The Reverend Bryan Kerr was inducted as Parish Minister of Kilmacolm Parish Church in November 2025, following over 18 years of ministry at Greyfriars Parish Church in Lanark. He brings with him a deep love for the local church, a strong commitment to inclusive community, and a passion for helping people of all ages explore faith in creative, thoughtful, and welcoming ways. Bryan was born in 1976 and grew up in Denny, near Falkirk … though he’ll tell you that makes him a proper Falkirk Bairn (and a long-suffering supporter of Falkirk Football Club!).
After studying Religious Studies and then Theology at the University of Edinburgh, he trained for ministry through placements across Scotland from Stirling to Ayr, Iona to Falkirk, before being ordained in 2002. He served his first charge in the Douglas Valley (originally Douglas St Bride’s linked with Douglas Water and Rigside), where his wife Pauline and he welcomed their two daughters, Hayley and Iona before moving to Greyfriars in Lanark in 2007.
Ministry for Bryan is about belonging. He believes the Church should be a place where everyone, without exception, is welcomed, valued, and able to encounter the love of God. He’s especially passionate about intergenerational worship, building authentic community, and finding fresh ways to connect with people who don’t (yet) see church as a home for them. Bryan played a key role in working to ensure equality in ministry and in church life was realised for those in the LGBTQI+ community and was one of the first ministers in the Church of Scotland to officiate at a same sex marriage.
Bryan is also a committed school chaplain and loves helping children and young people ask the big questions of life, as well as supporting them through times of challenge, loss and change. He firmly believes in the concept of the church he serves being a ‘Parish’ Church which means reaching out and journeying alongside those who live and work in the parish whether church members or not.
Alongside Parish Ministry, Bryan is active in the wider Church of Scotland. He has served as Presbytery Clerk, sat on national committees (including the General Assembly Nominations Committee where he is currently the Vice Convener, the Rural Strategy Team, and the Covid-19 Response Team to name but a few), and helped lead large-scale events and public celebrations of faith from Heart & Soul in Princes Street Gardens to the National Gathering in Ingliston and events in the SECC with the former Clyde Presbyteries. He is also a regular contributor to BBC Radio Scotland’s Thought for the Day and Sunday Morning with…
Outside of ministry, Bryan enjoys pottering about on his computer, watching movies and binging good TV, watching F1, and experimenting with video and discovering the capabilities of AI. The family’s three labradors also keep them busy!
At Kilmacolm Parish Church, Bryan hopes to help grow a worshipping community that is rooted in grace, bold in compassion, and joyfully open to all.
Bryan would be pleased to speak to anyone who needs support within the Parish. His details are on the contact us page.