The Rev Gordon Kennedy has been appointed to be the next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He will succeed the Rt Rev Rosie Frew.
Kennedy, 62, has been serving as the minister of Craiglockhart Parish Church in Edinburgh since 2012.
Speaking of his appointment, Kennedy said, “My first reaction was surprise, I had never thought of being Moderator, it's not something that's been in my mind. During conversations with a friend, who recommended me, and with my wife it became clear there was the possibility that this was God's call for this time.
“But I am delighted and what it means to me is an opportunity for service.”
The role of Moderator entails presiding over and chairing the Church’s General Assembly as well as acting as the public face of the denomination and being its ambassador in dealings with other denominations, the state and public bodies.
Kennedy said he hoped his time in the position would be used to encourage ordinary churchgoers to follow Jesus’ teachings and to proclaim the gospel.
Although a minister in Edinburgh, Kennedy actually grew up in Glasgow. He has a degree in civil engineering and worked for Strathclyde Regional Council roads department in the 1980s before pursuing full-time ministry. He is married and has two adult sons.
Kennedy has spoken about the need for the Church to adapt its methods for the second quarter of the 21st century.
“Somebody once described faith as not just standing at the edge of the cliff but leaning out over the edge with only the wind of God’s Spirit to hold you up. Not only is it frightening, it is exciting. The way we've been doing church over the past 30 to 40 years was great for then, but it isn't great for this moment in time," he said.
“We need to change but the challenge is we're not always sure about how we need to change and in what direction we need to change.
"If we're going to be disciples of Jesus, let's be disciples of Jesus, let's not hide that, let's not be ashamed and we should be confident and bold.
"We know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour so let’s walk in His way and that will lead us into paths of service in our community which are outward facing.”
Kennedy also spoke of the need for Christians to live a life that was about more than just coming to church once a week.
He said, “It's life transforming, it's joining in on Jesus’s mission to renew and restore all things - justice, peace, mercy. The Gospel can address all of these and if you start following Jesus, you will have an opportunity to engage in God's mission to renew and transform.
"He is King and you can get to be part of his mission of transforming all creation, it's not a passive invitation, it's an invitation to action.”
Kennedy encouraged Christians to show non-believers the validity of Jesus and his teachings through their lives and to present the gospel in a way that they could understand and engage with.
"Share the Gospel, it is really important, and the key message is ‘there is hope and God loves you'. That message seems to me to be supremely relevant to every single person that we will ever meet," he said.
