Newbigin Annual Public Lecture 2026

This year’s Newbigin Annual Public Lecture will be delivered by Revd Dr Sam Wells at 7pm (doors open 6pm) on Wednesday 3 June 2026 at Lodge Road Community Church, Winson Green, Birmingham B18 5BU.

With responses from Revd Dr Deirdre Brower and Simon Jay.

Join us for an evening of insightful, challenging, and inspiring dialogue on faith, justice, and transformation stimulating you into more thoughtful and deeper engagement in the places you live and serve.

Every summer we offer a public lecture with a high profile leader who embodies a contemporary spirit of Lesslie Newbigin. In previous years this has included: Dr Steve Bevans (2018), Dr Krish Kandiah (2019), John Newbigin and Dr Ash Barker (2021), Dr Cathy Ross (2022), Shane Claiborne (2023), Dr Deirdre Brower (2024) and Professor Anthony G. Reddie (2025).

This year we welcome Revd Dr Sam Wells who has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 2012. He has served as a parish priest for 28 years. He also spent 7 years in North Carolina, where he was Dean of Duke University Chapel. Sam is also Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King’s College London and at the Theological University of Utrecht.

He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He has published 50 books, including works on Christian ethics, ministry, liturgy, and preaching. One recent book is Constructing an Incarnational Theology (Cambridge UP: 2025).

Sam says ‘I’ve had three kinds of people in mind as I’ve shared these remarks. The first is charismatic Christians. If you believe the Holy Spirit came into your heart at conversion, and does signs and wonders through words of prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues, I hope I’ll demonstrate that the Holy Spirit is so much more exciting and transformative than that.

The second is Christians who have assumed the Holy Spirit is slightly embarrassing and best avoided. If that’s you, I hope I’ll show that the Holy Spirit is constantly empowering, cajoling, surprising and transforming you.

The third is those who aren’t at all sure they’d call themselves Christians. If that’s you, I hope I’ll demonstrate that the Holy Spirit has been at work in your life since your life began. Which I hope is a rather wonderful, empowering and inspiring thing to discover.’

Photo (c) Arie de Frijter

Light refreshments provided. Free event but donations welcomed!

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