IT HAS been the weekend low point for generations of reluctant children with its diet of hymn singing and Bible readings that were just too much like school to be enjoyable.

Now the Church of Scotland is planning to scrap the traditional Sunday school following a dramatic drop in numbers and complaints from parents that they can no longer convince their children to attend.

The Kirk has admitted that Sunday schools have for too long relied on a tired formula and it is now planning to modernise them. Some are dropping the word “school” and using alternatives such as “club” and “forum”. Others have started playing pop music and offering pizza to encourage children to attend.

Forums are intended for older children to discuss ethical and moral issues, such as the war in Iraq. They also explore the attitudes of children to worship and their role in the church. A number of children have also been appointed “ambassadors” and will be given a platform at the Kirk’s general assembly every three years.

Between 1993 and 1997, attendances at Church of Scotland Sunday schools fell by 16% from 64,000 to 55,000. That figure is now estimated at just 40,000.

While ageing congregations, which contain fewer young families, are a factor, ministers believe children would rather go shopping or play sports than go to church.

“There’s little argument that numbers attending Sunday school are far less now than 20 years ago, but in some senses that is not a bad thing,” said Iain Whyte, general secretary of the Kirk’s parish education board.

“There has been concern that the traditional Sunday school does not engage children. Often there is a brief service after which they are allowed to do largely what they want.

“We have to find different ways of working with children. The numbers of Sunday schools hasn’t really changed but the number of children has diminished. The consensus is that people see Sunday schools as something the church should have, so we are looking at providing relevant alternatives.”

Among the worst hit are rural congregations. At St Ninian’s Bellfield, linked with Shortlees parish church, Sunday school attendances have dwindled to as few as five children, compared with about 50 two decades ago.

“The decline has been apparent for many years,” said Rev Taylor Brown. “The congregation is predominantly older but I have noticed there are lots of young children in the community who do not come to church. Our task is to engage more with families and attract more children.”

The issue of ageing congregations, however, may prove the biggest hurdle in reversing declining youth membership. Recent research carried out for the Kirk by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association surveyed more than 300 church and ministry leaders across Scotland.

It found the Kirk had been almost totally abandoned by those in their twenties and thirties. The average age of churchgoers in Britain is now 43, compared with 38 in 1989. Last year, a report by the church and nation committee found church congregations were declining at a rate of 17,000 members a year and predicted the church would cease to exist by 2050 if the trend continued.

Shuna Dicks, regional development worker for the board of parish education, said: “ Many Sunday schools are still run as they were 20 or 30 years ago and perhaps that isn’t engaging children enough. It’s outdated.”

“Sunday school as it was known is dying a death,” said Dr Peter Brierley, executive director of Christian Research, which publishes statistics on church issues. “The Kirk is often criticised for being slow in reacting to change but they are well-ahead on this issue.”

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