The Rev. Dr Lewis Burton BA (Hons), BA (Hons), PhD (London), M. Phil, PhD Leeds, MTh, D Min (Bangor)
Lewis Burton was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, and after attending Leeds Junior Technical School served an apprenticeship as an engineer and took the Ordinary and Higher Certificates in Mechanical Engineering at Leeds College of Technology on day-release courses. After National Service in the army he felt called to the Methodist ministry and was trained at Bristol University and graduated in Biblical Studies and Theology. He then took a BA in Sociology as an external student at London University followed by a PhD. A part time study of the social networks of a local church gained an M.Phil at Leeds University. Between 1987 and 1993 he was employed as County Ecumenical Officer for West Yorkshire, having been engaged in ecumenical relationships since 1966. From this experience he wrote a history of ecumenism in Leeds from 1963 to 1993 which gained a PhD from Leeds University. On retirement sociological interests associated with church life led to his participation in the Rural Studies course at Bangor and resulted in the award of an MTh and DMin. Since most of his academic qualifications were gained outside an academic institution when fully employed otherwise, he has had sympathy
with those in a similar position and has been engaged in providing courses for the WEA ,and from its inception in 1971 until 1991 was a tutor / counsellor in the Open University. Lewis is married to Margaret and has three children and two grandchildren.
