Graduation service honours ministry of incoming Presbyterian moderator Rev Richard Kerr
With the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland opening in early June, in a long-standing tradition, the Presbyterian Theological Faculty, Ireland (PTFI) has conferred an honorary doctorate of divinity degree on the church’s incoming moderator Rev Richard Kerr, to mark his forthcoming election to PCI’s highest office.
A special graduation service was held in Fisherwick Presbyterian church, south Belfast, where the vice-principal of PCI’s Union theological college Rev Dr Martyn Cowan, gave the citation, stating: “We honour one whose ministry has been marked by faithful pastoral service, cross-cultural mission, and a lifelong commitment to strengthening Christ’s church at home and overseas.
“In recognising Rev Richard Kerr’s appointment as moderator-designate, we also recognise a lifetime of ministry marked by humility, generosity, and a deep commitment to helping others know Christ and make Him known. That humility also comes with a deep sense of God’s calling to this office.
"In the challenging times that the church finds itself at present, Richard Kerr's ministry at home and overseas has well equipped him so that as a pastor and leader, with God’s guidance, he may help rebuild the trust where trust has been damaged.”
Dr Kerr, a Donegal man from Ramelton, has been minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian church since 2005.
In the citation on the moderator-designate’s family background, Dr Cowan added: “Richard has often reflected upon the example set by his parents: a Christianity not confined to private belief but visibly lived out in devotion to Christ and love for people. The rhythms of rural life, responsibility, service, and church commitment formed him deeply."
Rev Kerr had agricultural training at Gurteen agricultural college in Co Tipperary, a three-year apprenticeship in farm management, which saw him become a dairy farm manager near Dundalk, Co Louth aged 21. He was an active member of Dundalk Presbyterian Church at this time.
Dr Cowan said that it was during this period in Dundalk that Rev Kerr's sense of vocation broadened toward mission and, with his future wife Brenda, he set his sights on missionary work in Malawi, Africa. “In the providence of God, that encounter redirected the course of his life,” said Dr Cowan.
The period of service in Malawi lasted 11 years and proved profoundly formative, involving Dr Kerr working in rural development and agricultural projects.
During this time, he graduated in agricultural development from the University of London and became health co-ordinator for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.
This involved overseeing hospitals, health centres, staffing, and development work across a large and demanding network.
Having married his wife Brenda in 1991, their three children were born during the time they served in Malawi, with two of them born in the African country.
Speaking about the time Rev Kerr's time spent in Malawi, Dr Cowan said: “Those who worked alongside Richard in oversees mission observed his remarkable ability to move naturally between different levels of leadership: engaging with church councils and senior leaders while also remaining entirely at ease among ordinary church members and local communities.
"His capacity for building enduring relationships across cultures has become one of the hallmarks of his ministry.”
In 2000, Richard Kerr and his wife Brenda returned home, and while an ordained Presbyterian ministry had not previously been his expectation, trusted friends and church leaders encouraged him to consider preparing for it.
After completion of his theological studies, he was called to the ministry of Templepatrick Presbyterian church in 2005.
Thanking Dr Cowan, and the Presbyterian faculty for the degree award he received, Dr Kerr expressed his profound gratitude saying he was “deeply humbled and honoured".
He said: “This award is a product of the many people who have shaped me through the years in so many avenues of life.
"I am deeply grateful to those in my family, in Donegal, in various church communities through the years, in Malawi, and more recently in Templepatrick, for the opportunities I have had to serve in the Global Mission Council, and all of the people and partnerships which have enriched me."