The 2024 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) will take place in Assembly Buildings, Belfast from Thursday morning, 20 June and close on Saturday afternoon, 22 June.
Approximately 1,000 ministers and elders from PCI’s 500-plus congregations the length and breadth of Ireland, corresponding members and delegates from home and overseas are entitled to meet in General Assembly to worship, pray, celebrate and debate. As the denomination’s principal governing and decision-making body and the Church's highest court, decisions taken can set the direction for the life and ministry of PCI over the coming year and beyond.
Significant changes
This year will see the introduction of some significant changes to the traditional format of the annual meeting of the Church, principally the opening of the General Assembly itself and the election and installation of the new Moderator. Details of which you can find here.
The Moderator of the General Assembly for 2024-2025 will be Rev Richard Murray, minister of Drumreagh Presbyterian Church in County Antrim. He will take office during a special Service of Instalation on Friday afternoon at 4.30pm. The current Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney, minister of Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church in Dublin, will open and constitute the General Assembly on Thursday morning at 10am. Dr Mawhinney will go on to chair proceedings until Mr Murray is installed.
Brief summary of changes to the General Assembly
- The Opening of the General Assembly: This will take place on Thursday morning at 10am when the Moderator, Dr Mawhinney, will constitute the Assembly and give his address
- Installation of the new Moderator: This will take place on Friday afternoon at 4.30pm. The Moderator-Designate, Rev Richard Murray, will be formally elected and installed as Moderator for 2024-2025 at a new installation service and give his address
- Assembly Communion Service: This will take place on the Saturday at 12 noon.
The vast majority of the sessions will be open to the public and will be livestreamed. You can follow proceedings and comments on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, by using the hashtag #pciga24.
Overview of the 2024 General Assembly
In this section you will find general information, news releases, statements, and a timetable of General Assembly business.
Guide to Revised Assembly Procedure
When published, you will be able to find a revised guide to Assembly procedure here.
Assembly Business
Details of each day’s business before the General Assembly can be found here nearer the time of the General Assembly.
The Blue Book and Annual Reports
The reports and corresponding resolutions that will be discussed and debated during the course of the General Assembly can be found here closer to the start of the General Assembly. Compiled together in one publication, historically they are known as the 'Blue Book'. The Reports are also published in digital and e-reader versions.
Supplementary Reports
Any licensed supplementary business can be found in the Supplementary Reports. This publication can be downloaded by clicking here on the opening day of the General Assembly.
Media Relations
General Assembly Previews
During the General Assembly, you will be able to find a summary of each day’s business here:
- General Assembly Preview: Day One - Thursday, 20 June
- General Assembly Preview: Day Two - Friday, 21 June
- General Assembly Preview: Day Three - Saturday, 22 June
For the official record of the decisions that are taken, Draft Daily Minutes will be published in due course.
General news stories concerning the 2024 General Assembly
You can read general news stories that relate to the 2024 General Assembly here:
Pre-General Assembly
Blogs
You can read the blogs that relate to the General Assembly here:
2023 General Assembly video
While the opening of the General Assembly on Thursday and the installation of the Moderator on Friday will be somewhat different this year, to get a flavour of a General Assembly you can watch this short video that captures some of what took place last year.