For centuries they have stood at the centre of Scottish life, witness to all of life’s major events and a gathering place for celebrations, heavenly worship and in times of grief.

Now hundreds of Scottish churches are at the centre of a race against time to ensure the history and heritage held within their walls is not lost forever.

A call has gone out for volunteers to carry out a massive recording exercise at up to 400 Church of Scotland buildings threatened with closure.

The task would see church contents such as lecterns, books, fonts, candlesticks and war memorials, measured, photographed and described in detail in an effort to record them before the church doors close for good.

It’s feared that once the churches close, countless items linked to the communities they have served for generations will be spirited away to be either dispersed among other churches, tucked away in storage, sold or even thrown away.

There are also concerns that some churches may lie unused with items inside for years at threat of damage or theft, while others with fascinating architectural details and historic features will be locked away from public view.

The call comes as the Church of Scotland is gripped by major reforms, with presbyteries across the country under pressure to deliver rapidly draw up ‘Mission Plans’ for controversial and drastic cuts to church buildings in their area.

Between 300 to 400 churches, manses and church halls across the country are expected to be earmarked for closure. They include historic churches such as Kilbirnie Auld in North Ayrshire, built on the site of a 6th-century cell dedicated to St Brendan of Clonfert.

Its interior features unique Renaissance-style wooden carvings said to be a remarkable example of 18th century woodwork.

The Church Recording Project is being coordinated by Scotland’s Churches Trust, a charity which provides grants to help preserve churches and ecclesiastical heritage.

It has already recorded the contents of several churches in East Lothian and at Greenside church in Edinburgh. The records will be delivered to Historic Environment Scotland’s archives.

The Trust’s Director, Dr DJ Johnston-Smith said: “There can be a lot of history wrapped up in one small building and we have a short window of time, as it looks like there may be three to four hundred church buildings set to close in the next 18 months.

“Sadly, I have heard anecdotes of skips appearing outside churches that close. There is a risk that all the little things deposited in churches for 200 to 300 years will be gone.

“Our aspiration is to grow network of volunteers before for sale signs go up.

“If a team can go in and record everything that is movable in the church and deposit that in the HES archives, at least once it’s closed, future generations will know what was there.”

Dr Johnston-Smith said treasures have already been lost.

At Category A-Listed Lundie Church in rural Angus, which sold last year for just £40,000, irreplaceable items associated with seafarer, Admiral Adam Duncan, who led the British fleet’s defeat of the Dutch in the 1797 Battle of Camperdown, were lost in a fire last month.

The church, which can trace its roots back to the 12th century reign of William the Lion, featured a wood panelled interior decorated with elaborate tributes his family and victory.

He said: “Lundie Church is a totem for our recording project.

“Last month’s fire destroyed the entire interior. Around 1000 years of collective history in that church is gone.”

The Church of Scotland confirmed major reforms in 2019. Presbyteries across the country have until the end of this month to develop Mission Plans listing which buildings should close.

The plans will be submitted to the Church of Scotland for further debate before final decisions are confirmed.

The Church of Scotland said each building has been looked at ‘holistically’ and that historical aspects and heritage are “part of the assessment” surrounding presbyteries decisions regarding closure, but “not the sole factor”.

Presbyteries are “seeking to work with communities to find the best outcomes for each building,” it added.

The closures raise questions over the fate of items donated by communities and congregations, including war memorials, artworks, stained glass and organs.

Some church organs built to fit their space and considered of high importance, may be impossible to remove.

Dr Johnston-Smith said the project has already uncovered unexpected items.

“There have been times when volunteers have opened a drawer and found things like a long-forgotten book handed in to the church in the 1900s. All they can do is take a photograph and put it back – they can’t go through it in detail.

“They are also finding that because there have been church mergers, there are often contents from other churches. One had the contents of six churches.”

Churches’ unique role in community life down the generations means some were used as ‘safe storage’ for items of significant historic interest: one now closed church in Dumfries and Galloway contains a magnificent stone cross created at Whithorn in the 12th century.

“If there wasn’t a local museum nearby, the church would be where things went to be kept safe,” he added.

“People donated important things to churches because they thought they would be there forever.”

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said: "HES has had ongoing discussions with the General Trustees and staff of the Church of Scotland at a senior level to explore how we can assist during this difficult period, and we will continue to work closely with them."