Angus Morrison (minister)

Angus Morrison is a minister of the Church of Scotland. In 2006 he was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen. On 29 October 2013 he was nominated to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2014-15.[1] On 18 March 2014 the Church of Scotland announced that, with great regret, Dr Morrison had had to withdraw his nomination as Moderator on grounds of ill health, resulting in the Rev John Chalmers (Principal Clerk to the General Assembly) becoming Moderator instead.[2] On 28 October 2014 Dr Morrison was again successfully nominated to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for 2015-16.[3]

Background

The Reverend Dr Angus Morrison MA BD PhD was born in Glencoe, Scotland, in 1953. His father worked for the Northern Lighthouse Board and, as a child, Dr Morrison lived in various places around Scotland and went to school in Oban, Stromness and Edinburgh. He studied Classics and Divinity at the University of Glasgow, followed by studies at the Universities of Pisa and London. He studied for a doctorate (PhD) at New College of the University of Edinburgh.

Highly unusually for a Moderator-designate of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr Morrison was not ordained by the Church of Scotland. He was ordained by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1979 and served as a minister in Oban (1979-1986) and Edinburgh (1986-1989), including as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church's Southern Presbytery. Following a split in the Free Presbyterian Church in 1989 (in the aftermath of the decision of Lord Mackay of Clashfern to attend the Requiem Mass of a colleague), he joined the Associated Presbyterian Churches (APC). He became minister of the Edinburgh congregation of the APC (1989-2000) and was Moderator of the General Assembly of the APC in 1998-99.

In 2000 became a minister of the Church of Scotland. He became minister at St Columba's Old Parish Church, Stornoway, before moving to Orwell and Portmoak Parish Church (in Perth and Kinross) in 2011. Within the Church of Scotland he served as the Moderator of the Presbytery of Lewis (2003-2004), Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council (2005-2009) and Chaplain to the Lord High Commissioner (2005 and 2006).[4]

He can speak Gaelic and Italian as well as English. He is married to a Marion, a school teacher in Fife. They have four children.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Church of Scotland press release, 29 October 2013
  2. ↑ http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news_and_events/news/2014/moderator-designate_withdraws_due_to_ill_health
  3. ↑ BBC news report, 28 October 2014
  4. ↑ Who's Who in Scotland, 2012 edition, Carrick Media, Ayr, ISBN 978 0 9565748 4 8