Fiona Smith (Church of Scotland)

Last updated
Rev.
Fiona E. Smith
Fiona Smith Meeting with the First Minister and the Moderator of General Assembly of Church of Scotland (sq cropped).jpg
in 2025
Bornc.1970
Occupationlawyer => church minister
Employer Church of Scotland
Known forPrincipal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Reverend Fiona E. Smith (born c.1970) became the Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2022. She was possibly the fortieth person to hold that role since 1572 and the first woman.

Life

Smith was born in about 1970. [1]

She had worked as a lawyer in London [1] and in 2010 she was ordained and inducted as the minister of Inverness's Ness Bank Church. She gave her last service there in April 2022. [2] She was succeeded as minister at Ness Bank, in 2024, by the Rev. Stuart Smith, formerly of Gairloch and Dundonnell Parish Church. [3]

Fiona Smith, Shaw Paterson and First Minister John Swinney Meeting with Moderator of General Assembly of Church of Scotland (54283102699).jpg
Fiona Smith, Shaw Paterson and First Minister John Swinney

Fiona Smith became the Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2022. She was the first woman to hold the office, succeeding Rev Dr George Whyte [4] who had held the post since 2017. He was one of about forty men who have held the position since 1572. [5]

The Principal Clerk's role is to be an adviser on church law and to support the annually elected moderator. She also advises on courses and education for the church. [6] When the 2024 moderator, Shaw Paterson, and the 2025 moderator Rosemary Frew went to meet Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, they were accompanied by the Principal Clerk.

She is a President of the Council of Christians and Jews. The CCJ has a number of Presidents who in 2024 were the Archbishop of Canterbury Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain,the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, the Moderator of the Free Churches, the Spiritual Head, Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, Chief Executive, Liberal Judaism and Smith. [7] In 2024 the Scottish government organised an inaugural Faith and Belief Conference and Smith addressed the conference on behalf of the CCJ. [8]

Smith welcomed the appointment of Lady Elish Angiolini as Lord High Commissioner to the 2025 General Assembly. The new moderator was Rosemary Frew. [9] In October 2025, she resigned from the role stating: “It has been an honour and privilege to serve the Church as Principal Clerk over the last years. After reflection I have decided, with some sadness, that due to recent health concerns now is the right time for me to step away. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the exemplary team who have supported me throughout my time in the role.” [10]

References

  1. 1 2 Picken, Andrew; Gibb, Bill (2018-05-20). "New Church of Scotland Moderator says we need to take steps in right direction to improve mental and physical health". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  2. ↑ Glen, Louise (2022-05-26). "Former Inverness minister is first woman appointed to senior Church of Scotland position". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  3. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2024-06-07). "New Ness Bank minister is 'simply the best'". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  4. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2022-05-26). "New Principal Clerk of the General Assembly takes oath of office". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  5. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2022-05-11). "Tributes to Principal Clerk as he prepares to retire". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  6. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2021-12-20). "Church of Scotland announces Principal Clerk appointment". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Who we are | CCJ". ccj.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  8. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2024-10-30). "New conference highlights importance of interfaith dialogue". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  9. ↑ Scotland, The Church of (2024-12-10). "Lady Elish Angiolini appointed as Lord High Commissioner to the 2025 General Assembly". The Church of Scotland. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  10. ↑ Church of Scotland internal email. (21 October 2025)
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