Had New Pitsligo Parish Church been one year younger, its bi-centenary would have coincided with the end of the last millennium. The church was two hundred years old on the 12th September 1999. On the 28th May 1799 Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo (i.e., Old or Lower Pitsligo as it is sometimes known) petitioned the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to sanction the erection of a Chapel of Ease at New Pitsligo. The village at that time having a population of about two hundred, and
Tyrie being the Parish Church, it was a long walk to church. The petition was granted and the first minister, the Rev Alexander Farquhar, was placed on the 12th September 1799. This situation continued until just before 1853 by which time the present building had been erected with a seating capacity of seven hundred.
On the 13th November 1853 the Rev John Sharp dedicated the new building, preaching to an estimated congregation of one thousand. By this time the system of the Chapel of Ease had improved into the system of the Quoad Sacra and a parish was then created from the surrounding parishes. Up to the present date, the church has had fifteen ministers & two locum ministers giving from four to thirty years service.
"I to the hills that lift mine eyes" certainly applies here, the building itself set as it is on Turlundie Hill, and on approach looks very impressive. This church is rather unique in as far as it is probably the only one in the Buchan Presbytery to have triple lancet windows. It has also a very attractive balcony frontage, designed in beautiful stained panelling, formed on three sides facing the pulpit which has a very distinctive staircase on either side. The dark stained roof timbers stand out to advantage against the white ceiling.
During the winter of 1903-1904 an organ chamber was constructed in the wall on the east side of the church and a Lawton double-manual pipe organ was installed. Quite a number of years later an electric bellows was fitted.
