What does it mean to be a "Free Church?"

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Unoriginalname

Unoriginalname

Puritan Board Junior
I have seen on a few people's name tag various denominations called free churches. What is so my question is just what I put in the title, what does it mean to be a free church?
 
In most cases, I believe the "free" in the denomination name derives from their being disestablished from any national governmental oversight.
 
On this board there are two different traditions represented by the name "Free." The English nonconforming churches who have stood out from the Anglican establishment tend to be congregational and voluntarist in nature. They are often called "free churches." The other tradition is that which is traced back to the Disruption in Scotland in 1843. The Church of Scotland Free, or the Free Church of Scotland as it came to be called, carried on the testimony of the reformed Church of Scotland and separated from a corrupt establishment while still maintaining the establishment principle. A clear explanation of the term "Free" is given in The Catechism on the Principles and Constitution of the Free Church of Scotland:

Q. 4. Why do you call it the FREE Church of Scotland?
A. For several reasons.
1. To distinguish it from another body which claims to be the Church of Scotland, and is recognised as such by the civil power of this country.
2. To commemorate the struggle for freedom, wherein, through great temporal sacrifices, God enabled this Church to overcome at the Disruption in May 1843.
3. To bear a constant and marked protest against the usurpation, on the one hand, and the surrender, on the other, of the rights and liberties of the Church of Christ.
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The freedom sought by the Free Church when they left the established church in 1843 was the freedom of the people of a congregation to choose their own minister. As Rev. Winzer pointed out, they still supported the establishment principle, but believed that the government was overstepping its bounds by appointing ministers to congregations without the consent of the congregations.
 
Unoriginalname said:
Please forgive my ignorance of Presbyterian history but what is the establishment principle?
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I take the following statement by C. J. Brown to be the most clear and concise definition of the principle: "The Establishment Principle or the Principle of the National Recognition of Religion maintains the scriptural view of the universal supremacy of Christ as King of Nations as well as King of saints, with the consequent duty of nations as such, and civil rulers in their official capacity, to honour and serve Him by recognising His truth and promoting His cause."
 
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