Scotland’s Church Membership Drops In Half Since 2000

The Church continues to find itself in a very difficult place.

The following chart represents the Church of Scotland’s membership over time. As we can see, since 2000, their membership dropped from 600,000 members to just 283,000 members. This is a dramatic and concerning decline of our faith.

Even in the United States, we have seen belief in God dip to record lows.

In case you’re wondering, I found that chart from a report that was published by the Church of Scotland. It concerned the state of the church, what they have seen, and what they expect and how they’re trying to turn the ship around.

Here’s some tidbits from that report:

1. “We are averaging just 1 wedding per year per congregation.”
2. “We had 1,280 baptisms, that is an average of just over 1 per congregation compared to 50,000 per year in the late 1950’s.”
3. “The average age of those attending church is 62 years old – so the trends of decline are not likely to change without us taking positive action and addressing the demographic profile.”
4. “Ministers are retiring and people are not coming forward (as has been the case for years) in the numbers needed to replace them.”

We keep seeing this trend in our nation, and in other “Christian nations.”

I know it’s really easy for the body of Christ to say,

“Well, the churches don’t teach right anymore.”

That way, we as individuals don’t have to take accountability.

The Church of Scotland certainly has doctrinal issues. To a degree, they’ve also accepted some of the world’s modern morality. Yet, that’s modern, look at the chart again. Membership has been declining since the 1950s. It’s pretty much like that for every Christian organization.

Moreover, I can tell you, there isn’t a single church on the face of the planet that has ever taught 100% correct. There are many reasons for that, we are men is a prime instance, and interpretation is another.

Nevertheless, Christians have changed. People have changed.

One of the biggest things Jesus told us was not to go with the world, yet we have. We may think we haven’t, but to a very large degree, we have. That’s why attendance continues to drop. We have become more influenced by the world, than Christ.

We may not want to accept it, but it’s absolutely true. When you give the world more time than God, the world will alter your mind. It will alter your thoughts. This is exactly why so very few Christians ever turn from page to page in their Bible, or even study in such a format.

We would rather be entertained with the Word, than educated by the Word. We as a society and culture have changed, and our focus is no longer on Scripture, but what the world is up too. I’ve seen it time and time again, and the trend is only increasing.

We live in very sad times.

Who will preach, if there are no ministers?

Who will listen, if there are no members?

Romans 10:13-15
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!