IN your article "Minister tells Kirk – we risk sleepwalking into oblivion” (The Herald, October 3) you state "a census of Scottish Christians found there are now 390,000 regular churchgoers north of the Border". If only. I would suggest that is the actual number of Church of Scotland members but in fact barely 30 per cent could be classed regular attenders. This acceptance of reality must be the first step to arresting the decline by all presbyteries and congregations of the National Church.

Other alarming issues are the slump in youth organisations and the retired age profile of most attending members abetted by the decline in the recruitment to the ministry. Unless these points are swiftly addressed the sleeping into oblivion analogy will sadly materialize.

Allan C Steele,

22 Forres Avenue, Giffnock.