What is a Moderator anyway?

Some people who are following the blog aren’t sure what a Moderator does… or even what General Assembly is… so let me sketch the basics.

General Assembly, for Presbyterians who are a part of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, is an annual meeting that consists of 1/6 of the ministers and diaconal ministers in the Church and an equal number of ruling elders.

The Book of Forms contains the guidelines for how we do ‘business’ in our denomination.  It gives direction and guidance for pretty much every step and most situations that might arise as we attempt to work together in our system of governance.  For this next part, I will quote directly from this book.

How a Moderator of the General Assembly is selected?

282. At the time appointed for meeting, a diet of public worship is held when a sermon is preached by the moderator of the last Assembly, or, in his/her absence, by a former moderator. Immediately thereafter the Assembly is constituted with prayer, and a provisional roll, consisting of the names of commissioners appointed at least twenty-one days before, is submitted in printed form by the clerk. The General Assembly elects its moderator on nominations made immediately after the Assembly has been constituted, who then takes the chair.

Now this is the system that has been enhanced over the years and the one that we are journeying through right now.  It is still possible that a nomination for a moderator could occur from the floor of the meeting (but I don’t think it has ever happened!)  So, for the last number of years, a process of nomination through our Presbyteries (regional bodies made up of ministers and elders throughout Canada) happens.  In the fall, nominations are reported from Presbyteries to the Assembly Office who then contact those who have received the requisite nominations (at least from two Presbyteries) and asks if they would be willing to have their name appear on the ballot.  We then wait until April 1st (traditionally, unless it occurs on a weekend – like this year) to hear the results of the voting.  Only those who are members of our Presbyteries can vote.  Voting is completed using a preferential ballot where individuals vote for their first, second, third, etc choice.

What do Moderator’s do?  This is how the Book of Forms outlines it:

283. The moderator’s duties are: to constitute the Assembly; to open and close each sederunt with prayer; to preserve order; to see that the business is properly conducted and the minutes are correctly taken; to take the vote; to announce decisions; to sign all documents having the authority of the Assembly; and to exercise any other functions assigned to him/her by the court.
284. The moderator may express his/her views on any subject under discussion; but if he/she wishes to take part in debate or to submit a motion, he/she leaves the chair and calls another member of the court to take his/her place. Also, if he/she is a party in a judicial process, or if the presbytery or synod to which he/she belongs is a party, he/she leaves the chair and, with the approval of the Assembly, names another commissioner who takes his/her place, and for the time being has all the powers and responsibilities of the office as acting moderator (see sections 13-17).
285. The moderator of each General Assembly is, until the next Assembly sits, ex officio (by virtue of office held) a member of all agencies, boards or committees with the exception of those boards, the number of whose members is prescribed by the Acts of Parliament incorporating them. (A&P 1876)

So certainly, a very important duty of every moderator is to help facilitate or ‘moderate’ the business and debate of the General Assembly.  This is no easy task.  It typically takes place in the gymnasium of a University or College where hundreds of people are present to participate in the discussions.  It happens over several days and the discussions can last several hours.  Moderators do benefit greatly from the depth of experience of the Principal Clerk and the other clerks of Assembly who help them to keep the business moving and debate ‘decent and in good order’ (a part of our Presbyterian DNA).

I will talk more in the coming weeks about what I see a Moderator doing after the Assembly until their year is complete.  But traditionally, following Assembly, Moderators can be seen participating in the following activities:

• preaching in congregations across Canada;
• participating in special services throughout the year;
• greeting dignitaries from other denominations and international partners/guests;
• participating in occasions of National and International significance;
• traveling internationally to visit with our mission partners or bring greetings to our brothers and sisters in the Global Church;
• and many other duties as arise.

Those are the basics as I understand them and have observed them over the years.  I hope that helps a little to those who have no or little experience with The Presbyterian Church in Canada or the activities of our Moderator.

If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.  You can email me at borthwick4moderator@rogers.com