Posted on 05/25/2023 7:25:20 PM PDT by marshmallow
(CP) The Church of Scotland has lost more than half of its members since the year 2000, with the average age of worship attendees being 62, according to a General Assembly report.
The Assembly Trustees' report for the Church's General Assembly taking place in Edinburgh analyzed statistical information about the denomination.
According to the report, the membership of the Church in 2021 was 283,600, which represented a 4.6% decline compared to 2020, and well below the 1.3 million reported in the 1950s.
The report explained that the 2021 membership numbers represented 46.6% of what was reported in 2000, while the number of ministers reported last year was 60% of what it was in 2000.
"This is no fault of one group of people or any decision-making body, but a trend that has not been reversed; we have lost members and Ministers of Word and Sacrament but not adjusted the number of charges," stated the report.
"One in three charges are in vacancy whilst across Scotland the size of almost every congregation is shrinking. Ministers are retiring and people are not coming forward (as has been the case for years) in the numbers needed to replace them. The good news of Jesus Christ, whilst being shared amongst some is not reaching the majority of the people of Scotland."
(Excerpt) Read more at christiantoday.com ...
When they ceased being Christian then Christians stopped going.
Something will fill that void.
The good news: Roman Catholicism is now the dominant religion in Scotland.
The bad news: That’s because they’re all bloody atheists.
Why believe in a church that doesn’t believe in God?
Compare it to its American counterpart, PCUSA.
There, 21% of the churches have 25 or fewer members.
over 32% of the members are 75 years old or older.
Membership in 2022 was 1,140,665. In 2008 it was 2,313,662. So they lost over half their members in 14 years.
Sources:
https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/2008-comp-sum.pdf
https://pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/statistics/2022_stats_comparativesummaries.pdf
Lost? or passed?!?
From what I’ve heard, they’ve gone woke. Are Christians going to different churches, or are they falling away altogether? I have an online q copy of the Book of Common Prayer for the Scottish Episcopalian Church from 1912. It is completely Scriptural and altogether lovely. I don’t know what newer versions are like, but I’m willing to bet they’ve strayed far from Scripture.
moslems
OY!
I’ve found that what replaces it is materialism. Not Islam, as even muslims are declining (not including recent immigration).
As per statista, in 2018
51% of Scotland was non religious.
22% church of Scotland, 14% catholic, 4% non Christian.
Scotland’s population is 5 million, so 22% is approximately 1 million.
Grooming is the old “new” game in the world, enacting something quite akin to the historical era when cities were destroyed and lands laid waste for what Isaiah and Jeremiah recount. Christian scripture then takes it up. In the structure of this theme, it is an elite along with their rabble rousers who aim to debauch.
One finds this in sexual mores today, as in such like the debauching of currency. That currently the Methodists in Georgia schism (as they should), the Lutherans and Presbyterians have, and beyond, one sees “desolation” economic as moral and societal ongoing. Homeschooling grows as people flee public education's desolation, as people are moving away from inner city desolation. The story is age old and repeating. The end of the story is also ages old, and will repeat.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
That isn’t good news. Roman Catholic church has unbiblical teachings. They are going to usher in the antichrist and will be left behind
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.