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26-848: 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 latter's role as the national church of Scotland , and the Sovereign's role as a member of that Church. See Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland There were ten incumbent Lord High Commissioners of

52-616: A Bible to Queen Elizabeth II , saying: "Here is wisdom; This is the royal law; These are the lively Oracles of God." During the Coronation of Charles III in 2023, the then-Moderator, 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,

78-508: A UK amical protectorate , and was established under the 1815 Treaty of Paris . The office ceased when the islands were integrated in independent Greece in 1864. The incumbents were: In addition, between November 1858 and March 1859, William Ewart Gladstone served as high commissioner extraordinary to determine the political future of the Ionian Islands. He recommended that the Ionian Islands remain under British protection. However, when

104-688: A group of presbyteries, but these have been abolished. At national level, the General Assembly stands at the top of this structure. General Assembly meetings are usually held in the Assembly Hall on the Mound, Edinburgh. This was originally built for the Free Church in the 19th century. Before this, from 1845 to 1929, the General Assembly had met in the Victoria Hall (the Highland Tolbooth Kirk) at

130-616: A minister are styled the Right Reverend during the term of office and the Very Reverend thereafter. This gives no further status beyond that of teaching elder. The Moderator has an official residence at Number 2 Rothesay Terrace in Edinburgh's West End . The Moderator first took part in the Coronation of the British monarch in 1953 . The then-Moderator, James Pitt-Watson , presented

156-534: A week of intensive deliberation once a year in May. Ministers , elders and deacons are eligible to be "Commissioners" to the General Assembly. Typically a parish minister would attend the Assembly once every four years, accompanied by an elder from that congregation. The Assembly also has youth representatives and a few officials. Prior to each Assembly, a minister or elder is nominated to serve as Moderator for that year. At

182-522: A wide range of partner churches around the world, and any of the Church of Scotland's Mission Partners (overseas workers) who may be resident in Scotland during the Assembly. The General Assembly can and does pass legislation governing the affairs of the Church. The Assembly discusses issues affecting church and society; the General Assembly is invited to "receive" reports from its committees and councils. Attached to each report are proposed "deliverances", which

208-527: Is chaired by a Moderator elected at the start of the Assembly. As a Presbyterian church , the Church of Scotland is governed by courts of elders rather than by bishops . At the bottom of the hierarchy of courts is the Kirk Session , the court of the parish; representatives of Kirk Sessions form the Presbytery , the local area court. Formerly there were also Synods at regional level, with authority over

234-453: Is in practice a formality. A new moderator is elected each year, and usually announced in October. In 2004 Alison Elliot became the first woman (and first elder for approximately 400 years) to be elected Moderator. Three years later Sheilagh M. Kesting became the first woman minister to be elected to the office. In total, there have been five female moderators. Moderators who also serve as

260-464: 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

286-527: Is set out in the Acts Declaratory and the Church of Scotland Act 1921 . The Assembly elects a Moderator to preside (see also the list of previous Moderators ). The King is personally represented by a Lord High Commissioner , who has no vote. The Assembly also has "members" separate from the Commissioners - mainly officials who sit at the clerks' table: Moderator of the General Assembly of

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312-549: The Bavarian -born King of Greece , Otto I , was deposed and replaced by the Anglophile king George I , the Ionian Islands were ceded to Greece, ending the position of lord high commissioner. 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. It generally meets each year and

338-492: 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. By virtue of an Order of Precedence established by King Edward VII the Moderator ranks immediately after a sheriff principal in the sheriff principal's own sheriffdom . Since 2010,

364-486: The " Barrier Act " which forces the General Assembly to take account of the views of all Presbyteries if the proposal is one which is far reaching, and thus referred to Presbyteries and subsequently the next General Assembly. Each Presbytery has to nominate Commissioners annually and these are chosen in rotation from the ministers and elders in the Presbytery's bounds (area). Elders who are commissioned need not be members of

390-679: The Assembly Hall; this symbolises the independence of the church from the Crown in matters spiritual, whilst recognising the status of the Monarch (both constitutionally and theologically). The General Assembly can also meet elsewhere. A meeting of the Assembly was held in Glasgow to mark the city's status as European City of Culture. When the Scottish Parliament was instituted in 1999, the Assembly Hall

416-486: The Assembly is invited to approve, reject or modify. Presbyteries may put business before the General Assembly in the form of "overtures" which are debated and may be made into the Law of the Church. As a judicial body, the Assembly usually delegates most of its powers to the "Commission of Assembly" or to special tribunals. The General Assembly acts as a Court, and in matters spiritual cannot be appealed to any higher court. This

442-412: The Assembly's Stewardship and Finance Committee. The General Assembly has three basis functions: legislative , deliberative and judicial . The ongoing administration is delegated to councils and committees, which have to report annually to the Assembly. The Assembly decides the Law of the Church. Thus each Assembly may amend the Law of previous Assemblies. This is moderated and controlled by means of

468-453: The Church of Scotland 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

494-477: The Church of Scotland is Scotland's national church, and as a presbyterian church has no bishops , the Moderator is – arguably alongside the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland – the most prominent figure in the life of Church of Scotland adherents. The moderator can be any minister, deacon or elder, within the Church of Scotland. Whoever is selected as moderator

520-533: The Ionian Islands from 1815–1863, representing the British protecting power to the United States of the Ionian Islands , a federal state of seven formerly Venetian (see Ionian Islands under Venetian rule ) Ionian islands (Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, Santa Maura, Ithaca, Cerigo and Paxos). The United States of the Ionian Islands was officially a joint protectorate of the Allied Christian Powers, de facto

546-435: The Presbytery. In addition each Presbytery may appoint 'youth representatives' who are young people in the congregations of the presbytery. Youth representatives are also appointed by the 'Youth Assembly'. Youth representatives have the status of corresponding members of the Assembly. Those elders who have, in the past, served as Moderators of the General Assembly are generally commissioned by their presbyteries in addition to

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572-466: 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." 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

598-399: The normal number of commissioners. They have, due to their experience in the Church, a heavy influence on the deliberations of the Assembly, which some commissioners and a range of Kirk members, find to be controversial. The General assembly appoints 'corresponding members' who may speak and propose motions but may not vote. Apart from youth representatives these are guest commissioners from

624-471: The start of the Assembly the Moderator is duly elected, although the election is considered a formality. The Moderator presides from the Moderator's chair. Alongside him/her, the clerks to the Assembly and other officials are seated. Behind the Moderator is the throne gallery (used by the Monarch or the Lord High Commissioner), which can only be reached through a separate stairway not directly from

650-658: The top of the Royal Mile , a purpose-built meeting hall and church whose 72-metre (236 ft) spire towers above the present Assembly Hall. When the Church of Scotland merged with the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929, the Mound premises were chosen as the Assembly Hall for the reunited Church of Scotland. Today the former Victoria Hall building is in secular use as The Hub . Earlier General Assemblies had taken place in different churches in Scotland's major burghs. The Church of Scotland General Assembly usually meets for

676-635: Was used by the Parliament until the new building at Holyrood was completed in 2004. During these years, the Assembly met in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (1999) and the Usher Hall (2001); in the other years the Parliament temporarily moved out to allow the Assembly to use its own "home". The General Assembly has its own Standing Orders. One particular example is Standing Order 54, which requires any proposal requiring additional expenditure to have been first considered by

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