The Ministry of James Cooper at Aberdeen

Cooper’s ministry seemed to attract controversy even before the induction took place. Douglas Murray’s account contains elements which might be part and parcel of many ministries, but perhaps not all together in the ministry of one man in one congregation. It is either a picture of how to introduce a number of quite significant changes at the start and in the course of one’s ministry, or how not to. In such wide ranging issues as Holy Week services, Communion on Easter Sunday, the use and the placing of organs in churches, pastoral visiting, a forerunner of Charteris’ Woman’s Guild, open air services of an evangelistic nature, one becomes aware of the energy and drive of the man and his commitment to the gospel. Few who have not read his story can be aware of how much of a debt is owed to James Cooper for developments in the life and worship of the Church in Scotland. This article has excellent references and bibliography, in addition to which Douglas Murray has produced a very thorough Bibliography of the entire life of Cooper. See pp34-41.