John Christie (moderator)
Encyclopedia
John Cairns Christie is a minister of the Church of Scotland
. He is Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
for 2010-2011.
Christie was born in Glasgow
on 9 July 1947 and lived in Helensburgh
as a child. He was educated at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh (1959-1966), the University of Strathclyde
, Paisley College and the University of Glasgow
.
His early career was as a scientific assistant at Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton
in the late 1960s, then as a school teacher at Albert Secondary School, Springburn
, Glasgow (in Biology and Chemistry) in the mid 1970s, eventually becoming principal teacher of science at Tiree High School in 1978 before moving to Inverness in 1984. Whilst on the Isle of Tiree Mr Christie was ordained an elder of the Church of Scotland.
In 1989 he graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Divinity from the University of Glasgow
and was licensed as a Probationer for the Ministry. He served as a Probationer at Mosspark Parish Church, Glasgow. In 1990, Mr Christie was ordained and inducted as minister at Hyndland
Parish Church in the Presbytery of Glasgow where he served for 14 years.
Christie was called to Interim Ministry in 2004 — a specialist ministry helping congregations that have faced difficulties. As of 2009 he is serving at St Andrew's Parish Church, West Kilbride
and also visits the Scots Kirk, Lausanne
in the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe
.
Christie has also served as Convener of four Church of Scotland General Assembly Boards and Committees (the Safeguarding Committee, the Board of Parish Education, the Joint Boards Committee on the Safety & Protection of Children and the Forgiveness & Proportionality Working Group). Mr Christie also served as Vice Convener of the Kirk's Board of World Mission's Middle East and North Africa Committee.
In 1972 Christie married Elizabeth and they had a daughter, Margaret. Elizabeth died in 1993. In 1995 Mr Christie married Annette, a Scottish Indoor Bowling Internationalist.
The shortlist of nominees for the role of Moderator were made public in early October 2009. Alongside Christie, William D. Brown, of Murrayfield, John L. McPake from Mossneuk in East Kilbride, and C. Peter White, of Sandyford, Glasgow were nominated. Christie's selection as the final nominee was announced on 27 October 2009. Christie formally took up his appointment on 20 May 2010. Upon becoming Moderator his full title became the Right Reverend John Cairns Christie BSc BD.
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. He is Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
for 2010-2011.
Christie was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on 9 July 1947 and lived in Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
as a child. He was educated at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh (1959-1966), the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
, Paisley College and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
His early career was as a scientific assistant at Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton
ROF Bishopton
The Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton was a UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Explosive ROF. It is sited adjacent to the town of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in Scotland....
in the late 1960s, then as a school teacher at Albert Secondary School, Springburn
Springburn
Springburn is an inner city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, home to various working and middle-class households.Springburn developed from a small rural hamlet at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its industrial expansion began with the establishment of a chemical...
, Glasgow (in Biology and Chemistry) in the mid 1970s, eventually becoming principal teacher of science at Tiree High School in 1978 before moving to Inverness in 1984. Whilst on the Isle of Tiree Mr Christie was ordained an elder of the Church of Scotland.
In 1989 he graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Divinity from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and was licensed as a Probationer for the Ministry. He served as a Probationer at Mosspark Parish Church, Glasgow. In 1990, Mr Christie was ordained and inducted as minister at Hyndland
Hyndland
Hyndland is a residential area in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland.Bordering the Broomhill, Maryhill, Dowanhill, Kelvinside and Partickhill areas, it is a middle-class area populated mainly by professionals and young bourgeois bohemians including a number of noted authors, poets,...
Parish Church in the Presbytery of Glasgow where he served for 14 years.
Christie was called to Interim Ministry in 2004 — a specialist ministry helping congregations that have faced difficulties. As of 2009 he is serving at St Andrew's Parish Church, West Kilbride
West Kilbride
West Kilbride is a village in North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the water to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran...
and also visits the Scots Kirk, Lausanne
Scots Kirk, Lausanne
The Scots Kirk is situated at 24 Avenue de Rumine, Lausanne. It is one of two congregations of the Church of Scotland in Switzerland, the other being the Scots Kirk in Geneva, and is part of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe....
in the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe
Presbytery of Europe
The Presbytery of Europe covers the Church of Scotland's congregations in continental Europe.As a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland has no bishops. Instead courts of ministers, elders and deacons have collective responsibility for the governance of the church...
.
Christie has also served as Convener of four Church of Scotland General Assembly Boards and Committees (the Safeguarding Committee, the Board of Parish Education, the Joint Boards Committee on the Safety & Protection of Children and the Forgiveness & Proportionality Working Group). Mr Christie also served as Vice Convener of the Kirk's Board of World Mission's Middle East and North Africa Committee.
In 1972 Christie married Elizabeth and they had a daughter, Margaret. Elizabeth died in 1993. In 1995 Mr Christie married Annette, a Scottish Indoor Bowling Internationalist.
The shortlist of nominees for the role of Moderator were made public in early October 2009. Alongside Christie, William D. Brown, of Murrayfield, John L. McPake from Mossneuk in East Kilbride, and C. Peter White, of Sandyford, Glasgow were nominated. Christie's selection as the final nominee was announced on 27 October 2009. Christie formally took up his appointment on 20 May 2010. Upon becoming Moderator his full title became the Right Reverend John Cairns Christie BSc BD.
External links
- "Former science teacher is next Moderator", The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, 28 October 2009. - "Top role for Rev", Evening TimesEvening TimesThe Evening Times is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The paper, an evening sister paper of The Herald, was established in 1876. The paper's slogan is "Nobody Knows Glasgow Better"....
, 28 October 2009. - "The Kirk Needs a Captain—A year is not long enough for a Church of Scotland moderator to make a mark", 28 October 2009.
- "Kirk announces its new moderator", BBC ScotlandBBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, 27 October 2009. - "Moderator's ring of office is stolen", BBC ScotlandBBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, 24 December 2010.