Moderator of the General Assembly
The moderator of the General Assembly is the
Presbyterian churches are ordered by a
Many moderators act as ambassadors for their general assembly when it is not sitting, and visit many of the local churches in their denomination..
Examples
A principal example of a Moderator of the General Assembly is that of the Church of Scotland, the current Moderator of the General Assembly is Lord Wallace of Tankerness.[2][3] According to the Church of Scotland[4]
"The Moderator—who moderates, or chairs, the annual General Assembly—is nominated by a committee which consists of 15 representatives elected by the General Assembly. The Moderator must also be formally elected by commissioners at the start of the Assembly. The honorary office is held for one year only. Following the week of the General Assembly, the Moderator acts as an ambassador for the Church of Scotland, frequently being invited to represent the Church at official events at home and abroad."
Additionally, within the Church of Scotland, there are individual positions for Moderator at Kirk and Presbytery level (see Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland).[5]
In another example, in the
Other national examples, with equivalent elected chairs in united churches with Presbyterian roots, include the Moderator of the United Church of Canada and the President of Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia.
United churches
In each of the united Churches of South India, of North India, of Pakistan and of Bangladesh (which all have Presbyterian roots), one of the diocesan bishops is elected Moderator of the Synod (i.e. the national governing body) for a fixed term — another is elected Vice-Moderator. The Moderator (for their term) is ranked with Moderator of the General Assembly in the Presbyterian Churches and with the national primates of Anglican churches. It is styled The Most Reverend.
See also
Lists of moderators of the General Assembly:
- Church of Scotland (1562–present)
- Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (1789–1958)
- Presbyterian Church in the United States (1861–1983)
- United Presbyterian Church of North America (1858–1958)
- United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (1958–1983)
- Presbyterian Church (USA) (1983–present)
- List of Moderators of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
References
- ^ "moderator". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Lord Wallace inducted as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland". Grampian Online. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Former deputy first minister Jim Wallace is new Kirk moderator". BBC News. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "The Moderator". The Church of Scotland. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Kirk Session Moderators". Church of Scotland. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Clerk and Moderator". Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
Sources
- McHugh, J. A. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
External links
- Westminster Assembly, 1645 "The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government" online at reformed.org