In just four years, the number of Church of God congregations in Scotland has doubled. In 2008, there were six Church of God congregations. Today there are 12.
Although small in number and resources, with all the churches, except one, meeting in rented or leased facilities, the Church of God in Scotland is seeing progress and a growing interest in the message of the cross.
Recently, General Overseer Mark Williams spoke to the churches at the annual ministers meeting. At that meeting, Church of God Scottish leaders honored Paul and Sheila McLaughlan for their pioneer work of evangelism and church planting in Scotland. Certificates were also presented to eight graduates of the Scotland School of Ministry.
“With a population nearing 7 million, Scotland is facing a new ‘dark age’ in spirituality,” says Dennis Tanner, a missionary evangelist in Scotland who serves with his wife, Vanna. “Many people in Scotland are more interested in other forms of religion, such as paganism and witchcraft, than in Christianity. Surveys done in 2008 revealed that within a generation or two, church attendance in the United Kingdom would be less than those attending mosques and other non-Christian meetings. It was estimated in the UK that actively religious Muslims would increase from about one million in 2008 to over 1.96 million in 2035.”
Tanner says there is hope and light in the darkness.
“The fastest and most exciting growing groups of Christians in the UK are Pentecostal/charismatic churches. A growing excitement and a desire to worship and serve a God who can change lives, and empower people to live victoriously for Christ, is evident,” he reveals.
