The current Moderator
Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson Shaw is the current Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, succeeding the Rt Rev Rev Sally Foster-Fulton.
He was installed in the role on Saturday 18 May 2024, succeeding the 2023-24 Moderator, Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton.
The minister of Strathaven Trinity Parish Church in Lanarkshire since 1991, Dr Paterson studied biology and then divinity at the University of Glasgow, despite being told by his teachers that there was no point in continuing his studies.
Married to Christine, the couple have three children.