharing his heart with others in word and action.

John 14:15–18; Acts 2:1–4; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 12:1–11

The Cross

God’s world and people are broken. Sin is a reality that we grapple with every day. On the cross, Jesus died for sinners and carried away the sins of the world. In his dying and rising again, he freed us, defeating his enemy and ours, Satan, and making it possible for us to live in relationship with the Father again, forgiven for every sin.

Colossians 1:15–20; Ephesians 2:14–18

Jesus’ Resurrection

When Jesus rose from the dead, the power of Christ triumphed over evil and now lives in us today. Because he’s alive, we can all live in freedom and with power. Life in all its fullness is available to us. His resurrection is our assurance that one day we will be raised again to life to live forever with God and one another.

1 Corinthians 15

The Bible

The Bible is the inspired word of God. It tells the story of who God is and what he has done for his people. We see how God has been faithful and powerful among his people through the generations. Our church is committed to making the story of Jesus – told throughout the whole Bible – the starting point and guide for the way we live, the ultimate standard of truth. We want to teach, train, stretch and challenge each other as we allow the story of God to live in us and spill out of us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12

The Kingdom of God

A kingdom is any place where a king rules and is in charge. Jesus came declaring that the Kingdom of God was at hand; that God’s power and influence was breaking into the world we live in. We enter this kingdom through faith in Jesus and we see glimpses of the Kingdom around us – in ourselves, and in the people we meet. As disciples of Jesus today, we seek, embrace and build his Kingdom here.

Mark 1:19; Matthew 6:33; 1 Corinthians15:24; Revelation 1:6; 12:10

The Church

Anyone who trusts in and follows Jesus belongs to his Church. Local church exists as a foretaste of God’s Kingdom here on earth. It is the community where we are formed and learn to follow Jesus together; strengthening our faith, and discovering the ways God has gifted us and called us. We gather in the presence of the Holy Spirit around the practices of prayer, worship and reading scripture, and we celebrate communion and baptism as activities gifted to us by Jesus Himself. The church does not exist solely for itself but to usher in the Kingdom of God on this earth and reflect God’s image to all those who do not know Jesus yet.

Acts 2:42 – 44; Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Revelation 1:6