Two teenagers at a parish in the east end of Glasgow have become the youngest people in the recent history of the Church of Scotland to be appointed as church elders.

Erica Matteo and Luke Anderson - both 19 - were ordained as elders at a special service in Sandyhills Parish Church, Baillieston, and are now part of the Kirk Session.

That means they will be responsible for implementing the instructions of the Church's General Assembly and making sure the Sandyhills congregation adheres to them.

Sandyhills minister Rev Norman Afrin said the duo carry "maturity and wisdom", despite still being teenagers.

The ordination service for Erica and Luke took place on Sunday.

An internship programme for the two teenagers saw them regularly attend meetings of the Kirk Session for about 18 months.

Erica, who lives near the church and works in a shopping centre's smoothie bar, said her family and friends have been supportive of her becoming an elder.

She added: "I was quite nervous before going into my first Kirk Session meeting but when I walked in I knew everyone there and I calmed down. I've really enjoyed every meeting, finding out how the church is run.

"The biggest thing for me has been experiencing the love of my church family, that they wanted younger people to step in and see what being an elder is like."

Luke is a third year student in sports business management at the University of Stirling and is considering becoming a minister himself.

He said: "I quite like being in leadership and seeing how stuff works, and I thought I would maybe have some good ideas to contribute.

"As soon as I heard Erica was the other intern elder, I knew we would work well as a team and bounce ideas off each other."

Rev Afrin was one of the Church of Scotland's youngest new ministers when he began serving there in 2018, at the age of 26.

He said the need for younger elders had often been discussed at the Kirk Session, and both Luke and Erica's names had come up.

He said: "They have brought a depth and spiritual insight that was very welcome. They carried a maturity and wisdom and it has been such a joy to watch them grow into this office - they never felt like interns.

"Their contributions were always well received and they were met with warmth, love and open arms."

Sandyhills says about a third of its members are under the age of 30, at a time when church attendance is in decline and the Church of Scotland is selling off some of its historic buildings.