Membership
Anyone who seeks to become a member of our congregation will encounter a leadership team that is seeking to respond to the biblical injunction which encourages the whole people of God to be involved in ministry. (Eph. 4 ) This means we believe that everyone who professes Christ as Lord has been called to the place of service. Be it in the structures of the church or the cut and thrust of the workplace. We are called to serve Christ. We are also committed to working in partnership with others who share our vision for the renewal of the church and the salvation of the world.
Kirk Session
Within the traditions of the Church of Scotland the Kirk Session is the name we give to the leadership team. They are responsible for the policy and spiritual direction of the church. The Kirk Session is made of men and women who have committed their lives to Christ and have been ordained to serve in the life of the congregation. In our congregation we have divided the responsibilities into two main areas. Those who are concerned with pastoral matters and those who have been given a specific task to fulfil within the leadership goals of the congregation.
Music
Various styles of music are used in our worship. We have four or five worship bands who lead our services and choose the hymns we sing.
The music styles range from classical to county/folk to rock/jazz. We also have a pipe organ but it is no longer in use. It is also common for a service to include unaccompanied singing. In 2005 the church recorded its third CD entitled "Longing For You." All the songs were composed by members of the congregation. There is also a promotional video about the church available. We no longer use hymn books. All words are produced and put on screen. A small number of leaflets are produced weekly for those who find the screen difficult to read.
Teaching
Preaching and teaching is taken seriously as part of the Christian nurture of the congregation. Preaching and teaching schedules are drawn up in three monthly cycles. This allows forward planning to take place among the various musical, teaching and leadership groups. On occasions Sunday teaching themes are picked up and used by the house group leaders. A variety of preaching and teaching styles are used. Power point is available and used when thought to be a way of enhancing the understanding of the message.
Care is taken to make sure that preaching and teaching is authentic and biblical. St Andrew's often has students in training for the ministry. Preaching from notes is encouraged; reading straight from a sermon script is discouraged. It is our hope that those who teach will apply the scriptures to every day issues. Over the years the congregation have come to appreciate consecutive bible teaching. This means that we often study a book of the Bible on a Sunday over a period of months.
Worship
Worship is a shop window that declares to the world the nature and the being of the God we serve. It is the expression of both our public and private devotion. We believe in having a variety of styles within our worship which accommodates both the cultural and spiritual aspirations of the parish. This means that we need to offer opportunities to worship at various times during the week. Members of the congregation are encouraged to take part in the leading of worship.
St Andrew’s Bo’ness offers a varied selection of worship patterns. Ranging from a printed liturgical order of service at communion to the more improvised pattern on a Wednesday morning. We have also provided a service using computer graphics and video images on the last Sunday of the month. the past few years the research and development of this worship has been endorsed and encouraged by the General Assembly. It has been the subject of one or two Television programmes and magazine articles. May 2006 saw us bring this service to a conclusion, in order to allow us to think about its future potential and how we might develop this work in a new direction. We also publish worship services and sermons on the internet and we stream live our Sunday morning worship at 10.30 am every week.