Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers Association


The Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers' Association is made up of a network of ordinary Christian men and women who are members of Scottish Baptist churches across our nation, who have been called by God to preach His Word. The Association exists to provide mentoring, training, ongoing development and support for Lay Preachers and to link Churches in need of pulpit supply with available preachers.

2023 Learning Sessions

SBLPA Learning sessions

These were led by Rev Dr Lina Toth who is the Senior Research Fellow at the IBTS Centre, The Netherlands.

Preaching and Preacher’s Personality - watch the recording here.

The most common issues lay preachers face: Q&A - watch the recording here.


Annual Conference

2023 Conference

We had an exciting and interesting Annual Conference earlier this year as Dr Andy Bannister (Director of the Solas Centre) unpacked the theme of "Confident Christianity" - how we can be authentic disciples of Christ in an increasingly secularised world.

Recordings of the three sessions can be found here Session 1, Session 2, Session 3.

churches

Members of the Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers' Association preach in all parts of Scotland and sometimes further afield. We can take part in church services, conferences, women's or men's meetings, youth groups or gatherings for the elderly. We can lead a whole service or take part as appropriate. We are here to serve.

Pulpit Supply

We are here to cover your needs for someone to preach, including leading the service if you wish. Each person will tailor what they do to meet your needs and can cover a set text if you are in a preaching series or bring whatever the Lord lays on their heart. To arrange Pulpit Supply please contact us with your requirements.

Additional Support for Smaller Churches

In partnership with the Baptist Union of Scotland, we want to support you by not only providing pulpit supply, valuable as that is, but by offering to cover your preaching needs for a period of up to eight Sundays, with flexible models as follows:

  • A team of up to eight lay preachers taking one Sunday each
  • Two lay preachers working in partnership to sustain the preaching ministry for the agreed period
  • A single lay preacher assisting for the entire period

Please contact us for more information and details of how to arrange such a programme.

Developing Younger Preachers

We would really appreciate your help in partnering with us to identify younger men and women who are beginning to demonstrate a talent for communicating God's word in whatever setting.

We have a mentoring and learning programme that can be tailored to each individual to allow them to explore if God is calling them to this ministry.

enquirers

Though each application is considered on its own merits, taking account of age, experience and previous study, membership of the SBLPA is normally granted on the basis of your being:-

  • Resident in Scotland and in membership of a Scottish Baptist Church.

  • Commended by the church of which you are a member and who have recognised your preaching ability.

  • Able to provide evidence of previous relevant study - experience will of course be taken into account.

If you are less experienced or relatively new to preaching, we will offer you probationary membership and a place on our tailored mentoring programme as an expression of our commitment to invest in your development.

If you'd like to apply, we would advise you to first discuss with your pastor/church leadership and then complete and submit an application form .

Events

In Person
  • Annual Retreat, 8th-9th September 2023, Alona Hotel, Strathclyde
Online

About Us

History of the Association

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 recommendation of the committee.

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.

An annual report of the work of the Association is presented to the Union's Council and to the Scottish Baptist Union Assembly.

Privacy policy

Introduction

The SBLPA is committed to taking seriously its’ responsibilities relative to the personal data of its members and others with which it has been entrusted, to protecting all information that we handle about people we support and work with, and to respecting people’s rights around how their information is handled. We are also committed to ensuring all elements of the relevant legislation e.g. General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are not only implemented, but adequate assurances and protocols are in place and regularly reviewed to ensure compliance.

The following documents are available:-

Contact Us

Please use our contact form to get in touch.