In Scotland, the church has lost more than half of its parishioners in the last 20 years. This information was made known through a report of the Assembly Trustees. According to it, the average age of current attendees is around 62 years. The church sees the need to readjust how it operates to work to close the demographic profile.

Another finding of the report is that most ministers are over 50 years old and half of them will retire in the next decade.

As in most cases of this nature, the greatest desertion occurred during the covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, approximately 60,000 attendances were registered, when before the pandemic attendance reached 88,000. 

An article published by The Christian Post says:

“According to the report, Church membership in 2021 was 283,600, representing a 4.6 percent decrease compared to 2020, and well below the 1.3 million reported in the 1950s.”

…

In remarks given to the General Assembly on Monday, the Rev. David Cameron said that the report on membership decline “provides a realistic picture of where our Church finds itself.”

“This is a critical time as we make the essential changes needed to lay a sustainable foundation for the future,” he continued. “The reforms we embark on together are to reconfigure and reshape the church for mission and service around fewer buildings and fewer charges.”

Also, the report explains that the number of members today represents 46% of what it was in 2000. And, that the total number of bishops reported in 2022 only reaches 60% compared to 23 years ago. 

 

To continue reading the report you can do so by going here.

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