Who we are
The Montgomery Trust exists to bring the insights of renowned academic and scientific minds to anyone seeking to understand faith more deeply.
It was established thanks to a bequest from Sir Alexander Cecil Montgomery of Albury, Surrey, who lived from 1859 until 1939. He was passionate about communicating modern biblical scholarship, with an emphasis on Christian apologetics, to everyone.
His will stipulated that the Trust is:
“... for the purpose of promoting lectures in explanation and defence of the Christian Religion and with a view to removing difficulties widely felt in the way of faith in God and to demonstrate the reasonableness of theistic faith.”
The will of Sir Alexander Cecil Montgomery, 1937
In addition, he expressed a preference for the lecturers ‘being proficient in some branch of science or scholarship and preferably lay, with a gift for popular exposition’. There are now over 30 Montgomery Trust Lecturers, who each offer up to three lecture titles and themes to choose from.
Three advisers oversee the programme:
Major Nigel Bovey
Justin Brierley
Revd Canon Victoria Johnson
The advisers are responsible for the appointment of lecturers.
It has been agreed that some of the lectures may deal with professional issues in the teaching of Religious Education in a multicultural society.