Church of Scotland ministers have been urged to draw inspiration from the preaching style of an Aberdeen man to try and attract new members.
Hannah Mary Goodlad, who has been appointed the next moderator of the National Youth Assembly, said the Rev Scott Rennie of Queen’s Cross Church encapsulated the kind of characteristics that attracted young Christians.
The 24-year-old oil industry geologist said the congregation was the place she wanted to be.
Ms Goodlad, of Cults, has made it a personal mission to try and attract more young people to the Kirk when she takes up the one year role next August.
Membership of the country’s national church has dropped to below 400,000 for the first time, largely due to death.
One of the biggest challenges facing it is attracting new preachers and it is at risk of being short of 200 ministers by 2024.
Mr Rennie, 42, is one of the best known Kirk ministers in Scotland as his appointment to Queen’s Cross in 2009 triggered a controversial debate about whether people in same-sex relationships should be allowed to lead congregations.
Despite the furore which has divided the Church of Scotland, the Aberdeen Football Club fan has overseen a substantial growth in the membership of his congregation since he took over.
Ms Goodlad, who works for Statoil, is officially joining the congregation next month along with seven other people.
“Scott is a great guy and I feel very welcome there, it a great place,” she added.
“I started working in Aberdeen in January and decided to do a bit of a Kirk crawl and I decided on Queen’s Cross.
“Scott is a great speaker and his interpretation of theology and the way he relates the Bible to modern day life is excellent.
“He breaks passages down to a understandable and applicable way and he is open, enthusiastic and really forward thinking.
“These are characteristics at the forefront of what we want from life – it is something young people latch on to.”
Ms Goodlad said the Kirk was a broad church and people were attracted to different styles of preaching.
“For me and other young folk within Queen’s Cross, Scott’s approach to the Bible is what attracts us,” she added.
“It is perhaps a model that other churches could emulate because we need an injection of enthusiasm to attract new members.”