By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Church of Scotland is selling 100 historic worship buildings to raise funds after a drastic decline in the number of worshippers and ministers.
Churches, plots of land and former council houses, some dating back to the 1700s, have been listed for sale at prices ranging from £35,000 in what the Church has described as a “painful” move.
The institution said financial pressures have forced it to make “difficult” decisions on its future, adding it now owns “far more [churches] than is required”.
The Church of Scotland has lost a million members since 2001 and the majority of Scots now say they have no religion, according to the latest census data.
It is also grappling with a fall in number of clergy men.
In 2022, the Church revealed it had lost 40pc of its ministers since 2000.
By ridding itself of centuries-old, energy-sapping buildings, the Church is hopeful it can “reduce the pressure on congregational finances”.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “We understand fully the wide range of emotions – anger, guilt, sorrow and relief that the burden of trying to keep a place of worship open with few people and little, if any contribution from other community sources, has finally been lifted.
“The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our primary mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
“It is going through a transformation and it is essential that the Church is properly equipped to be fit for purpose in the 21st century. Although buildings are cherished, they must not hinder progress.”
Historic buildings on the market include a quaint church in Laggan, Inverness-shire, for offers over £35,000, and the neo-gothic St Mary’s Greyfriars in Dumfries for bids over £38,000.
The impressive town church, which closes to worshippers for the final time last week Thursday, measures 594 sqm and is a fraction of the £165,000 average house price in the area.
However, like most of the churches on the market, its energy performance is in dire straits.
