The minister played a key role in establishing the Kirk's biggest annual open-air festival, Heart and Soul, in Edinburgh's Princes St Gardens each May.
Rev Dr Browning, 54, takes over the 12-month role from Rt Rev Dr Russell Barr in May 2017.
It's thought his appointment is a bid by the Church to boost declining attendances at services, given the minister's success in attracting 5,000 people to the festival.
He has served Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh since 2001 and said his nomination as Moderator was "the greatest honour the Church of Scotland can bestow".
"It is a huge privilege," he said.
"I was in my early 20s when I felt a call not only to be a Christian, but to become a minister.
"For some people this is a gradual realisation, but for me it was a sudden awakening that I couldn't put off until I had dealt with the questions it posed, and explored the possibility.
"My ministry afterwards has stuck with those two themes: dealing with questions and exploring possibilities."
Speaking about his plans for the Church he said: "These are challenging times for people of faith and for the Church.
"An American colleague said recently: 'The Church isn't dying, it's re-forming.'
"Re-forming is a costly and unsettling process but a fit-for-purpose 21st century Church must have the resilience and the flexibility to be unashamed of its faith in Jesus Christ, and practical in its living out of that faith."
