New Presbyterian moderator is elevated with honorary doctorate
Incoming Irish Presbyterian moderator and Portrush minister the Rev Dr John Kirkpatrick has been awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity by the Presbyterian theological faculty (PTFI). Dr Kirkpatrick’s honour comes ahead of his installation as moderator next week.
The award came at the annual graduation in Union Theological College, Belfast, where students received degrees from the church, together with certificates of ministry competency. The PTFI awards degrees by the authority of its Royal Charter, granted by Queen Victoria in 1881 and renewed by the Queen in 2021.
This year’s citation was delivered by Dr Desi Alexander, senior lecturer in Biblical studies at Union College, who spoke of how he and Dr Kirkpatrick’s paths first crossed at Greenmount agricultural college where John Kirkpatrick was studying farm management. before entering church ministry.
Dr Kirkpatrick began his ministry in 1981 aged 25, and he was ordained in Megain Memorial/Mersey Street churches in east Belfast four years later. He went on to minister in Garryduff church, Ballymoney and his move to Portrush came six years later.
Dr Alexander, in a tribute to John Kirkpatrick, said that as someone who has marinated himself in scripture John has a burning passion that others should be steeped in “the life-transforming Word of God. Dr Kirkpatrick had an imprtant role in developing links between Irish Presbyterianism and Reformed churches in central/eastern Europe. He was chairman of the World Alliance of Reformed churches.