Alan Douglas McDonald is a parish minister and was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, from the Assembly of May 2006 until May 2007.
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a manor. Its association with the parish church remains paramount.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Assembly, the Moderator then spends the following year representing the Church of Scotland at civic events, and visiting congregations and project in Scotland and beyond. Because the Church of Scotland is Scotland's national church, and a presbyterian church has no bishops, the Moderator is a prominent figure in the life of Scotland.
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body. It generally meets each year and is chaired by a Moderator elected at the start of the Assembly.
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McDonald was born in Glasgow and trained initially as a lawyer (gaining an LLB from the University of Strathclyde). He studied for the ministry at New College, Edinburgh (BD, MTh). He served as assistant minister in Greenside Parish Church, Edinburgh, and was subsequently a community minister in West Pilton, Edinburgh. He served for 15 years in Holburn Central Church, Aberdeen, before being called, in 1998, to the Fife parishes of Cameron and St Leonards (St Andrews). [1]
Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland, and the third most populous city in the United Kingdom, as of the 2017 estimated city population of 621,020. Historically part of Lanarkshire, the city now forms the Glasgow City council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the local authority is Glasgow City Council. Glasgow is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as "Glaswegians" or "Weegies". It is the fourth most visited city in the UK. Glasgow is also known for the Glasgow patter, a distinct dialect of the Scots language that is noted for being difficult to understand by those from outside the city.
The University of Strathclyde is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, with the university receiving its royal charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university. It takes its name from the historic Kingdom of Strathclyde.
New College in The University of Edinburgh is one of the largest and most renowned centres for (post)graduate studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the UK, with students in M.A., M.Th. and Ph.D. degree programmes coming from over 30 countries. There are now nearly 40 full-time members of the academic staff, and they include internationally respected scholars in various specialities.
He was convener of the General Assembly's Church and Nation committee for four years until May 2004. He is married and has two children. His formal title (following the end of his Moderatorial year) is the Very Reverend Dr Alan McDonald.