The Church of Scotland (Cof S) has announced it is selling around 100 buildings following a period of drastic decline in worshippers and ministers. Buildings on sale range from churches to houses, some dating back to the 1800s – and it has described the decision as a ‘difficult’ and ‘painful’ move.
The news comes after the denomination recently announced at its General Assembly that it is set to close hundreds of churches in the coming years due to a large fall in membership, and that it was ‘unsustainable’ to keep over 1,000 churches open for the number of people attending services.
A (CofS) spokesperson said: ‘We believe a significant reduction in the number of buildings we own is necessary in order to deliver sustainable and realistic new expressions of ministry and church, and to ensure all of our buildings are suitable for the needs of mission in the 21st century… The Church owns many more buildings than it needs, a legacy from a different age, so presbyteries have been evaluating their buildings and planning for the next five years.’
The CofS has lost a million members since 2000 and an increasingly secular culture is thought to have contributed to its decline. However, many members left after the CofS’s decision in 2009 to support the appointment of same-sex ministers, and a general departure from Biblical teaching on issues of marriage and sexuality.
Paul Gibson, Free Church minister at Knox Church, Perth, was one of many ministers who left the CofS because of its stance on same-sex ministers. He said: ‘The decline of the Church of Scotland over the past few decades is cause for sorrow on the part of Christians throughout our country and beyond. However, it should also serve as a solemn warning as to what happens – and will happen – to any denomination or church that rejects the plain teaching of God’s Holy Word, whether in regard to women’s ordination, marriage or human sexuality. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.’
