The number of churchgoers in Scotland has fallen by more than half in the past 30 years, prompting fears the faith is in "crisis," new research has shown.

A census of Scottish Christians found around 390,000 regularly attended church in 2016 compared with 854,000 in 1984.

Regular churchgoers in Scotland are predicted to fall to just under 300,000 by 2025 if the present trend continues.

The 2016 Scottish Church Census carried out by the Brierley Consultancy found 42% of Scottish churchgoers are aged 65, which the report noted "is twice the proportion in the population, and has obvious implications for the future".

Our sister paper, the Sunday Herald, has exclusive access to the results of the most recent census conducted last year and the attendance figures are at the lowest point yet.

The number of congregations has fallen from 4,100 in 1984 to 3,700 in 2016 and nearly half of congregations (46%) reported declining numbers in the past five years.

The average congregation in 2016 was 105 and researchers found the decrease in numbers is equivalent to losing 10 congregations a month.

Despite the overall decline in church attendance, it is less steep than predicted due to increasing numbers in Pentecostal churches and European Union immigration.

Aberdeenshire was the sole area bucking the downward trend with 350 more people attending church in 2016 compared with 2002.

Analysis credited this to Polish immigrants working in the oil industry, noting there are now 25 Polish churches in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Attendees at Pentecostal churches have almost doubled since a previous census in 2002 and now stand at 19,000, 5% of all churchgoers in Scotland.

When asked by the Sunday Herald whether the new figures indicate a crisis in Christianity in Scotland, consultant researcher Dr Peter Brierley said: "Yes, absolutely."

He also noted: "The result of the 2016 Scottish Church Census will be disappointing for most church leaders, but a forecast based on the results of the 2002 Census would give an estimate of 350,000 by 2016, so the actual result is better than expected, 11% higher, partly as a result of the numbers of immigrants coming into Scotland, and the growth of the Pentecostal churches."