Who we are

Christ at the centre, community at heart

PCI is a community of believers who are grounded in the Scriptures and seek to love and honour God through faith in His Son and by the power of His Spirit. 

PCI is the people.

A people who gather weekly around God’s Word, encouraging one another to grow as faithful disciples of Jesus.

A people who believe in fulfilling God's mission to the world and are committed to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us. 

It is about shared lives, a place to be valued, known and loved – to belong and not just attend. A gathering of ordinary people with a shared sense of forgiveness and who want to reach out to those in need, just as Jesus did.

What it means to be part of PCI

We are:

• A people under Christ’s headship
  We believe that Jesus Christ is the sole King and Head of the Church.
• Led by ministers and members together
  We are shaped by shared leadership at congregational, regional (Presbytery) and national (General Assembly) levels.
• Rooted in Scripture and reformed theology
  Our teaching, worship and life together are grounded in the Bible.
• Supported by trained ministers and leaders
  Over 300 ministers serve across Ireland, trained through Union Theological College and supported in lifelong ministry.
• Active in local mission
  Every congregation is encouraged and equipped to grow in faith and serve their community.
• Committed to global mission
  We partner with churches and mission workers around the world to share Christ’s love across cultures.
• Caring through social witness
  We provide practical care in Jesus’ name, through nursing, residential and supported housing, day services and more.
• Speaking into public life
  We contribute to key conversations on peace, justice and public policy, offering a biblical voice to society.

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has a three-person senior leadership team, which comprises the Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Jonathan Boyd, the Deputy Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Peter Gamble, and the new post of Director of Operations, Ken Swarbrick. This structure was agreed by a Special General Assembly held in February 2026. 

The Senior Leadership Team is responsible to the General Assembly through the General Council and is line managed by the Council’s Convener, Very Rev Dr David Bruce, and the Co-Convener, Mrs Avril Heenan.

The General Council is the all-Ireland denomination’s senior council and acts on behalf of the General Assembly in between its annual meetings. Its members are the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, registered with the charity regulators in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The Clerk

The Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, has a wide range of responsibilities across the denomination:

• Conducts correspondence on behalf of PCI and manages all official records and documents of the Assembly
• Acts as Secretary to:
       The General Council
       The Council for Public Affairs
       The Judicial Commission
• Is an ex-officio member, alongside the Moderator, of all PCI Councils, committees, and panels
• Serves as one of PCI's principal spokespeople.

There is no annual election of the role of Clerk as, since the first General Assembly of 1840, the office is considered ad vitam aut culpam – for life or until fault.

Any comments, questions, complaints, or objections relating to the Church should be addressed to the Clerk at:
   Assembly Buildings,
   2-10 Fisherwick Place,
   Belfast, BT1 6DW.
 

Clerk of the General Assembly – Rev Jonathan Boyd

The Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the father of four, Rev Jonathan Boyd, the former minister of Killyleagh Presbyterian Church in County Down.

He was appointed Clerk by members of the General Assembly at its meeting in June 2026, taking up his new post on 20 July. Mr Boyd is the 14th Clerk of the General Assembly since the establishment of the denomination in 1840, having been minister of Killyleagh Presbyterian since May 2022.

Prior to that, having read physics at Keble College, Oxford, he worked for a Church of England congregation in London, then for his home congregation of High Street Presbyterian Church in Holywood, County Down, before studying for the ordained ministry at PCI’s Union Theological College in Belfast. Following his studies at Union, Mr Boyd was licensed as a probationer for the ministry in his home congregation in 2010. He then served as assistant minister of Stormont Presbyterian Church in east Belfast, before being called in 2013 to be minister of the joint charge of Hydepark and Lylehill Presbyterian Churches in County Antrim, where he was ordained.

As a minister he has been a member of the General Council, and has convened a number of its Task Groups, including the Statutory Investigations Advisory Task Group.

Born in 1982, he is married to Jane and they have a daughter and three sons. You can read about the Clerk’s appointment by the 2026 General Assembly here.

Deputy Clerk - Rev Peter Gamble

Having been appointed by the General Council, Rev Peter Gamble, minister of The Mall Presbyterian Church in Armagh, began his new role as Deputy Clerk 19 May 2025. Peter is also Secretary to the Council for Training in Ministry and Linkage Commission.

From 1990 to 1993 he studied for PCI’s ordained ministry at UTC, and was ordained Assistant Minister in West Kirk, Belfast, in 1994. Five years later Peter was installed in the three-point charge of Clarksbridge, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches. He served them until 2005, when he was called to be minster of The Mall.

Peter was the last clerk of the old Synod of Down and Armagh, serving from 2000 to 2007, and was Clerk of the Presbytery of Armagh for 10 years from 2014.

Director of Operations - Ken Swarbrick

The Director of Operations is responsible for the operational side of the running of the charity. Ken Swarbrick was appointed to this new role in March 2026, having been PCI’s Financial Secretary since September 2023.

Ken is a Chartered Accountant by profession but is also a qualified project manager and has a Master’s Degree in HR Strategy, so brings a blend of skills to the role. Prior to joining PCI, he had worked in HM Revenue & Customs for almost 24 years, in a variety of roles but most recently as Head of Emerging Technology. Alongside the ‘day job’, over the years, Ken has worked with a team which supported international development and delivered national projects for the governments of Malawi, Ethiopia and Ghana.

In 1997 Ken was ordained as an elder in Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church in County Antrim, and has worshipped in the Newtownabbey church all his life.

The Moderator of the General Assembly

On the first Tuesday in February each year, the Church's 19 regional presbyteries, meeting separately across Ireland, consider the ministers who have agreed to have their names go forward for PCI's highest office.

The minister with the most presbytery nominations become Moderator-Designate. In June of that year, they are then formally nominated to, and elected by, the General Assembly, during a special Service of Installation, becoming the all-Ireland denomination's senior office bearer and principal public representative. The Moderator will then chair and oversee the General Assembly’s remaining debates.

The Right Reverend Dr Richard Kerr, the minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church in County Antrim, became Moderator on 11 June 2026 following a Service of Installation during the General Assembly. You can find out more about Dr Kerr here. You can also read an interview with him in the June 2026 edition of the Presbyterian Herald here.