Presbyterian Church elects new leader

Presbyterian Church elects new leader

The Right Rev Andrew Norton is the new Moderator or elected leader of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. He begins his two year term from 4 October 2014.

Andrew has been the mission leader of St Columba Presbyterian Church at Botany Downs, Auckland, since 1999; prior to that he was the minister of Glenfield-Albany Presbyterian Church on Auckland’s North Shore, and St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Invercargill.

He has served the Church in various capacities at local, regional and national levels. He has served as chairman of Press Go, which resources new mission ventures throughout the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. He has also been moderator of the Auckland Presbytery; part of the team that established the Northern Presbytery; and he was instrumental in establishing a partnership between the Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar.

As Moderator, Andrew says he will seek to encourage and develop leadership within the church.

“I will provide the type of leadership which navigates the uncharted waters of the future. The Church is facing shock waves of enormous change and to lead in this context will require prophetic courage, poetic insight, professional ability, pastoral compassion and practical love.”

Andrew is married to Sue and has four adult children.

The Right Rev Andrew Norton will be installed as Moderator at the beginning of the General Assembly 2014, at Saint Kentigern College, Pakuranga, Auckland. The service involves the transfer of a ceremonial cloak (Te Korowai Tapu) and the laying on of hands by past Moderators.

The Presbyterian Church is the third largest denomination in Aotearoa New Zealand, with more than 300,000 people identifying as Presbyterian in the 20013 Census, and 30,000 regular church attenders.

/ENDS

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