Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" (i.e. chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May.

Contents

Office

The Moderator is normally a minister 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 one representative from each of the Church of Scotland's 40+ presbyteries. The Moderator must, however, also be formally elected at the Commissioners (i.e. all representatives) at start of the General Assembly - this is in practice a formality.

The office is held for one year only. Following the week of the General Assembly, the Moderator effectively acts as an ambassador for Church of Scotland, frequently being invited to represent the Church at official events or at special services for congregations.

In 2004 Dr Alison Elliot became the first woman (and first Elder for approximately 400 years) to be elected Moderator. Three years later the Very Rev Dr Sheilagh M. Kesting became the first woman minister to be elected to the office.

If the Moderator is a minister, he/she is styled Right Reverend during his/her term of office and Very Reverend thereafter.

Coronations

The Moderator takes part in the Coronation of British monarchs. At the Coronation in 1953, the Moderator presented a Bible to the Queen, saying, "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 coat of arms awarded by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. It includes a shield showing the burning bush, plus the Quigrich - the crozier of St Fillan - behind the shield (with the curved head of the Quigrich visible above the shield). The shield is surmounted by a black Geneva bonnet - closely associated with John Knox. Similar to the coat of arms of an archbishop, there are the addition of twenty blue tassels arranged with ten on each side.

See also

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Moderator of the Church of Scotland — [Moderator of the Church of Scotland] the minister elected to be president for one year of the ↑General Assembly of the Church of Scotland …   Useful english dictionary

  • Moderator of the Church of Scotland — the minister elected to be president for one year of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. * * * …   Universalium

  • General Assembly of the Church of Scotland — The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church s governing body.Church courtsAs a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland is governed by courts of elders… …   Wikipedia

  • General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland — The Assembly Hall is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the meeting place of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. HistoryFollowing the Disruption in the Church of Scotland in 1843, the emergent… …   Wikipedia

  • Moderators and clerks in the Church of Scotland — The Church of Scotland maintains a presbyterian polity and is thus governed by a hierarchy of bodies known as church courts. Each of these courts has a moderator and a clerk. Contents 1 Moderators 1.1 Moderator of the Kirk Session 1.2 Moderator… …   Wikipedia

  • Ordination of women in the Church of Scotland — The Church of Scotland was one of the first national churches to accept the ordination of women. In Presbyterianism, ordination is understood to be an ordinance rather than a sacrament; ministers and elders are ordained; until recently deacons… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland — The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereign s personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church s role as the national church of… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland — is a complete list of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation to the present day. Some listed below also currently have their own article. The location of the parish or other post during the Moderator s… …   Wikipedia

  • Ministers and elders in the Church of Scotland — A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding of… …   Wikipedia

  • Church of Scotland — Modern logo of the Church of Scotland Classification Protestant Orientation Calvinist Polity …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”