Presbyterian Church elects new Moderator-Designate
David Bruce elected as new Moderator-Designate.
The Rev David Bruce has been elected the Moderator-Designate of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
He will hold the title of Moderator-Designate until he is officially elected in June later this year.
Traditionally the Moderator-Designate is elected on the first Tuesday in February and will be elected Moderator by the General Assembly in June.
Each year a new Moderator is selected, and this year Mr Bruce was successful in securing the position against four other candidates, receiving 14 out of the 19 votes cast.
He will officially be the denomination’s 175th Moderator since 1840 and is the first in over 20 years to come from a position outside of the parish ministry.
The 62-year-old is originally from C0 Armagh but now lives in Lisburn and worships at Elmwood Presbyterian Church, just outside the city.
Speaking about his election, Mr Bruce said:
“I am hugely honoured to be invited by the Church to fulfil this role, and humbled that anyone should imagine I am able to do it.
“I will approach the role with prayerful excitement as we face the great task of commending Christ to Ireland, north and south in a year of major change on this island and beyond.”
He added: “With the UK having left the European Union last week and we enter this transition phase, a new set of political relationships will be formed, both on this island and beyond.
“As members of an all-Ireland church we will remain fully committed to our people and their witness on both sides of the Irish border.”
Speaking about the future he said:
“The formation of the Northern Ireland Executive in Stormont, and Ireland’s General Election this week indicate the importance of careful conversations with politicians, something I will be keen to continue during my year in office.”
“My current role is to help our congregations look outwards rather than inwards – and to ensure that the denomination supports the many people that we have in specialist ministry roles.
“These include our chaplains in universities and colleges, the armed services, healthcare and prisons, and our Irish Mission evangelists and Deaconesses.
“I also work in support of the 78 congregations in the Home Mission, which includes starting new churches.”
Mr Bruce is a father of four and a grandfather along with his wife Zoe who is a former schoolteacher.
He was brought up in First Lurgan Presbyterian Church before going to Kings Park Primary in Lurgan and on to Cabin Hill Preparatory and Campbell College in Belfast.
After graduating from Queen’s University in 1979 he then went on to attended Aberdeen University (1979-1982) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity, before attending Union Theological College in Belfast for a year in 1983.
On leaving Union, he was licensed in First Lurgan Presbyterian Church in 1983 and was ordained in 1984 as Secretary to Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship.
The following year he was installed as assistant minister in Wellington Street Presbyterian Church, Ballymena, and was called to Clontarf, Ormond Quay and Scots Presbyterian Churches in Dublin as their minister in 1987.
He remained there until 1992 having been appointed General Director of Scripture Union Northern Ireland.
Mr Bruce will be officially nominated to this year’s General Assembly at its opening night in Belfast on Monday the 1st of June when he will succeed the current Moderator, Rt Rev Dr William Henry.