Derek Browning (born 24 May 1962) is a minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

, who was the

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

from May 2017 to May 2018

Early life and education

Derek Browning was born on 24 May 1962 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland. He was educated at North Berwick High School, a state secondary school in

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

, East Lothian. He read history at

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517 by Richard Fo ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree; as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA Oxon) degree. He trained for ordained ministry at

St Mary's College, St Andrews St Mary's College, founded as New College or College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland. History The college was founded in ...

, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

(BD) degree from the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

specialising in ecclesiastical history. He later studied at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

, graduating with a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

(DMin) degree in 1997: he was the first Church of Scotland minister to graduate from

with a Doctor of Ministry degree. His thesis was on the roles of leadership and the management of change within the Church.

Ordained ministry

Derek Browning served as Probationer Minister at Troon St Meddans in 1986–1987. He was minister at Cupar Old Parish Church, in

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

, Fife (1987 to 2001) and thereafter minister at Morningside Parish Church in

. He was Moderator of the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of St Andrews for 1996/1997, Convener of the Prayer and Devotion Committee of the Church of Scotland's Panel on Worship from 2000 to 2004, and Convener of the Church of Scotland's Assembly Arrangements Committee and General Assembly Business Committee. At the 2019 General Assembly he was appointed convener of the Special Commission on the Effectiveness of the Presbyterian Form of Church Government. Browning was Moderator of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, 2021–2022.

Moderator

In October 2016, Browning was nominated to succeed Russell Barr as

. He took office in May 2017. On 4 September 2017, Browning blessed the new Queensferry Crossing on the River Forth before the Bridge was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. In October 2017, Browning visited Rome where he had a private audience with Pope Francis. Later in October he represented the Church of Scotland at the 500th Anniversary of the German Reformation held in Wittenberg. In November 2017 during the ‘London visit’ he preached at St Paul’s Cathedral, met with the Prime Minister Theresa May at Downing Street, and preached in the St Mary Undercroft Chapel in the Houses of Parliament. He also met with the Lord Mayor of London. In January 2018 he visited Israel, Palestine and Jordan, spending time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Gaza and Galilee. He rededicated the refurbished St Andrew's Church in Tiberias. In Jordan, he visited the Baptismal Site of Jesus, invited by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad. Browning also had an audience with King Abdullah II in Amman. In February 2018 Browning preached in Dunfermline Abbey at the 200th anniversary of the finding of the bones of King Robert the Bruce. In April 2018 Browning visited London again, preaching at Westminster Abbey, and attended the 2018 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall. In May 2018 Browning preached at the Liberation Day service on Guernsey.

Personal life

Derek Browning enjoys reading, cooking and playing croquet. He is a member of the New Club, Edinburgh.

References

Sources