They are the Rev William D Brown, Minister of Murrayfield Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Reverend John C Christie, an interim minister currently working in West Kilbride St Andrew’s Church of Scotland and in Scots Kirk in Lausanne, the Rev John L McPake, Minister of Mossneuk Church of Scotland in East Kilbride, and the Rev C Peter White, Minister of Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church of Scotland in Glasgow.

When they meet on October 27, members of the Committee to Nominate the Moderator will hear proposers and seconders speak to their nominations before voting to nominate the minister who will be presented as Moderator Designate to the General Assembly in May 2010.

Meetings of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland are chaired by the Moderator who leads daily worship, keeps order, rules on points of order and signs documents on behalf of the Assembly.

The role is an honorary one, held for 12 months. After the Assembly, the Moderator generally travels as a Church representative in Scotland, other parts of the UK, Ireland and overseas in an ‘ambassadorial’ capacity.

Every Moderator carries out a series of visits to several Church of Scotland Presbyteries as well as undertaking a number of international tours.

The Committee to Nominate the Moderator consists of a representative from each Presbytery, the three immediate past Moderators of the General Assembly and 3 members nominated by the General Assembly, giving a total of 54.