Kirk must halt rapid decline

FIGURES SHOWING the rapid drop in church members across Scotland are worrying for the Kirk.

Thousands have given up their membership according to official figures revealed in the Blue Book, released ahead of the General Assembly next month.

As many as 4.6% of communicants dropped away from Courier Country presbyteries and no area showed an increase in the last year — although Perth dropped by only 0.1%

In Dundee alone, almost 500 people have ceased their membership and the national figure is 3%.

The true total of actual attendees at Sunday worship is likely to be even lower — many will remain members without actually turning up for a service.

The Church of Scotland maintains that, with more than 400,000 members, it remains one of the largest membership organisations in the country, but complacency must not be allowed to set in.

The reasons for people leaving will be many and varied and the principal one seems to be the demographic of those regular attendees — older portions of congregations are not being replaced. There are other factors which cannot be ignored. The schism created by the row over ministers in same sex marriages has been acute in some areas and, in simple terms, the range of other activities available on a Sunday morning is also growing.

The Scottish Secular Society has seized on the figures as proof of a diminishing relevance for the Kirk in modern life. The Church counters that lack of membership does not equate to a lack of importance.

It will be harder to keep that stance if the downward trend continues though.