Moderator designate of the General Assembly

About

The Rev Dr Murray Rae of Dunedin will be the next leader of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Murray has been elected Moderator designate and will take up the role of Moderator at the 2027 General Assembly. The result of the election was announced at the Church’s General Assembly, held at St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Church in Christchurch, on Wednesday 22 October.

Murray is currently a Professor of Theology and Head of the Theology Programme at the University of Otago where he teaches a range of courses in Christian theology, ethics, and Māori engagements with Christianity. 

Born in Dunedin where his father, Alister was studying for ministry at Knox Theological Hall, Murray’s early life was shaped by various phases of his father’s ministry in Piopio, Malaysia, Ashburton, and Auckland. 

It was at Somervell Presbyterian Church in Auckland that Murray began to take up leadership roles in the church – in youth work, as an elder, and on camp committees. 

Murray attended university in Auckland, completing a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1984 before embarking on a career in architecture. The call to ministry was strong however, and following three years in architectural practice he and his wife Jane Davis, a kindergarten teacher, moved back to Dunedin to study. Murray completed a BD in 1990 and a BA in Philosophy in 1992 which he had been chipping away at for a number of years. 

Murray caught the bug for teaching and further study. He taught systematic theology for two years at Knox Theological Hall and at the University of Otago before heading to King’s College in London to complete a PhD in 1995. Two years in London were followed by three months of stated supply ministry at St George’s Church in Takapuna before Murray took up the role of Maclaurin Chaplain at the University of Auckland. He held this position for three years before returning to King’s College London as a Lecturer in Theology. He also held a part-time parish ministry role in the United Reformed Church in England while teaching at King’s College. 

With three sons now part of their family, Murray and Jane returned to Dunedin in 2005 where Murray has continued his teaching career at the University of Otago. 

Over the years Murray has taken on a variety of roles in the Presbyterian Church and beyond, including convenorships of the Church Architecture Committee, the KCML Establishment and Advisory Boards, the Doctrine Core Group, and the Academic Advisory Board of Laidlaw College. He has also served on the Academic Advisory Board of Carey College, the Governance Board of the Venn Foundation, and committees of the Gospel and Culture Network both in New Zealand and the UK. He was Moderator of the Synod of Otago and Southland from 2023-25 and is currently Chair of the Board of Knox College and Salmond College. 

Murray particularly values his connections with Araiteuru marae in Dunedin and with the Presbyterian Church marae in Ōhope, and he is grateful for the manaakitanga so generously offered at both marae. He particularly looks forward to working during his term as Moderator with Te Aka Puahou and with the people of Christ in Pacific and Asian congregations of the Presbyterian Church. 

Since returning to Dunedin in 2005 Murray and Jane have enjoyed belonging to Māori Hill Presbyterian Church and more recently to Flagstaff Community Church. 

Murray and Jane’s three sons had spread far and wide to Wellington, Auckland, and London, but the two oldest boys have recently returned to Dunedin from London bringing with them their partners and Murray and Jane’s first grandchild, who is a source of great joy.

Being nominated for the role of Moderator was not something that Murray had anticipated until some colleagues in ministry decided for him that it would be an idea worth testing. Having experienced throughout his life a deep sense of God’s provision and God’s grace in the various roles he has taken on, it is with prayerful trust in that same divine grace that he looks forward to serving the Church as best he can. 

While it is too early to determine what the focus of his moderatorial term will be, Murray is particularly keen to explore with the Church what it means to participate in Scripture’s story and to be a people who live in the light of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He is also eager to celebrate and learn from the rich cultural diversity of God’s people.