Billy Kennedy: Female contender only has outside chance of becoming next Presbyterian moderator

Ministers and elders from the 19 presbyteries will select a moderator on Tuesday, the opening night of the church’s General Assembly in Belfast, to succeed the present occupant, the Rev Dr Charles McMullen, who stands down on June 3.

The four nominated are the Rev David Bruce, 61, secretary to the church’s Council for Mission in Ireland; the Rev William Henry, 50, of Maze church; the Rev Albin Rankin, 55, of Stormont church, and the Rev Mairisíne Stanfield, 53, of First Bangor church.

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has in its long history never elected a female moderator and the nomination of Scottish-born the Rev Mairisine Stanfield, a highly respected Co Down parish minister, creates the possibility of a break with tradition.

However, with two other strong contenders seeking the moderatorship, in the Rev David Bruce and the Rev William Henry, Mrs Stanfield may only have an outside chance of election, made possible in a narrow split vote among the presbyteries.

The Rev David Bruce has been a very active advocate for mission strategy within the Presbyterian Church and, aside from his Church House office duties in Belfast, he reaches out to the various congregations through service participation and his credentials are well documented at grassroots level.

The Rev William Henry is on the church’s theological conservative wing and he can be expected to receive backing from his Dromore presbytery, and from rural presbyteries in counties Tyrone, Antrim and Down. Mr Henry stood for the moderatorship last year, finishing third with five presbytery votes.

The Rev Albin Rankin is considered on the liberal wing of the church, ministering to an urban middle class congregation at Stormont. He may receive support from the Belfast presbyteries and those in the Irish Republic.

Whatever the different qualifications of each nominee, however, a senior Presbyterian source confirmed that all four subscribe to the traditional church tenets, as clearly defined by holy scripture.