By Cameron Brooks
An Edinburgh minister has been named as the next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Rev Gordon Kennedy said he is happy to have the full support of his family as he prepares to be the Church’s new ambassador at home and abroad next May, succeeding Rt Rev Rosie Frew.
The 62-year-old has served as the minister of Craiglockhart Parish Church since 2012.
Asked how he felt after being told he had been named Moderator Designate 2026-2027, he 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 Moderator chairs the General Assembly which entails commissioners – ministers, elders and deacons – examining the work and laws of the Church and making decisions that affect its future.
During the next 12 months, they act as the Church’s ambassador, meeting with ecumenical partners and faith leaders, visiting presbyteries and projects and representing the Church at home and abroad.
Mr Kennedy hopes to use the position to support and encourage local church members in their mission to follow and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Prior to his current role at Craiglockhart Parish Church, he served New Cumnock Parish Church in East Ayrshire (1993-2000) and Portpatrick Parish Church linked with St Ninian’s Parish Church in Stranraer, Wigtownshire (2000-2012)
He is married to Rev Fiona Kennedy, an OLM (Ordained Local Minister) who works with churches in Edinburgh, and the couple have two adult sons, John and Andrew, who is married to Bonnie.
Mr Kennedy grew up in Glasgow, attended Crookston Castle Secondary School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Strathclyde.
Between 1985-1989, he worked for Strathclyde Regional Council in the roads department before leaving to study a Bachelor of Divinity degree at the University of Glasgow.
Mr Kennedy acknowledged that the Church is continuing to grapple with the challenges of reforming to sustainably and effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the second quarter of the 21st century.
Asked what his message is for members who are feeling disillusioned, he said: “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 30-40 years was great for then, but it isn’t great for this moment in time.
“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.”
Mr Kennedy said going to Church is about a lot more than sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning.
“It’s life transforming, it’s joining in on Jesus’s mission to renew and restore all things – justice, peace, mercy,” he explained.
“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.
“Those who don’t know Jesus for themselves need to hear the Good News told in ways that they can understand and engage with.
“But it must be shown to them, we need to say ‘look at my life and here’s how Jesus has been good to me and changed my life for the better’.
“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.”
Picture: Rev Gordon Kennedy. Credit Church of Scotland/Andrew O’Brien.