The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the sovereign and highest court of the

Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ga, Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn; Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in ...

, and is thus the Church's governing body. The General Assembly normally meets annually, during the first full week in June. In common with other

presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

churches, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is governed by courts of elders. That is to say, it is governed by

presbyterian polity Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...

. At the bottom of the hierarchy of courts is the ''Kirk Session'', the court of the individual local churches; representatives of several Kirk Sessions form the ''Presbytery'', the local area court. As in many other presbyterian churches the ''Synod,'' or regional level, is now left out. A Synod had authority over a group of presbyteries. At the level of the island of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the General Assembly stands at the top of this structure. Every minister is a member, and every congregation sends one lay elder. Women's and youth organisations, deaconesses and sister churches are also entitled to send delegates, giving a total membership of around 1,300. The sitting Assembly first installs a new

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the most senior office-bearer within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which is Northern Ireland's largest Protestant denomination. The Moderator is elected by th ...

, who acts as a presiding officer for the rest of the session. After the Assembly rises at the end of the week, the Moderator spends much of the rest of the year as its ambassador.

Moderators and Location

External links

General Assembly
at the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Presbyterian Church in Ireland {{Ireland-stub

Moderators and Location

See also

External links