Alan McDonald

Alan Douglas McDonald (6 March 1951 – 29 September 2025) was a Scottish parish minister who was the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, from the Assembly of May 2006 until May 2007.

Early life McDonald was born, an only child of Douglas and Ray McDonald, on 6 March 1951 in Glasgow, and was raised in Newton Mearns. He was educated at Glasgow Academy. He had trained initially as a lawyer (gaining an LLB from the University of Strathclyde), training at the Glasgow based law firm, Biggard Lumsden, and then working as a solicitor for Farquharson Craig, in Edinburgh. He first served as an assistant minister in Greenside Parish Church, Edinburgh, and was subsequently a community minister in West Pilton, Edinburgh. He served for 15 years in Holburn Central Church, Aberdeen, before being called, in 1998, to the Fife parishes of Cameron and St. Leonards (St Andrews). From there he retired in 2016. His formal title (following the end of his Moderatorial year) was the Very Reverend Dr Alan McDonald.

He was a supporter of Aberdeen Football Club, He had latterly lived with dementia. He died on 29 September 2025, at the age of 74, after a lengthy illness. His funeral will take place at St Michael's Church and Falkirk Crematorium on 24 October 2025.