With the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) just over two weeks’ away, in a long-standing tradition, the Presbyterian Theological Faculty, Ireland (PTFI) has conferred an honorary Doctorate of Divinity on the Church’s incoming Moderator, Rev Richard Kerr, to mark his forthcoming election to PCI’s highest office.
The special graduation service took place on Friday, in Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, south Belfast, where the vice principal of PCI’s Union Theological College, Rev Dr Martyn Cowan, gave the citation.
Dr Cowan said,
“Today we honour one whose ministry has been marked by faithful pastoral service, cross-cultural mission, and a lifelong commitment to strengthening Christ’s church at home and overseas. In recognising Richard’s appointment as Moderator-Designate of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, we also recognise a lifetime of ministry marked by humility, generosity, and a deep commitment to helping others know Christ and make Him known.”
“…That humility also comes with a deep sense of God’s calling to this office. In the challenging times that the Church finds itself at present, his ministry at home and overseas, has well equipped him so that as a pastor and as a leader, with God’s guidance he may help rebuild the trust where trust has been damaged.”
Accompanied by his wife Brenda, Dr Kerr, who has been minister of Templepatrick Presbyterian Church since 2005, was also joined by two of his three children and his parents. Together with invited guests, they heard Dr Cowan explain that honorary degrees were among the highest distinctions that the PTFI could bestow. He also said that they were “awarded sparingly and only in recognition of conspicuous service to the Church of Jesus Christ and the wider work of the gospel…” He also spoke of the Moderator-Designate’s growing up in Ramelton, County Donegal, where aged 12 he professed Christ publicly.
Dr Cowan continued,
“Richard has often reflected upon the example set by his parents: a Christianity not confined to private belief but visibly lived out in devotion to Christ and love for people. The rhythms of rural life, responsibility, service, and church commitment formed him deeply. Even as a boy helping on local farms around Ramelton, one perceptive Presbyterian elder remarked that he would not grow up to be a farmer but a minister.”
Eventually, the latter would materialise via a journey that included agricultural training at Gurteen Agricultural College in County Tipperary, a three-year apprenticeship in farm management, which saw Dr Kerr become a dairy farm manager near Dundalk in County Louth aged 21. He also became an active member of Dundalk Presbyterian Church at this time.
Dr Cowan said that it was during this period in Dundalk that his sense of vocation broadened toward mission. With an intended project in Sierra Leone ultimately falling through, but through that process Dr Kerr met his future wife, Brenda, who was preparing for missionary service in Malawi. “In the providence of God, that encounter redirected the course of his life,” Dr Cowan said.
This began a period of service in Malawi, which ultimately lasted some 11 years and proved profoundly formative, involving Dr Kerr working in rural development and agricultural projects. During this time, he completed an MSc in Agricultural Development from the University of London and became Health Coordinator for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. This involved overseeing hospitals, health centres, staffing, and development work across a large and demanding network. Having married Brenda in 1991, their three children were born during the time that they served in Malawi, with two of them born in the country.
Speaking about the time he spent in Malawi, Dr Cowan said,
“Those who worked alongside him in oversees mission observed his remarkable ability to move naturally between different levels of leadership: engaging with church councils and senior leaders while also remaining entirely at ease among ordinary church members and local communities…His capacity for building enduring relationships across cultures has become one of the hallmarks of his ministry.”
n the year 2000 Richard and Brenda returned home, and while ordained ministry had not previously been his expectation, Dr Cowan said that “trusted friends and church leaders encouraged him to consider preparing for the ministry of Word and Sacrament. The door opened, and in 2001 he entered Union Theological College as a student for the ministry…” On the completion of his studies, he was called in 2005 by Templepatrick Presbyterian Church to be their minister.
Dr Cowan concluded by saying,
“Those who speak of Richard’s ministry most often return not first to programmes, or structures, but to presence: his willingness to walk alongside people, to enter deeply into their lives, and to build genuine Christian community. In many respects, the immersive pattern of ministry he learned in Africa continued naturally into pastoral ministry in Templepatrick.”
Thanking Dr Cowan, and the Presbyterian Faculty, Ireland for the award he had received, Dr Kerr expressed his “profound gratitude” saying that he was “both deeply humbled and highly honoured”.
Thanking the PTFI for the honour, the Moderator-Designate said,
“…this award is a product of the many people who have shaped me through the years in so many avenues of life. I am deeply grateful to those in my family, in Donegal, in various church communities through the years, in Malawi, and most recently in Templepatrick, for the opportunities I have had to serve in the Global Mission Council, and all of the people and partnerships which have enriched me…
“Almost 49 years ago I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. Of course, I was only responding to His advances to me. That response to Him is the foundation on which everything else was built. Because, while my building has not always been what it could have been, His foundation is always secure. And I am confident that He who began a good work will continue to work (in and through me), for His glory. I want to express my thanks, to God, to the Faculty, to all those who have helped make me the person I am. This award is something I cherish deeply.”
During the service the Presbytery of Carrickfergus ordained and inducted Dr Matthew Houston as lecturer in Church History at Union Theological College, while the Presbytery of South Belfast inducted the Rev Dr Graham Shearer as Lecturer in Theology at the College.
This article was originally published on the Presbyterian Church in Ireland's website.
Photos courtesy of Simon Alleyne