Dr. Alison Elliot OBE
First woman to be elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Dr Alison Elliot truly broke the historic mould of the Moderator when she was the first woman and the second elder to be elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2004. It also marked the opening of all offices in the Church of Scotland to both men and women. This was long overdue because the Church had ordained women to the ministry of Word and Sacrament since 1968.
Alison Elliot was born in Edinburgh and educated at Bathgate Academy. She then studied for an MA in Mathematics and General Linguistics at Edinburgh University, an MSc in Experimental Psychology at Sussex University and a PhD in Children’s Language Development at Edinburgh University. Dr Elliot lectured in psychology at Edinburgh University from 1977-1985. She became well known as the Convener of the Church and Nation Committee from 1996 to 2000. After this service, she often gave the Thought for the Day on BBC radio Scotland.
Since 2001 she has been the Associate Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at Edinburgh University. From 2002 Dr Elliot was also Convener of Action of Churches Together in Scotland and normally works ecumenically. In 2003 Dr Elliot was awarded an OBE for her ecumenical work for the Church of Scotland.
Dr Elliot never felt called to become a minister, so as an elder she could not celebrate Communion, or preach, while Moderator, instead she asked to visit the Church’s social services. She is especially interested in families, domestic abuse, women’s issues in the Third world, and the eradication of injustice and poverty. Dr Elliot supports progress and innovation in the Church to enable it to meet the spiritual needs of people today and in the future.
Ron Ferguson wrote in Life and Work, July 2004: Alison Elliot has consigned the problem of a female “Mod” to the sin bin of history. Good on her.
Morag Liebert
Sources:
Roy, Christopher. Who’s Who in Scotland 2009. Ayr: Carrick Media, 2009 Ferguson, R. Uniting a Broad Church. Life and Work January 2004: 29.
Hill, L. Breaking the Mould. Life and Work May 2004: 7 – 9.
Ferguson, R. Assembly Fringe Diary. Life and Work July 2004: 28 – 29.
Elliot, Dr A. Working Outside the Walls. Life and Work January 2005: 28.
