AH, you would think so, wouldn't you. What with all the democracy and anti-centralised authority stuff going on. Sadly, it's not really the case. Some CoS congregations are quite modern and progressive in the way they present Sunday worship and the like, but many (like mine) are still stuck in the Dark Ages of nice hymn sandwich every week. The only mainstream church in Scotland which is more hardcore than the CoS is the Free Kirk, and they still wear hats, don't have singing or music and picket Sunday ferry sailings and shop openings. They do quite like talking about hell and the devil as well.
My own church's services, despite the best efforts of the minister, are awash with glum, elderly faces and lacklustre singing, to the extent that I was asked to take away the shakers and things that I had given the Sunday School because it wasn't appropriate for the kids to use them! And we almost didn't recruit a new minister because she doesn't like wearing robes! Oh, how terribly inappropriate. Thankfully, sense prevailed and she will be inducted in August. (Our current minister is a temp. who is over 70.)
On the whole, CoS is a very conservative presbyterian church. Just think of presbyterian work ethic and presbyterian guilt (I don't know if phrases like that would be known in England because I don't know if you have any presbyterian churches ) The idea of church by committee is a good one but it falls into the usual trap of anything run by committee. We have a Board and Session, of which I am bizarrely a member, which is completely stuck in the olden days, won't agree to any changes, blocks the minister at every cut and turn and has certain members who are so obsessed with the idea of their own status and power within the congregation that they make it impossible for anyone else's voice to be heard or for any change/progress to happen. For instance our Board argued for 2 1/2 years over whether to buy pew cushions for the sanctuary or not because a small number of very vocal and pushy members a)didn't want to spend any money, even though we have over 100k in the bank and b) were concerned that some of our elderly people might be incontinent and make the cushions smell. Very Christian! In the end, we didn't get them.
Then there are matters like the gay issue which is threatening to split the church completely, with members already leaving and whole congregations preparing to do the same. The Wee Free are actually debating introducing music to their services in expectation of an influx of disgruntled CoS churches.
To be fair, Head Office likes to think that it is quite funky and progressive and there are a lot of good people with good ideas involved in things like mission and discipleship. Sadly, it is difficult to get the enthusiasm and newer outlooks to filter down into congregations, never mind to get churches to implement things. Because each church has its own court of session, they make decisions for themselves, apart from obvious things that depend on Church Law, Creeds etc. so all the good ideas and new approaches under the sun won't help with a Kirk Session that doesn't want to change. When we had a visit form a guy from M&D come to talk to us about boosting attendance, at the invitation of the minister, only about half a dozen folk turned up and no-one from Kirk Session came. Says it all really, and a lot of CoS churches are like that. I think that the problem lies in the fact that many Elders are just that, as are many ordinary members. The CHurch suits them as it is and will see them out in the next 10-15 years. SO they aren't bothered about taking the long view and interesting younger people. Hence the traditional church is losing out big time to the more evangelical, pentecostal faiths. Our Sunday School has about 5 kids on a regular basis, 3 of them mine, my mother's church has about 25. The local evangelical church has a youth membership of over 750, because the way they present themselves is much more in tune with younger people and children.