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The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator.

The moderator presides over the meeting of the court, much as a convener presides over the meeting of a church committee. The moderator is thus the chairperson, and is understood to be a member of the court acting primus inter pares. The moderator calls and constitutes meetings, presides at them, and closes them in prayer. The moderator has a casting, but not a deliberative vote. During a meeting, the title "moderator" is used by all other members of the court as a form of address, but this is not continued outwith the meetings. Thus this convention expresses deference to the authority of the court rather than an honour for the moderator as an individual.

See also:

Presbyterianism

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Moderator of the General Assembly".

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