Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland | |
---|---|
Style | The Right Reverend |
Member of | Standing Committee of the Church of Scotland |
Reports to | Standing Committee of the Church of Scotland |
Residence | 2 Rothesay Terrace, Edinburgh |
Nominator | Committee of the Church of Scotland |
Term length | 1 year |
Formation | 1562 |
First holder | John Knox |
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Assembly, the Moderator then spends the following year representing the Church of Scotland at civic events, and visiting congregations and projects in Scotland and beyond.
As the Church of Scotland is Scotland's national church, and a
Office
Background
The moderator can be any minister, deacon or elder, within the Church of Scotland.[1] Whoever is selected as moderator is often of considerable experience and held in high esteem in the Church of Scotland. The moderator is nominated by the "Committee to Nominate the Moderator", which consists of twelve people elected annually - comprising eleven ministers and elders, and one deacon. The moderator must, however, also be formally elected by the commissioners (i.e. all representatives) at the start of the General Assembly – this is in practice a formality.[2] A new moderator is elected each year.[3]
In 2004
Moderators who also serve as a minister are styled the
Official residence
The Moderator has an official residence at Number 2 Rothesay Terrace in Edinburgh's West End.[4][5]
Role in coronations
The Moderator first took part in the
"Here is wisdom; This is the royal law; These are the lively Oracles of God."[6]
During the Coronation of Charles III in 2023, the then-Moderator, Dr Iain Greenshields once again presented a bible to The King, saying:
"Sir, to keep you ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world has to offer. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God."
Coat of arms
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has an official
Order of precedence
By virtue of an
List of Moderators
Since 2010, the following have been elected to the position of Moderator:
- 2010: John Christie
- 2011: A. David K. Arnott
- 2012: Albert Bogle
- 2013: E. Lorna Hood
- 2014: Angus Morrison; initially nominated but withdrew on health grounds
- 2014: John Chalmers
- 2015: Angus Morrison
- 2016: Russell Barr
- 2017: Derek Browning[7]
- 2018: Susan M. Brown[8]
- 2019: Colin Sinclair[9]
- 2020: Martin Fair[10][11]
- 2021: The Lord Wallace of Tankerness[12][11][10]
- 2022: Iain Greenshields
- 2023: Sally Foster-Fulton[13]
See also
References
- ^ Scotland, The Church of (16 July 2021). "Nominate the 2022-23 Moderator of the General Assembly". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "NOMINATION OF THE MODERATOR OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REGULATIONS (REGS I 2013) (AS AMENDED BY REGS I 2020 AND REGS I 2023)". Regulations of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (PDF). 2023. p. 61.
- ^ Scotland, The Church of (20 May 2019). "The Moderator". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "#365,000 townhouse for moderator". HeraldScotland. 8 October 1998.
- ^ Stewart, Ian (25 January 2017). "A past to be proud of in a world which will always need good journalism" – via PressReader.
- Novello & Co. 1953. p. 15.
- ^ "Kirk announces Dr Derek Browning as next Moderator". BBC News. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Madonna minister appointed as Church of Scotland Moderator". BBC News. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ "The current Moderator". 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Former deputy first minister Jim Wallace is new Kirk moderator". BBC News. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b "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 to be Church of Scotland moderator". BBC News. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Charity chief named as Moderator of the 2023-24 General Assembly". 28 October 2022.