Finlay Macdonald

Finlay A. J. Macdonald is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland. He was Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1996 until 2010. In addition to his rapid rise up the ranks of the Church of Scotland, Macdonald is known for fostering co-operation between the various boards and committees which administer the Church and for steering the Church smoothly through its annual business meetings.

Biography Early life Born in 1945 in Watford, England, his family returned to Scotland in 1949, settling in Dundee. His father, John - from the Hebrides - was also a Church of Scotland minister and his grandfather, also John, was a missionary. Finlay Macdonald attended the High School of Dundee, one of Scotland's leading independent schools (and the only such school in Dundee). At age 16, Macdonald began his lifelong career in the ministry when he joined Camperdown Parish Church as an organist. At age 18, Macdonald left the High School of Dundee with the intention of becoming a lawyer.

Education In 1963, Macdonald matriculated at the University of St Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world. In his first year of university, Macdonald combined law studies at the city's Queen's College (then part of St Andrews University) with arts subjects in St Andrews.

Career After finishing his studies, Macdonald became assistant minister at Bo'ness Old Kirk, but within two months he found himself in sole charge. At age 26 in 1971, Macdonald was ordained and inducted at Menstrie Parish Church in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire by the presbytery of Stirling and Dunblane.

Moderator of the General Assembly In September 2001, four ministers were shortlisted as moderator: Macdonald, Peter Neilson of St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh, Sheila Blount of Falkirk, and Margaret Forrester of St Michael's Church in Edinburgh. The Glasgow was well represented by this nomination as Macdonald, Neilson and Blount all had ties to Glasgow. Moreover, the outgoing moderator John Miller was from Glasgow.

Macdonald had an advantage over the other three candidates. In general, most holders of the office of Principal Clerk have become Moderator. Macdonald had become well-known and widely respected in the Church of Scotland. Noted commentator Stewart Lamont wrote about Macdonald's nomination:

It was inevitable the widely-respected Finlay Macdonald would be proposed at some time. As secretary to each Moderator, he knows the job as well as any, and since the Queen will act as her own Lord High Commissioner next year, a safe pair of hands is needed. The current edition of Life and Work contains an article by Finlay Macdonald on the need to share out leadership responsibilities. Good timing or coincidence? Although classifiable as Old Kirk moderate, the current PC is PC on the subject of women in the ministry. When a parish minister in Jordanhill, he once demanded that a minister with fundamentalist views on women elders be required to pledge he would not veto women if he was inducted to another Glasgow parish.

There was a 75% chance that the 2002 Moderator would have a Glasgow connection. Macdonald was announced the Moderator Designate on 20 October 2001, ending speculation that The Kirk was ready to appoint its first female moderator. Although some were disappointed that a woman was not chosen,

Moderator: 25 May 2002 – 24 May 2003 In May 2002, Macdonald's nomination for the one-year post went before the General Assembly and, as expected, Macdonald succeeded John Miller as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on Saturday, 25 May 2002. The Queen did not install Macdonald as the Moderator, but only observed the ceremony.

Post Moderator The moderatorship is for one year only; Macdonald was succeeded by Professor Iain R. Torrance in May 2003. Macdonald returned to his role as Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and as an honorary Chaplain to the Queen in Scotland. He is an active member of ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland), CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland). He was also formerly a member of EECCS (European Ecumenical Commission on Church and Society).

Footnotes and references (Note: Most references archived at Church of Scotland Extranet search.) Obtained 3 November 2006.

Publications Macdonald, Finlay A. J. (May 2001). Deliverances of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland: Special Commission Anent Review and Reform in the Church. A Church Without Walls. Children at the Table. (1982) David G. Hamilton (Editor); Finlay J. Macdonald (Editor). Publisher: Church of Scotland Date Published: Luke Paul. (2012); Finlay J. Macdonald. Publisher: Shoving Leopard Productions Date Published: