Kirk’s debt crisis deepens as more Scots turn their back on worship
Declining congregations are deepening the Church of Scotland’s debt, prompting warnings of ‘tough decisions’ to balance books.
The Rev David Cameron, the Kirk’s convener of the assembly trustees, said the current deficit had grown from £5million to £6.5million despite an increased income.
He warned decisions must be made about which services will continue and which will be cut.
Writing in next month’s edition of the church’s magazine Life and Work, Mr Cameron said the adjustments would become necessary, admitting the national church is facing challenges with attendance.
The minister wrote: ‘Many of you are already aware of the ongoing decline in church attendance and the resulting funding shortfall.
'We are not yet witnessing the anticipated recovery in the church and our situation necessitates immediate and decisive action which will further impact on our national expenditure.’
He added that significant strides and reforms had already been made but ‘additional adjustments’ were required to meet the Kirk’s ‘evolving needs’.
Mr Cameron insisted plans were in place to ‘identify the essential workstreams and services necessary’ for the church with ‘strict controls on future recruitment’.
Churches were once full of worshippers
He said: ‘Difficult decisions will be necessary about what continues and what ceases, restructuring workloads and determining our essential roles.
We are committed to reducing uncertainty, acting transparently and treating all national staff with fairness and care throughout this challenging period.’
But he said there were opportunities for the church too and paid tribute to worshippers who continue to support the church’s work.
He added: ‘Our main priority is to provide mission-focused resource allocation, sustainable ministry, compassionate people management and transparent decision-making, freeing our ministers and congregations to transform lives and communities for Christ.’
Chief officer Dave Kendall said that the church has saved £8million annually over the past five years, mainly in central spending.
But speaking ahead of the General Assembly in May, he admitted: ‘Our continuing membership decline has resulted in a further decrease in income, which cancels out the savings.’
The Kirk has been selling off property, saying having more than 1,000 churches to cater for the number of people attending worship is ‘simply untenable and unsustainable’.
Based on 2021 numbers, the church has 283,600 members, down from a peak of 1.3million in the late 1950s.
Each church now averages just one wedding and one baptism per year – about 1,200 in total, down from 50,000.
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