Information for proposed Whitley Lecturers

The Whitley Lectureship: general information
The Whitley Lecture was first established in 1949 in honour of W.T. Whitley (1861–1947), the Baptist minister and historian. Following a pastorate in Bridlington, during which he also taught at Rawdon College in Yorkshire, Whitley became the first Principal of the Baptist College of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, in 1891. This institution was later renamed Whitley College in his honour.

Whitley was a key figure in the formation of the Baptist Historical Society in 1908. He edited its journal, which soon gained an international reputation for the quality of its contents – a reputation it still enjoys nearly a century later as the Baptist Quarterly. His A History of British Baptists(London: Charles Griffin, 1923) remains an important source of information and comment for contemporary historians. Altogether he made an important contribution to Baptist life and self understanding in Britain and Australia, providing a model of how a pastor-scholar might enrich the life and faith of others.

The establishment of the annual Lecture in his name is designed as an encouragement to research and writing by Baptist scholars, and to enable the results of this work to be published. The giving of grants, advice and other forms of support by the Whitley Trust Committee serves the same purpose. The Committee consists of representatives of the British Baptist Colleges, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, BMS World Mission, the Baptist Ministers’ Fellowship and the Baptist Historical Society. These organisations also provide financial support for its work. 
 
Nominating a Lecturer
The Whitley Trust Committee would like to increase the scope of nominations in the interests of good inclusive practice, and so now welcomes nominations from members of the Baptist community in the UK and in Ireland.
 
For potential Lecturers, the Committee requires (on the proper nomination form):

• name, church and occupation of both the nominating person and the proposed Lecturer;

• a paragraph (250-500 words) about the subject material for the Lecture;

• a declaration that the proposed Lecturer will be available for the main Lecture period – normally during January - May of the year of the Lectureship (all precise Lecture dates are subject to negotiation between the Lecturer and the host).

Please note that:

• the Lecturer does NOT need to be a Baptist minister;

• the Committee will select a balanced range of topics over the years from suitable nominations, reserving the right not to appoint a Lecturer in any particular year, if none of the suggested material is deemed suitable.     

Please contact Romilly Mark Janes, Secretary to the Whitley Trust Committee, at rmjwsecretary@gmail.com, if you would like a nomination form, further information about the Lecture, or information about the process of nomination.

The Whitley Trust Committee, 2018