A Co Armagh / Monaghan Reverend has been selected as one of four names that will be put forward for nomination as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI), following the “unprecedented” standing down of standing down of Dr Trevor Gribbon due to safeguarding failures in November.
The Rev Ker Graham – minister of Clarkesbridge & First Newtownhamilton Presbyterian Church, Garmany’s Grove and McKelvey’s Grove Presbyterian Churches – is one of the names that will go before next month’s meeting of the Church’s presbyteries.
PCI’s 19 regional bodies will meet separately across Ireland on February 3, to select one of the four 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.
Known locally as Clarkesbridge and The Groves, Mr Graham has been minister of the cross border congregations in Counties Armagh and Monaghan since 2008.
Together with his other short-listed colleagues, they have a combined ministerial experience since their ordinations of more than 110 years, having served in over ten congregations between them across six counties during the past four decades, both north and south of the border.
This year’s short-listed ministers along with Mr Graham are:
- Rev Dr Jonathan Curry, minister of First Magherafelt Presbyterian Church
- Rev Richard Kerr, minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church
- Rev Mairisíne Stanfield, minister of City Church, Bangor (First Presbyterian Church, Bangor until it changed its name in 2025.)
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,” Dr Allen said.
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.”
Dr Allen continued: “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.”
