The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has said he remains “surprised” to have been appointed to the role.

The Rt Rev Gordon Kennedy was elected to the position as the Assembly opened in Edinburgh on Friday, replacing the Very Rev Rosie Frew.

Mr Kennedy is taking a leave of absence from his role as parish minister of Craiglockhart Parish Church in Edinburgh to take up the post, which will see him serve as the Kirk’s ambassador at home and abroad.

Addressing commissioners at the Assembly, he told them he and his wife, Rev Fiona Kennedy, will very much depend upon their “prayers and support” for the year to come.

He said: “I remain surprised to find myself standing here and, in all humility, receive this call to serve as your Moderator this year.

“Fiona and I are very grateful to so many of you for your emails, phone calls, and conversations since the announcement of my nomination, and we very much depend upon your prayers and support for the year ahead.”

Mr Kennedy, who is originally from Glasgow, said he has always believed serving as a parish minister is the “highest calling” for a “minister of the gospel”.

He said: “I am honoured to have been called to serve as parish minister in New Cumnock, Portpatrick and Stranraer St Ninian’s, and currently in Craiglockhart.

“I have learned more about ministry from all of these congregations than I ever did from anyone else, and cherish our fellowship in the work of mission and ministry in local church.”

Mrs Frew congratulated Mr Kennedy on his election, and described the role as a calling, not an ambition or aspiration.

She said: “A calling, one you are prepared for over the years in many different ways, though you probably only see that with hindsight.

“It’s a calling that is tested, a nomination which you have accepted. Thank-you for answering this call.

Rt Reverend Rosie Frew speaking from a pulpit in a church
The Right Reverend Rosie Frew is the outgoing moderator (Jane Barlow/PA)

“You bring experience of serving the church both nationally and at presbytery level.

“Over this General Assembly and throughout the year ahead, be assured of the prayers of the General Assembly, the prayers of the Church.”

A letter from the King was also read to the Assembly on Friday in which he sent his best wishes and highlighted the work done by the church.

In the letter, he said: “A world characterised by uncertainty is very often one in which there is an absence of shared beliefs and values.

“The task of the Church in this present age is to articulate the gospel in new living and dynamic ways through ministry in local parishes and communities, through the discovery of fresh expressions of what it is to share in communion and community, through the social care agency of the Church of Scotland Crossreach.

“We do so that all may be one, and that we may serve as a unifying force in our world today.

“May your faith and courage be strengthened in your deliberations during the week ahead and through the times to come.”