A Presbyterian moderator's insight

Rev Dr John Henry Orr was the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in 1887 and in that role he gave an address at an event in Londonderry on 23 August 1887 to honour the laying of the foundation stone of the new Town Hall.  

The function had been organised by The Honourable the Irish Society, which had a central role in the settlement of Londonderry in the 17th century.  In the course of his remarks Dr Orr said that the members of the Presbyterian Church had a peculiar aptitude for civic administration, arising, he believed, out of their Church system of self-government.

The system of presbyteries, kirk sessions and church committees involved members of the congregation in the governance of their churches and thereby members gained experience that stood them in good stead in civic society.

Dr John Henry Orr was minister of the High Street Presbyterian congregation in Antrim and for many years he was clerk of the General Assembly.

A similar observation has been made about the way in which Methodism in England provided a number of the early leaders of the trade union movement, who had gained experience as lay preachers in their local churches.