The Presbyterian Church in Ireland announced today that the names of four ministers that will go before next month’s meeting of presbyteries for nomination as Moderator.
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Short-listed minsters for Moderator announced
PCI’s 19 regional bodies will meet separately across Ireland on 3 February to select one of the ministers to become ‘Moderator-Designate’, who will in turn be nominated to June’s General Assembly to serve as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland for 2026-2027.
Nominees for Moderator
Together, those short-listed have a combined ministerial experience since their ordinations of more than 110 years, having served in over 10 congregations between them across six counties during the past four decades, both north and south of the border. This year’s ministers who will be considered are as follows:
Brief biographies of this year’s nominees
This year’s short-listed ministers who will be considered by presbyteries are:
Rev Dr Jonathan Curry – Minister of First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church
Jonathan was installed as minister of First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church in 2004, having been ordained as minister of Second Keady and Drumhillery Presbyterian Churches six years earlier. From 2015-2017 Jonathan was convener of PCI’s Leadership Committee and convener of its Nominations Committee 2016-2021. Since 2021 he has served as Clerk of the Presbytery of Tyrone. Jonathan was born in 1966. He is a member of the Presbytery of Tyrone.
Rev Ker Graham - Minister of Clarkesbridge & First Newtownhamilton Presbyterian Church, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches
Ker was installed as minister of Clarkesbridge & First Newtownhamilton Presbyterian Church, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches in 2008, having been minister of Castlereagh Presbyterian Church from 2002-2005, when he resigned his charge. Born in 1962, he was ordained as minister of First Castlederg & Killeter Presbyterian Church in 1998. Since 2022 Ker has been convener of the Linkage Commission. He is a member of the Presbytery of Newry.
Rev Richard Kerr - Minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church
Richard was ordained minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian in 2005, where he continues to serve. Born in 1965, Richard was convener of PCI’s Global Concerns Committee from 2015-2020 and has been convener of the Global Development Committee from 2021. He is a member of the Presbytery of Templepatrick.
Rev Mairisíne Stanfield – Minister of City Church Bangor
Mairisíne became minister of First Presbyterian Church, Bangor in 2013. (The congregation changed its name to City Church, Bangor in 2025). Born in 1965, she was ordained in 1990 as assistant minister of Regent Street Presbyterian Church, Newtownards, becoming minister of First Presbyterian Church, Ballynahinch, in 1993. She is a member of the Presbytery of Ards.
Acting Clerk of Assembly
The process of choosing a new Moderator, who will be the 180th person to hold PCI’s highest office, starts in the late autumn when presbyteries begin to suggest the names of ministers who they would like to see considered.
Overseen by the Acting Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Dr David Allen, in the run up to Christmas he informs those on this initial ‘long-list’ that they have been suggested, and to confirm to him that they would be willing to have their names go forward. Those that do are then voted on by presbyteries when they meet on the first Tuesday in February.
While that process has not changed, the position that PCI finds itself since the last election of February 2025 has changed. The public announcement by the Church in November of the discovery central administrative safeguarding failures led to the unprecedented standing down of the Moderator. As a result, Dr Richard Murray, the immediate past Moderator returned to office and called a Special General Assembly for 18 December to discuss specific proposals to address the safeguarding failures and other related matters.
Speaking about the moderatorship, Dr Allen said, “When we came together in December, I said to Members of Assembly that we can’t unthinkingly behave as if it is business as usual. We recognised that the role of Moderator would have a different emphasis, which the report before us described as ‘primarily a “pastoral” moderatorship’.
“As I said at the time, every Moderator plays a pastoral role, encouraging, praying for and being with the Church, being with members, elders, and ministers, preaching on Sunday’s and visiting presbyteries. In our current circumstances that aspect of the role will increase and become more significant. It needs to be different and along with that, invitations to some public events will be respectfully declined.”
On the election itself, the Acting Clerk said that all ministers and the representative elder from each congregation within the presbytery’s bounds will vote for their preferred candidate. The presbytery’s single vote is then given to the person who receives the majority of votes cast at the meeting. The minister with the support of most presbyteries at the end of the evening, will become the Moderator-Designate.
“At our General Assembly this coming June, the Moderator-Designate will be formerly nominated for election as Moderator. Should there be a tied vote when presbyteries meet, which last happened in 2014, they will remain in session and vote again. This time, only those who tied in the first round will be considered in the second.
“This is a prayerful, open, democratic, and a very Presbyterian process. This year especially, I would ask my brothers and sisters in Christ across our Church, especially members of presbytery who will be voting, to pray earnestly for the Lord’s guidance and for the person chosen to be our Moderator in the times that we find ourselves. I look forward to working with them, whoever is called to serve and lead us.”
The name of the Moderator-Designate should be known around 9pm on Tuesday, 3 February and will posted on PCI’s website and social media platforms
In the Presbyterian system of church government, each presbytery consists of ministers and elders who are drawn from local congregations, and other ministries in a particular area. As a court of the church, each presbytery is responsible for overseeing those congregations in its local area, while undertaking other important tasks, which include the ordination and installation of ministers (also known as teaching elders), the ordination of elders, and the annual selection of the minister who will become PCI’s Moderator.
There are currently 19 presbyteries: Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, East Belfast, North Belfast, South Belfast, Carrickfergus, Coleraine & Limavady, Derry & Donegal, Down, Dromore, Dublin & Munster, Iveagh, Monaghan, Newry, Omagh, Route, Templepatrick, Tyrone. Monaghan and Dublin & Munster are located in the Republic of Ireland, while Derry & Donegal is cross border, with congregations located in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. With congregations primarily in Northern Ireland, the Presbytery of Newry has two congregations across the border in County Monaghan.