Conference Information

General Information

We hold an annual conference every Spring at Warwick University. About 200 people attend, both members and non-members, to discuss an important theme in theological studies. These include prominent academic theologians, church ministers from different denominations, research students and others with a postgraduate-level interest in theology. Every effort is made to keep costs reasonable 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 some from other countries such as  Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Belgium. The conference consists of formal plenaries with leading scholars, short paper and seminar sessions involving contributions from members, as well as the informal discussions that take place over meals, at various receptions and in the evening social times.

The next SST conference will be held at Warwick between Monday April 8th and Thursday April 11th 2024, and its theme is Prayer. Formal proceedings finish on Wednesday evening, and participants usually leave after breakfast on Thursday morning.

Further information about how this hybrid online and in-person SST conference will work will be available in due course.

How the conference works

Registration is on Monday afternoon and the conference ends after breakfast on Thursday morning. A range of booking options is available. Each conference is centred on a central theme, explored in detail through five plenary sessions with invited speakers and in a range of short paper sessions. Alongside developing a specific theme,  several sessions are available on individual theological streams and within which participants may present papers on a particular area of theology. There are also opportunities for corporate worship, and plenty of time for socialising through informal coffee times and more formal receptions.

Plenary Sessions

We invite several keynote speakers to each conference, each of whom will have prepared a paper made available on the Society’s website to all participants around three weeks before the conference begins. At the individual plenary session, therefore, the speaker is asked to speak briefly about the paper for 15 minutes or so, on the assumption that participants will have read the paper ahead of time and can, therefore, devote most of the session  to general discussion of the paper and issues arising from it. This provides the chance for extended engagement with the keynote speakers and with one another, and also provides less experienced participants the opportunity to prepare their thoughts and contributions beforehand.

Short Paper Sessions

There is also opportunity at the conference for  participants, should they wish, to offer short papers on the overall theme in small scale sessions. Several of these run in parallel, and the group size is typically between fifteen and thirty. Short papers are no longer than 20 mins, with a further 10 or so for questions and discussion. It may also be possible to obtain a bursary towards the cost of the Conference by offering a short paper.

Papers in Theological Streams

Alongside the plenary and short paper sessions, various theological streams 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 groups so that they are open to all, but it is the case that each attracts a core who attend every year and who provide long-term continuity. As with the short paper sessions above, an offer to present a paper within one of these streams may also attract bursary support. Unless you are informed otherwise by the convener, papers in these theological streams should also be no longer than 20 mins.

Fees

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 several thousand pounds available to enable both members and non-members to attend.

Publishers and Distributors

Each year a number of academic publishers and distributors hold 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, Routledge/Taylor & Francis, SAGE, SCM Canterbury Press, T&T Clark/Continuum, Wiley-Blackwell and Wipf & Stock.

Annual General Meeting

The Society’s AGM takes place during the Conference. This is an opportunity for both members and non-members to hear about the Society’s work, its finances and future plans. The Society’s officers are present to answer any questions put to them. By tradition, part of the meeting’s business is to choose the theme for the Conference in two years’ time. Proposals are presented briefly at the meeting by their proposers and must be handed to the Secretary by 11 a.m. on the day of the meeting. A diverse range of themes is hoped for and any member of the Society may submit a proposal.

Executive Committee Nominations

Nominations to the Committee should be submitted to the Secretary, at the very latest by the first day of the conference but ideally in advance. Two ordinary members are appointed each year, and a Vice-President, who in time becomes the President, is appointed in alternate years. For further information, please see the relevant paragraphs of the Constitution. The Committee always hopes for a diverse range of nominations.

Sustainability

Participants are strongly encouraged to minimize their carbon footprint when travelling to and from the conference. Following the conference, a carbon-offset donation will normally be made to the charity The Woodland Trust. The Society’s bankers, The Co-operative Bank, addresses ecological impact in its Ethical Policy.

Timetable

Early booking is available until the 27th of February. Booking will remain open until the 18th of March. Bookings can sometimes be made after the booking deadline, strictly subject to availability, in which case a £10 late booking fee is payable. Precise deadlines are given each year on the website and by e-mail.

Accessibility

We are committed to making the conference as accessible as possible to participants with special mobility, sight, hearing or similar needs. Special accommodation may be available for attendees with very small children. Please notify us of any such needs at the time of booking. For more information about the access details at Warwick, please consult this Access Pack in PDF or DOCX.

Location

The conference will take place at the University of Warwick, which is a campus university in the West Midlands. All accommodation and conference sessions will take place on-site. Free parking is available for delegates wishing to arrive by car (parking information will be provided to registered delegates ahead of the conference). As per its sustainability efforts, the Society encourages delegates to consider public transport alternatives where possible.

• By air: Birmingham International Airport is nearby; from here you can get a direct train to Coventry, and then a local bus (or taxi) to the University.
• By rail: Coventry is the nearest train station to the University, and is situated on the West Coast Main Line, with frequent services to the North and South of the UK. From Coventry station, you can get a bus direct from the station to campus; this is about a 25 minute journey and buses are frequent.
  • ⚠️ Please note that there is rail strike action planned for Monday 8th April, which will impact a number of rail services. We advise you to check with your train operator and plan your travel accordingly. For more information, see: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/industrial-action/ 
• By bus: Buses go direct to Warwick campus from Coventry station with good frequency. The easiest service to use is the X12, which runs every 20 minutes and goes from stand 6. (Other services are available from other stands – these are at the main bus interchange at the side exit of Coventry station if you follow signs for buses.) To get to stand 6 for the X12, exit the station using the lift or steps to Warwick Road, and then once you come out of the station, turn left. The bus stop is immediately in front of you, on the near side of the road. A single ticket costs £2, and you can pay via contactless methods. The bus will take you to Warwick University Bus Interchange, just outside the Students’ Union building (don’t alight at the Gibbet Hill campus, which is a few stops before the main campus stop).

For more transport details, see guidelines and information provided by the University here: https://warwick.ac.uk/about/visiting/directions/