Organization and Governance

The Moderator is the elected, presiding officer of the meetings of the General Council, its executive, and its sub-executive. The Moderator may be a lay person or a member of the Order of Ministry and is expected to give spiritual leadership and public representation for the church. If ordained, the Moderator is designated "the Right Reverend." Former Moderators, if ordained, are designated "the Very Reverend." If commissioned as a diaconal minister, the Moderator is free to choose whether or not to use the designation "the Right Reverend" or "the Very Reverend."  Lay Moderators are addressed as they personally wish to be addressed.

Current Moderator

The Right Rev. Gary Paterson was elected Moderator of The United Church of Canada on August 18, 2012, in Ottawa, ON, by the 41st General Council.

Former Moderators

• Mardi Tindal (40th Moderator)
  Mardi Tindal was elected Moderator of The United Church of Canada on August 14, 2009, in Kelowna, BC, by the 40th General Council.
• The Very Rev. David Giuliano (39th Moderator)
  Rev. David Giuliano was elected Moderator of The United Church of Canada August 18, 2006 in Thunder Bay, Ontario at the meeting of the 39th General Council.
• The Very Rev. Dr. Peter Short (38th Moderator)
  Elected in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, at the meeting of the 38th General Council, in August 2003, Short served as Moderator until August 2006.
• The Very Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy (37th Moderator)
  Dr. Pardy has served the church in both urban and rural settings in the Conferences of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, Hamilton, Toronto and Newfoundland and Labrador. She was elected Moderator in August 2000 and served until August 2003.

For a list of previous Moderators, see our historical timeline.