General Assembly
The General Assembly is a significant annual event in the Church of Scotland calendar. Throughout the week, commissioners to the General Assembly examine the work and laws of the Church and make decisions that affect its future.
The Assembly does not shy away from discussing the big political topics of the day. In recent years the Assembly has received national and international attention for debating Brexit, same-sex relationships, the war in Syria, and fossil fuel divestment.
General Assembly 2024
The General Assembly will take place from 18-23 May 2024 at the Assembly Hall on the Mound, Edinburgh or it can be viewed online.
Lord High Commissioner
Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been appointed as the Lord High Commissioner to the 2024 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, a decade after he last took on the role of royal representative at the annual gathering.
The Lord High Commissioner is the Sovereign's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and is appointed by His Majesty The King to attend proceedings on his behalf.
The Duke, who was granted the title previously held by his father on his 59th birthday last year, will make the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly and carry out a number of official functions throughout the week.
He was previously Lord High Commissioner in 2014, when he held the title of Earl of Wessex, and represented his mother, the late Queen.
He is the first member of the Royal Family to become Lord High Commissioner since his nephew HRH Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, was appointed in 2021.
Moderator of the General Assembly 2024-25
Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson, who has served as the minister of Strathaven Trinity Parish Church since 1991, was installed as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on Saturday 18 May 2024. He will spend a year as an ambassador for the Church of Scotland.
Dr Paterson succeeded the 2023-24 Moderator, Very Rev Sally Foster Fulton.
Find our more about Dr Paterson.
Previous General Assemblies
Photos, video highlights and documents from earlier meetings of the General Assembly are available on our previous General Assemblies page.
Reports and deliverances presented to General Assemblies prior to 2020 are available on our publications page.
Laws of the Church of Scotland
Visit our Church Law section for more information about the Acts, Regulations, and Constitution of the Church of Scotland, and the Barrier Act.