Community trust looks to preserve Culross Abbey

A LOCAL community trust is set to be established to look at ways of preserving Culross Abbey for future use.

The historic abbey is set to stop being a fulltime place of worship by the end of 2027 as part of changes happening across the country.

A Church of Scotland spokesperson said the Church was going through a “monumental period of change” as it reconfigures and reshapes for mission and service around fewer buildings and fewer charges.

“It is a critical time as we make the essential changes needed to lay a realistic and sustainable foundation for the future against a backdrop of diminishing finances and members,” said the spokesperson. “Fife Presbytery, in common with all Presbyteries, has produced a five- year Mission Plan to allocate limited resources to parishes and congregations to ensure well equipped spaces are in the right places to effectively deliver Jesus’ call to mission and discipleship.

“It established a Historic Churches Working Group to examine the future use of historic buildings like Culross Abbey which has a long and deep history. We recognise that this beautiful building has meaning and value to the local community but the congregation and office bearers are deeply conscious of the lack of people available to take on the heavy responsibility of running it as an active place of worship.”

The spokesperson said that the working group had affirmed a Fife Presbytery decision to release the building as a full-time place of worship by December 2027.

“A local community trust will be established to explore options for its preservation and future use,” he added. “Discussions with relevant parties including members of the local community are in the early stages but the Church is committed to securing the best future for all historic buildings and will always seek to deal with them sensitively and appropriately.”