SBLPA home page

Welcome to the Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers Association Website.

From the Scottish Borders and the Highlands & Islands to the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, we're ordinary people drawn from a variety of Baptist churches (all part of the Baptist Union of Scotland) who, by preaching and communicating, love to share an extra-ordinary message : the fact that Jesus is alive and the Bible is hugely relevant for today! Have a look around our site where we hope you'll catch a flavour of who we are and what we do. You should also take a look at our promotional leaflet.

We are currently conducting a survey of lay preaching and lay preachers within the Scottish Baptist consitituency. The objective is to firstly identify the value of the Association to the churches, and secondly to use the survey as a catalyst to stimulate change, as necessary, within the growing network that is the Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers' Association. You can either complete this online or return the pdf to Glen Cartwright as instructed.

In the last year we've seen unparalleled growth, which has been really encouraging. Our membership now stands at over 60, with more applications 'in the pipeline', particularly from a number of women, and younger preachers too. We warmly welcome newly joined members: Nigel Johns (Ayr Southside); Mark Laing (Larbert); Hugh Tannock (Drumchapel); Phillip Usher (Sanqhuar); David White (Dumfries). Our vision is to double our membership by 2010 so that we might serve not only the Scottish Baptist consituency, but other evangelical churches, and serve them well! We want the SBLPA to be a rich resource from which churches can draw.

If you'd like to become an active member of the Association, please download our application form. You'd be really welcome to join us. It's always good to have new people as part of our lay preachers family! We look forward to hearing from you!

Vital to an effective preaching and teaching ministry, apart from the empowering of the Holy Spirit, is the ability to handle the Word of God, not only wisely, but well. The Biblical basis for this is found in 2 Timothy 2:15 where the exhortation is to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”. Theological competence, the challenge of intellectual vigor, academic integrity as well as spiritual empowerment and personal experience, all knit together. It is against that Backdrop, we have launched Preaching Workshops. It will held on the first Thursday evening of each alternate month, commencing in October 2008, and running through to June 2009, held at Stirling Baptist Church. This is for all: be you a lay preacher already, or someone who is involved in preaching/teaching or even if you are the Pastor.

If you would like to pray for us our prayer page has a few pointers for prayer.