KIRK IN CRISIS! 'Catastrophe' as congregations plunge!

I broke my heart and wept when I read this! From a country who has given so much to the Church of Jesus Christ, from a country who has given us the Presbyterian Church and many other great movements, from a country that sent out more missionaries per capita than any other nation, from a country that produced so many brilliant ministers and missionaries, from a country that produced so many Godly men and women... it's abominable!

Is it any wonder that this has happened? When the minister's preach a watered down gospel, when the leaders of the Church are decieved and are are in denial concerning this 'Catastrophe,' when they are debating the acceptance of homesexuals and lesbians for the ministry... it's abominable!

When the missional thrust of the Church has almost died out, when needy children around the world are missing out because they built a hotel in Israel to make money, when the unsaved people lose respect for the Churches because they are no longer relevant, when the deity of Jesus Christ is questioned... it's abominable!

When Edinburgh the capital of Scotland has become the drug capital of Europe, when the abortion rate is at it's highest ever, when child abuse is rampant, when violence against women is at it's highest level ever, when the homes for the elderly have been closing down, when there is very little ministry given to the poor and needy, when the elderly are afraid to come out of their houses and no longer receive visits from their ministers... it's abominable! Read and weep!

CHURCH membership in Scotland has fallen by a staggering 60 per cent over the last 45 years, it has been revealed.

And one leading religious academic described the Kirk's continuing decline as catastrophic.

Figures to be released by the Church of Scotland today show that membership last year plunged by more than 17,000.

Kirk membership in 2004 stood at 535,834, compared with 1.34 million in the 1960s.

Even more worringly for Kirk leaders, the number of baptisms reached a record low, with only 7500 babies christened in 2004 - a drop of 500 on the previous year.

Religious historian Professor Callum Brown, of Dundee University, said the emptying of pews was a disaster for the Church of Scotland.

He said: 'The drop since 1960 is a membership catastrophe. These figures make even worse reading when you look at Christian churchgoing in Scotland, which currently stands at around only 11 per cent of the total adult population. This has fallen dramatically in the last 25 years, notably in high-churchgoing areas such as the Western Isles and Lanarkshire.''

Professor Brown, author of the book The Death of Christian Britain, says the figures are further proof that Scotland has become an 'ungodly' society.

He said: 'The way people think about themselves as moral and religious individuals has clearly undergone a fundamental change in the last 40 years.''

Church leaders say dramatic changes in modern working patterns has taken a heavy toll, especially among women with other Sunday commitments.

Around two-thirds of those who stopped worshipping on Sunday mornings in recent times were women, according to the Scottish Church Census published in 2002.

But the Rev Marjory MacLean, depute clerk of the Kirk's General Assembly, denied the slump was a death knell for religion in Scotland.

She said: 'Church attendances and membership have been going down throughout the modern era. I am not burying my head in the sand, but I think the figures disguise a changing role for the church.'

Ms MacLean even claimed the fall could be seen as positive because it meant that those who did remain were dedicated to their faith.

She said: 'Forty years ago, going to church was something that you just did. Now it is more of a lifestyle choice,so we know that the people in churches have a desire to be there. It's not just all about bums on seats.'

# Figures issued by the Scottish Catholic Church also show a slump in Mass attendance. Only 194,728 went to Mass in 2003, compared with more than 250,000 in 1994.

Please pray with me for Scotland, that the Church will turn around, that those fine men and women who are faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ will be strengthened, that the Lord will pour out His Spirit for revival in Scotland!

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.-- 2 Chron 7:14.