History of the Association
Up to 1978, business was conducted by a committee answerable to the Council of the Scottish Baptist Union. Restructuring of the Union
led to the committee becoming a Core Group within the department of Church Life. In 1982, the Core Group was disbanded, and the Association then
came to be run by an autonomous Lay Preachers' Committee.
Although the Association is independent of the Baptist Union of Scotland, close links still remain. A
representative of the Union is appointed to sit on the Lay Preachers' Committee, and an annual report of the work of the Association is presented to
the Union's Council and to the Scottish Baptist Union Assembly.
1925 - 1929 R F Conway
1925 - 1928 G S Kirby
West of Scotland
The association was first formed at a meeting held in Charlotte Chapel Baptist Church, Edinburgh
on Tuesday, 12th May 1925 with the object of preparing a list of names of lay preachers to be submitted to the Baptist Union of Scotland.
Any preacher who had served the Scottish Baptist churches with acceptance for at least two years
could be considered eligible, given the further reccomendation of the committee.
Presidents of the Association
1929 - 1946 G S Kirby
1946 - 1957 H J Fraser
1957 - 1973 W A Hunter
1973 - 1978 J Grant
1978 - 1980 J L B Sharp
1981 - 1982 J C W Fleming
1983 - 1985 P H Staley (Morningside)
1985 - 1989 J R Parratt (Bearsden)
1989 - 1992 W H Fleming (New Prestwick)
1992 - 1996 G Petrie (Broxburn)
1996 - 2002 A J Clark (Ayr)
2003 - 2008 E M Wray (St Andrews)
2008 - Present J McFarlane (Kirkintilloch)General Secretaries of the Association
1929 - 1937 A B Burgess
East of Scotland
1937 - 1938 C A Welsh 1928 - 1953 A McKinlay 1938 - 1943 D H Rankin 1953 - 1957 C A Welsh 1943 - 1946 C A Welsh 1957 - 1962 W Fleming 1946 - 1967 T Kerr 1962 - 1963 G Kerr 1967 - 1968 H N Graham 1963 - 1976 C McDonald 1968 - 1976 J Brown
1964 - 1972 G Kerr (New Prestwick)
1972 - 1973 J Grant (Paisley)
1974 - 1981 P H Staley (Morningside)
1981 - 1985 H N Graham (Shettleston)
1985 - 1992 P H Staley (Morningside)
1993 - 2006 S F Mitchell (Partick)
2007 - Present G P Cartwright (Newton Mearns)
How did the S.B.L.P.A. come about?