Annual Conference
We hold our conference every spring, normally in a UK university. Upwards of 150 people attend, both members and non-members, to discuss an important theme. These include well-known academic theologians, church ministers from a variety of denominations, research students, and many other people with postgraduate level interest in theology. Every effort is made to keep costs down in order to make the conference as accessible as possible.The majority of participants are from the UK, but we also welcome sizeable contingents from the Netherlands and the United States, and a few from Germany, Eire, Norway, Sweden, Belguim, the Philippines and Singapore. Just as important as the formal plenary, short paper and seminar sessions are the informal discussions over meals, at the reception, during the free afternoon, and in the bar. See the list of provisional dates of future conferences.
How the conference works
Sustainability
Plenary sessions
Short paper sessions
Seminars
Bursary fund
Publishers
Annual General Meeting
How the conference works
The conference typically runs from early on a Monday evening until breakfast the following Thursday morning, with a free afternoon on the Wednesday. It is organized around a central theme explored in detail in about five plenary sessions with invited speakers, as well as in short paper sessions. Alongside these thematic papers, there are several seminar groups which concentrate on their own topics. There are prayers on the Tuesday and Wednesday monrning, an AGM (at which members get a chance to discuss forthcoming conference themes and venues, and other business) and at least one reception.
Plenary sessions
We invite several keynote speakers to each conference, and ask each of them to provide a paper to be made avaialble on the website to all participants before the conference begins, and then to speak briefly about that paper at the start of one of the plenary sessions. Because most participants will have read the paper, most of the session is devoted to general discussion of the paper and issues arising from it. This provides participants with the chance for extended engagement with the invited speakers and one another, and less experienced participants with the opportunity chance to prepare their contribution beforehand. The only plenary session that differs from this format is the final one, on the Wednesday evening, at which we hold a general discussion of the conference theme, and of aspects of the theme which have emerged as crucial over the conference as a whole.
Short paper sessions
There is an opportunity at the conference for other participants to offer short papers on the conference theme in self-select sessions. Several of these run in parallel, and the group size is between fifteen and thirty. By offering a short paper, you will improve your chances of gaining a bursary.
Seminars
Alongside the plenary and short papers on the conference theme, seminars are convened by members of the Society to discuss a particular issue, theme, or doctrinal locus over a period of several years. There is no formal membership of these seminar groups, which are open to all participants at the conference, but each attracts a core who attend every year and provide long-term continuity. Each group manages itself in its own way, usually agreeing or calling for papers in advance to be delivered at its meeting during the conference.
Bursary fund
Although many participants come from universities which fund their attendance, or have access to other sources of funding, many do not. Each year we make thousands of pounds available to help members and non-members attend.
Publishers and distributors
Each year, a number of academic publishers and distributors have stalls at the conference for book purchases and browsing, with editors on hand to discuss book proposals. These have recently included Alban Books, Ashgate, Baker, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Paternoster, Routledge/Taylor & Francis, SCM Canterbury Press, T&T Clark/Continuum and Wiley-Blackwell.
Annual General Meeting
The Society's AGM takes place during the conference. This is an opportunity for members and non-members to hear about the Society's work, finances and future plans. Members discuss and may vote on the conference theme for two years' time and suggest possible venues. The Society's officers are present to answer any questions put to them.
Sustainability
Paticipants are strongly encouraged to minimize their carbon footprint when travelling to and from the conference. Following the conference, the committee will consider making a donation to the carbon offset charity PURE the Clean Planet Trust. The Society's main bankers, The Co-operative Bank, address ecological impact in their Ethical Policy.