Alan Main (minister)

Last updated

Alan Main (1936 - 1 December 2023) was a retired minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly from May 1998 until May 1999.

Contents

Life

He was born in Aberdeen in 1936. He was educated at Robert Gordon's College then studied divinity at Aberdeen University from 1954. In 1960 he travelled to the US to study at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. [1]

He was ordained in 1963 and served as minister at Chapel of Garioch Parish Church, Aberdeenshire, 1963–1970 and was then appointed as chaplain to the University of Aberdeen. [2]

He was professor of practical theology at the University of Aberdeen, 1980–2001, and was also master of Christ's College, Aberdeen, 1992–2001. He has served as minister in Colombo, Sri Lanka. [3]

He was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the year 1998/1999. [4] His formal title (following the end of his Moderatorial year) is the Very Reverend Professor Alan Main. He was succeeded in the role, in May 1999, by John Cairns.

From 2000 to 2013 he was patron of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen. [5]

He was president of the Boys' Brigade 2006–2007. [6] [7]

Prof. Main died on 1 December 2023 in at Woodlands Care Home, Aberdeen. He is survived by his wife Anne, and his daughter, Katherine. He was also a grandfather and great-grandfather. His funeral was held at Tarves Parish Church on 12 December. [8] A small plaque inside Barthol Chapel Church commemorates his time as Moderator of the Church of Scotland.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Adam Smith</span> Scottish theologian (1856–1942)

Sir George Adam Smith was a Scottish theologian. He was the Principal of the University of Aberdeen between 1909 and 1935 and an important figure in the United Free Church of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Laurence Brown</span> Scottish minister

William Laurence Brown was a Scottish minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Torrance</span> Scottish theologian and academic (born 1949)

Sir Iain Richard Torrance, is a retired Church of Scotland minister, theologian and academic. He is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Honorary Professor of Early Christian Doctrine and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh, President and Professor of Patristics Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an Extra Chaplain to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland. He was formerly Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, and Dean of the Order of the Thistle. He is married to Morag Ann, whom he met while they were students at the University of St Andrews, and they have two children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grange, Edinburgh</span> Human settlement in Scotland

The Grange is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hill to the south. It is a conservation area characterised by large early Victorian stone-built villas and mansions, often with very large gardens. The Grange was built mainly between 1830 and 1890, and the area represented the idealisation of country living within an urban setting.

Alan Torrance is professor of systematic theology at St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews. Previously he lectured at King's College London from 1993 to 1998, where he was also Director of the Research Institute in Systematic Theology. During this time he served as Senior Research Fellow at the Erasmus Institute, University of Notre Dame. He previously lectured at Knox Theological Hall and the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen</span>

Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen is an ancient society of craftsmen in Aberdeen, Scotland. Their home is Trinity Hall on the city's Holburn Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk of St Nicholas</span> Church in Aberdeen, Scotland

The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the "Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting". It is also known as "The Mither Kirk" of the city. As of 1 January 2021, the building falls under the care and maintenance of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland.

David Ward Lunan is a Church of Scotland minister. On 30 October 2007 he was nominated to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2008-9, formally being elected as Moderator on the first day of the Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Guild</span> Scottish minister, academic and writer

William Guild (1586–1657) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister, academic and theological writer.

James A. Simpson was a minister of the Church of Scotland. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1994–95 - the first from a Highland parish since James Gunn Matheson in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Barr</span>

Russell Barr is a minister of the Church of Scotland, who was nominated in late 2015 to be the next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Mitchell (Scottish minister)</span>

James Mitchell (1830–1911) was a Scottish minister and social organiser. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1901.

James Robert Mitford Mitchell (1843–1914) was a Scottish minister. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1907. He was Chaplain in Ordinary in Scotland to both Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

William Robinson Pirie (1804–1885) was a Scottish minister who served as Principal of Aberdeen University. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1864, the highest position in the Church of Scotland. He actively campaigned for the cessation of the link between landowners and the church, generally termed “patronage” which officially ceased in UK in 1874. He was the Principal of the University of Aberdeen from 1876-1885.

James Pitt-Watson was a Scottish minister and academic. He was Professor of Practical Theology at Glasgow University and served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1953. He has been described as an "ecclesiastical politician".

James Sherriffs or Shirreffs (1752–1830) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1807.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Milligan (Church of Scotland)</span> Scottish minister

George Milligan DCL DD was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1923. He was professor of divinity and biblical criticism at the University of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Cameron (moderator)</span>

Hector Cameron (1924–1994) was a Free Church of Scotland minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1980.

Thomas Blackwell (1660–1728) was a Church of Scotland minister who was principal of Marischal College in Aberdeen from 1717 to 1728.

References

  1. "Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen | The Very Rev. Prof. Alan Main TD MA BSD STM PhD 2000".
  2. Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, Volume XI (page 422), T&T Clark Ltd, Edinburgh, 2000, ISBN   0-567-08750-6
  3. "Scottish police help quake effort". BBC News . 7 January 2005. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  4. "Sunday Morning Worship at King's" (PDF). Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  5. "Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen | Patrons".
  6. "support". memorialgarden.boys-brigade.org.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  7. "The Very Rev. Prof. Alan Main TD MA BSD STM PhD 2000 – Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen | Craftsmen in Aberdeen, Scotland". seventradesofaberdeen.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. "Family Announcements, MAIN - Deaths - Press And Journal Announcements". ajl.myfamilyannouncements.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
Religious titles
Preceded by Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
19981999
Succeeded by