In 1971 a gathering of (then) young sociologists who were followers of Jesus Christ met together in the Yorkshire town of Ilkley.
Their concern was to reconcile their Christian faith and values with the overwhelmingly secular ethos of the social sciences, to discover how to pursue faithfully their calling as academics and researchers and to influence the future of their chosen discipline.
The “Ilkley Group” continued to meet twice yearly at Mill Grove into the early 2000s. The network and friendships formed in this group continues and in April 2021 they convened a 50 year anniversary online conference.
This web site gathers and documents the history of the group and hopes it will help a new generation of Christians in sociology to connect with each other engage with today's issues.
January 7th 2026:
With sadness, but gratitude for a life well lived, I am letting you know of the death of our friend and colleague Howard Davis. He died last Friday, 2nd Jan after two months of treatment for a late diagnosed bowel cancer.
A founder member of both the Ilkley Group (1972) and the Glasgow Media Group(1974), Howard was from 1997 Professor of Social Theory and Institutions at Bangor University and lived with Susan and Jonathan nearby on the beautiful Isle of Anglesey.
