Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator of the General Assembly is nominated by a committee of the Assembly every year. His or her duties are to preside at meetings of the Assembly, to lead daily worship, to keep order, to rule on points of law, and to sign documents on behalf of the Assembly. It is an honorary role.
If the moderator is a minister, he or she is addressed as ‘The Rt Rev the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland’ or ‘The Right Rev John Macklin’. If he/she is an elder or a deacon, a formal letter should begin ‘Dear Sir/ Madam’ or ‘Dear Moderator’ or socially as ‘Dear Mr Macklin’ or ‘Dear Moderator’. The verbal address is ‘Moderator’ or, in conversation, ‘The Moderator’.
On retirement he/she is styled ‘The Very Reverend John Macklin’; otherwise as ‘Mr Smith’ or ‘Mr Minister’.
