YOUNGER women are increasingly being attracted to leadership roles in the Church of Scotland, it has emerged.
There has been a modest yet more widely significant increase in the number of young women seeking to enter the clergy, it is claimed.
The news comes as the Church of England, the Kirk's counterpart south of the border, said young women view becoming a priest - as opposed to a minster in Scotland - as an "increasingly attractive" job, according to the CofE's representative in the Commons.
The Church of Scotland - which has had a progressive approach to women in ministry as well as gay ministers - this year celebrated 50 years of female clergy.
It said it has nearly 200 female ministers, and this year they marched through Edinburgh to show their strength and conviction, stopping only to decry the sexism of John Knox, a founding father criticised for his views on the "monstrous league of women" in reference to female leadership.
READ MORE: John Knox 'birling' in grave as 200 female ministers in Church march
The Kirk said women were increasingly playing a leadership role that has influenced even traditional corners of the once male dominated pulpit.
Rev Louise Mackay, 29, was the youngest woman minister in the Church of Scotland when she was ordained and inducted into St Nicholas Church in Lanark, South Lanarkshire in January, 2017.
She said: “I would certainly recommend a career in ministry to other young women.
“Every day is different and that’s something I enjoy a lot.
“It’s a vocation and a way of life and I love it.
“As a woman and a young woman, I bring a different perspective and set of gifts to my ministry.
“A man will also bring a perspective and gifts to ministry.
“It seems to me that both are needed.
“People often tell me that I have changed their views of what a minister is."
READ MORE: Teens to train as Kirk elders in bid to bridge generation gap
She went on: “People tend to think of ministers as older, whether men or women, so they are sometimes quite surprised that I am a minister.
“But many people have told me they think it is a good thing and that is encouraging and a good sign for the future of the Church.”
At this year's General Assembly of the Church of Scotland women marched upon the annual Kirk gathering place in Edinburgh in show of solidarity.
A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: “This year is the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women to the ministry of word and sacrament and today we have 194 ordained women ministers, which is a quarter of the total number of clergy working across Scotland, England and overseas.
“In the future we expect that proportion to rise since almost equal numbers of men and women are entering ministry with our Church.
“In 2017, we had 38 female applicants and 40 male applicants for ministry training and of the 38 female applicants, three are under the age of 30.
“Women have been appointed to senior posts within the Church.
“The current Moderator, for example, is Rt Rev Susan Brown, a parish minister from Dornoch in the Highlands, who is the fourth woman to have been chosen to serve as the Kirk’s ambassador at home and abroad.”
READ MORE: Irish Presbyterian schism after ties severed with Church of Scotland over same-sex marriage
Church of England data released last year showed more women than men were starting training as priests for the first time in 16 years.
Of the 544 people in last autumn's intake, 274 were women and 270 were men.
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