Central Church

Who we are?

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

We describe ourselves as a church which gathers together to worship and is scattered in communities. We gather at Central Hall on the first three/ four Sundays each month, and on the final Sunday we meet in our communities. We encourage everyone who joins with us to commit to attending one Sunday gathering, join a missional community and find one area in which to serve within the church.

We love Edinburgh - Edinburgh is our home and we want to welcome, 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 and life experiences who seek to share our lives generously with each other and be radically inclusive.

We are following Jesus - We view ourselves as disciples of Christ because what is most important for us is to learn to listen to His voice and live like him.

  • Cell groups / Home Groups
  • Weekly Prayer Meeting
  • Sunday School
  • Youth Groups
  • University & College Students
  • Alpha Courses

Regular Activities and Events

Day Time Activity
Sunday 9:15 am Quieter, more traditional gathering
Sunday 10:30 am All-age gathering with kids and youth programmes
Sunday 7:00 pm Evening Gathering (largely students and young adults)

Information for Students

Student Contact: Connaire McDonagh
Student Contact Phone: connaire@centralchurch.c
Student Contact Email: hello@centralchurch.co.uk
Student Meeting: 7pm Sundays

Central Church Central Church We love students at Central and love having you as part of our church family. We don't think you are here in Edinburgh for university by mistake. We believe that God has got you here for a reason and we would love to play a part in helping you work that out.We want to support you, love you, stretch you and challenge you during that time. We want our students to know our Father God intimately and imitate the life of Jesus every day, who walk in step with the Holy Spirit and live seeking the transformation of the places we find ourselves in. We do this through our weekly Student Communities, as well as a range of events throughout the year.

We also offer several student community groups and partner with the following student organisations: Fusion Scotland (https://www.fusionscotland.org/), Just Love (https://justloveuk.com/) and the International Justice Mission (https://www.ijmuk.org/).


  • Leaders:

    Mr Don Palmer (Lead Pastor)

    Mr Andy Harding (Associate Pastor)

  • Congregation size:

    350

Origin South Africa