Nomination Committee

Assembly Hall

The Nomination Committee is tasked with identifying members, elders, deacons, and ministers with particular skills and experience for serving on General Assembly Standing Committees.

The Nomination Committee recommends names to the General Assembly. The Assembly has the power to accept or reject these nominations. The Committee's task is to identify people whose skills and experience will be of particular use to a given area of work. It also seeks to maintain age balance and a fair geographical representation.

Proposing individuals for nomination

There are many people with the necessary skills and commitment and your assistance is warmly invited.

The Nomination Committee is not currently receiving nominations. Proposals for nominations to be brought to the General Assembly in 2026 will be invited in autumn 2025. Nominations require to be supported by a third party as listed on the nomination form.

Once the Nomination Committee has met in February, those selected will be contacted. Inevitably, not all nominees will be asked to serve, though it is possible that they may be approached in connection with a different committee.

For information about your rights as a data subject, see the privacy centre section on the Church of Scotland website.

Any queries on the nomination process should be emailed to nominations@churchofscotland.org.uk

Proposing individuals for nomination

There are many people with the necessary skills and commitment and your assistance as a member of the Church is warmly invited.

If you wish to be considered for nomination to serve on one of the committees, please complete the online Nomination Form accessible here. All members of each of the committees are expected to serve a four-year term.

All submissions must be with us by Friday 24 January 2025.

Please note that the form cannot be saved and added to at a later date. Prior to you completing the form, you may want to ensure that you have the following ready to enter into the online form. A lack of information may reduce your chances of being selected:

  • Your personal details
  • Your Committee choice(s)
  • Your personal statement to let us know why you would be suited to serve on your chosen Committee(s) (around 200 words)
  • Your relevant skills and knowledge, including any employment history and qualifications you feel may be relevant (around 200 words)
  • Your Church involvement (around 200 words)
  • Your previous service on national committee,s including dates (for the previous 10 years)
  • Details of the person supporting the application

Nominees are required to be members of the Church of Scotland. In addition, due to the high expectations placed on Candidates in Training, Probationers and Ministers in their first year following ordination, they are not normally invited to serve on committees.

Nominations are required to be supported by a third party as listed on the Nomination Form. If you are nominating someone else, please approach the individual(s) concerned and ask them to complete the Nomination Form and include your personal details. Those supporting a nominee are asked to complete the Supporting a Nomination Form accessible here.

Once the Nomination Committee has met at the end of January, those selected will be contacted. It is possible that nominees may be approached to serve on a Standing Committee other than those they have mentioned on their form. Also, if they are not invited to serve, their details will be retained for the coming year and they may be approached to fill any mid-term vacancies that arise.

For information about your rights as a data subject, see the privacy centre section on the Church of Scotland website.

Any queries on the nomination process should be emailed to nominations@churchofscotland.org.uk.

Information for potential members

The Nomination Committee considers membership to the following Committees:

Appointment of Assembly Trustees and membership of Assembly Trustee sub-groups/committees

The Assembly Trustees hold responsibility for a separate process for the appointment of Assembly Trustees. Assembly Trustees shall consult with the Nomination Committee as to any comments which the Committee wish to make on recommendations for appointment. Any appointment shall be made by the Assembly Trustees, subject to approval by the General Assembly.

Please also note that the Assembly Trustees are responsible for appointing members to its sub-groups/committees. Nomination Committee representatives will be invited sit on the selection panel for the following Assembly Trustee sub-committee/groups:

The nomination form for membership of Standing Committees should also be used by those who wish to be considered for membership of the Seeds for Growth Committee and the EDI Group.

Any queries on the nomination process should be emailed to nominations@churchofscotland.org.uk.

Nomination Process to Legal Bodies

The Legal Questions Committee (LQC) will draw up a list of people whom it considers suitably qualified to serve on each of the bodies involved. If any forms are submitted through the wider nomination process, these will be passed directly to the Convener of LQC for consideration as to suitability.

For the process of nominating to legal bodies, please contact the Office of the General Assembly at the Church offices in Edinburgh. The bodies concerned are the following:

  • Appeals Committee of the Commission of Assembly
  • Discipline Tribunal
  • Judicial Commission
  • Judicial Panel
  • Ministries Appeal Panel
  • Mission Plan Review Group
  • Personnel Appeal Group
  • Safeguarding Appeal Group

The Nomination Committee will receive a list of names at its February meeting, as agreed by representatives of the Nomination Committee, the LQC , the Principal Clerk, and the Solicitor of the Church. The Committee will then approve the list, subject to discussion, confident that it came to the Committee with the degree of independent scrutiny required. For the avoidance of doubt, the Nomination Committee will not receive any names other than those actually being put forward for nomination. The names will then be passed to the General Assembly in the normal fashion for appointment.

Nominations to the Legal Questions Committee continue to be handled through the regular process of nomination for all other bodies in the Church.

Our membership

The Nomination Committee has a Convener, Andrew Gardner; a Vice-Convener, Bryan Kerr; and 18 members appointed by the General Assembly.

Contact for more information

If you require any further information about the Nomination Committee, please email nominations@churchofscotland.org.uk.

Meetings

The Nomination Committee usually meets twice a year, in September and February. Recommendations are reported directly to the General Assembly. Sub-group's will be formed and tasked with specific pieces of work on behalf of the Committee. Members of the Committee may occasionally be called upon to sit on interview panels.