Scotland’s top clergy in state of panic over decline in number of churchgoers
THE dramatic fall in the number of churchgoers has plunged Christianity in Scotland into an ever-deepening crisis, according to senior clergy. One Catholic Bishop admitted he “loses sleep” over it and warned that there must be a huge shift in church culture to stem the decline. The leader of the United Reformed Church said most young people think the concept of God and Jesus is “irrelevant” and suggested they now believe they have better things to do on Sundays than go to services.
A high-ranking Church of Scotland minister bemoaned “changes in working patterns, leisure activities and family life” which mean churchgoing is no longer “instilled” in children, while an Episcopal Church Bishop admitted most Scots no longer have “loyalty” to churches. The stinging results of the Scottish Church Census 2016 shows the number of people attending church reg-
ularly has halved since the first survey was carried out in 1984.
The Reverend Dr David Pickering, Moderator of the United Reformed Church Synod of Scotland, said: “It’s a crisis and an opportunity. The Scottish Church Census doesn’t make terribly happy reading. But it also presents a new opportunity for the church to portray the love of God and the good news of Jesus in a new way for a new generation. That’s an opportunity and a challenge for us.
“Although I wish it were different, I think we must acknowledge that most congregations have more older people than younger, and most young people simply do not see the relevance of God, of Jesus, of the church, to their lives. And, of course, there are now more things to do on Sundays than there were even a generation ago.
“I think if the church doesn’t respond [to the decline in numbers], it is a crisis. If it does respond and it embraces the situation, that’s positive.”
Canon Thomas Boyle, Parish Priest of St Mary’s in Greenock, and former Assistant General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “It cannot be denied that recent scandals must have had some effect on the commitment of individuals to church attendance.”
Bishop of Paisley diocese John Keenan, right, set up a synod which saw clergymen hold regular summits with their congregations over two years, to flesh out ideas which he hopes can “renew” the Catholic Church. The key finding of the synod was that parishioners must now do more than just show up at Mass on a Sunday – and this new strategy could be rolled out across Scotland. Bishop Keenan said: “The real crisis that’s going on is not that people aren’t coming to us, it’s that we’ve stopped going to them. It’s a geographical and a human reality. Essentially, we’ve stopped being part of the homes and lives of ordinary people.
“To be honest with you, I lose sleep over the declining numbers. If they’re declining because there’s something we could be doing that we’re not doing then that’s something we should lose sleep over. There’s a sense that we could do this better if we thought about this, came together, and had some kind of a plan.
“Scottish Catholics have been used to going to mass and keeping their heads down. They’re happy with the cultural identity of being a Scottish Catholic but they’re really not sure about what it means to share their faith.
“One of things that came back all the time from lay people in our synod was we really want to do this but we need some information about how we’re supposed to share our faith in a way that doesn’t frighten someone by Bible bashing.
“The tough part will be the implementation. We’re trying to change a culture here. Changing cultures is always a difficult thing.”
The Scottish Episcopal Church is seeking to take a similar tack. The Most Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said: “Institutional patterns of religion may not hold the loyalty which they did in the past – but people everywhere are on journeys of spiritual exploration and yearn for spiritual experience.
“In recent times, the Scottish Episcopal Church has had a renewed focus on mission, offering engaging expressions of faith, caring for those in need and having a strong passion for justice.”
The Church of Scotland acknowledged the decline and set out the steps it will take to “foster growth”.
REVEREND Norman Smith, Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council at The Church of Scotland, said: “Changes in working patterns, leisure activities and family life have all contributed as has increasing secularisation.
“Within our society, Sunday is increasingly no longer seen as Sabbath or the Lord’s day but another day to cram full of activity. In addition, churchgoing used to be something you learned from your parents so the pattern of going to church was instilled in you as a child.
“However, as each generation has moved further and further away from that inherited pattern less people have learned about going to church. All of this has contributed to the decline of churchgoing in Scotland.”
Among the measures the Church of Scotland is taking to halt the decline is an outreach programme.
Reverend Smith added: “We have created five new pioneer ministries in areas as diverse as the farming community of Ayrshire, the arts community of Glasgow, the student community of Stirling, the innercity community of Paisley and a new housing development in East Lothian.
“Our ‘ Path of Renewal’ initiative, which is helping 40 congregations engage with today’s world in new ways has proved so successful that we are looking to run it again.”
Meanwhile, the Baptist Church has faith that its message will encourage more people to convert.
Rev Dr Jim Purves, Mission and Ministry Advisor to the Baptist Union of Scotland, an organisation that represents more than 150 churches, said: “The heart of Christianity is the news that Jesus Christ is alive and that He brings God’s life and light into people’s lives. Where people are coming to know and experience this in their lives, we see growing churches.
“Congregations active in sharing the hope that Jesus brings, among people of our nation, are experiencing this. People no longer just go to church out of habit or tradition. We are confident that we will have more and more good stories to tell of how Jesus brings hope and healing into people’s lives.”
The Sunday Herald also contacted the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland but did not receive a response.