The Commission of Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland has announced the selection of The Rev. Donald “Donnie” G. MacDonald of Portree and Bracadale Free Church in Skye as the Moderator Designate for the 2019 General Assembly.

Donnie G MacDonald – Moderator Designate (photo: Free Church of Scotland)

Mr MacDonald, who is widely known as “Donnie G”, was ordained as a pastor 26 years ago, and his 25-year anniversary was marked by the Free Church last year. He began his ordained ministry at Ferintosh and Resolis Free Church where he spent 11 years. In 2003 he moved to his current charge. He is a native of Fort William but grew up on Skye, attending Borrodale Primary School and Portree High School. His college work in Glasgow included Chemistry and Molecular Biology, but he continued his education in preparation for the ministry at Free Church College, now Edinburgh Theological Seminary.

In response to the nomination, Mr MacDonald is quoted as saying “It is very humbling to be asked to be Moderator Designate of the Free Church of Scotland General Assembly for 2019. It is an honour to serve Jesus in any capacity and I will do my best to fulfil this responsibility simply but diligently.”

He reflects on the position of the Free Church in another quote: “The many Free Church congregations scattered throughout the country are working hard to bring that Gospel message to both the urban and rural settings of Scotland, revitalising the old and planting the new. We also remain committed to looking beyond our own borders to explore innovative ways of supporting mission work.”

On a side note, what jumped out to me in this last quote was the mention of ministry in a rural setting, a topic of some discussion and encouragement at the 2018 General Assembly.

Finally, you can see more about his Portree Congregation at their Facebook page, which does include the news of his nomination. He has recordings of his sermons available on both the church website as well as some preached elsewhere on Sermon Audio.

And so, we congratulate Donnie G and wish him well for his moderatorial year. Our prayers are with him as he prepares to moderate the upcoming GA and we look forward to following the GA in May, unfortunately on the live stream this year. Best wishes.