Reverend Ian McNie, minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, will be the next moderator for Ireland's 240,000 Presbyterians.
The 64-year-old was nominated by 12 out of the 19 presbyteries last night when they met to elect a successor to the current moderator, Rev Michael Barry. As moderator-designate, Mr McNie will officially take up office at the start of the Church's General Assembly on June 1st.
He was ordained in 1978 as assistant minister at Alexandra Presbyterian Church in Belfast before being installed in 1980 at Kilkeel Presbyterian Church in Co Down.
Mr McNie was moderator of the Synod of Armagh and Down in 1991 and convenor of the youth centres committee between 1995 and 2002.
Mr McNie was one of four candidates for the year-long post. The other candidates were Rev Robert Bell of Ballyclare Church in Co Antrim, Rev Frank Sellar of Bloomfield Church in east Belfast and Rev Liz Hughes of Whitehouse Church in Newtownabbey.
