Alexander McDonald (5 November 1937 – 17 March 2016)^[1][2] was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1997 to 1998.

McDonald was born in Bishopbriggs in 1937, the son of Jessie (known as Jeanette) Helen Low and Alexander M. McDonald.^[2] He worked in the timber industry in the 1950s, prior to National Service in the Royal Air Force. He studied at the University of Glasgow before training for the ministry at Trinity College.^[3][4]

Following theological studies in the 1960s, his first position after completing his studies was in the rural Church of Scotland, in Longriggend, north Lanarkshire, he served as minister at St David's Parish Church, Bathgate (1968–1974), then at St Mark's Parish Church, Ralston (1974–1988) and then as General Secretary of the Church of Scotland's Board of Ministry until he retired in 2002. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1997 to 1998. His formal title (following the end of his Moderatorial year) was The Very Reverend Dr. Alexander McDonald.

McDonald was married to Helen (daughter of former footballer Archie McLeod) for over 40 years until her death on 15 July 2007.^[6][7] They had three children: a daughter named Karen, and two sons, Blair and David Tennant.

In a 2015 interview, he disclosed that he was terminally ill with pulmonary fibrosis, a degenerative lung condition. In the same interview, he spoke in support of "right to die" campaigns.^[8] McDonald died on 17 March 2016.^[9]