A MINISTER with links to both Brighouse and Pudsey is set to become head of the Methodist Church in Britain when he is inducted this weekend as president of the Methodist Conference.

The Reverend Roger Walton is the current chairman of the West Yorkshire Methodist District and will take on the highest post in the church on Saturday when the Conference meets at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, London.

Rev Walton currently lives in Brighouse but grew up in Pudsey, first attending a Methodist Sunday School at the age of seven.

He became a Christian at 16 and reconnected with the Methodist church, becoming a local preacher at 18 and offering for ministry while at Newcastle University.

He said: "Becoming president of the Conference is a wonderful gift and I am deeply honoured.

"I owe so much to the Methodist people and have learned the way of Jesus in this Church. I hope to encourage us to continue to be a learning, loving and outward-looking community for transformation of the world.”

Rev Walton is married to Marion and they have two children, Laura and Andrew, and three grandchildren, Chloe, Lucy and Thomas.

Following his time at Newcastle University, his further studies include a BA in theology at Birmingham University, followed by an MA in theology and then a doctorate at Durham University.

Rev Walton trained for the ministry at the Queen’s College, Birmingham, and served circuits in the West Midlands, Liverpool and St Albans.

He was director of the Open Learning Centre for ten years, and director of the Wesley Study Centre, Durham, for 11 years. He has been chairman of the West Yorkshire Methodist District since 2011.

He has also written several books about learning and discipleship, including The Reflective Disciple in 2009 and Disciples Together in 2014.

The Methodist Church is one of the largest Christian churches serving Great Britain, with nearly 195,000 members and regular contact with over 500,000 people. It has 4,650 churches in Great Britain, and also maintains links with other Methodist churches totalling a worldwide membership of 80 million.

The Conference is the body that agrees policy for the Methodist Church and the induction of the new president on Saturday is one of the first acts of this year’s gathering.

Rachel Lampard also will become vice-president when the Conference meets this weekend. She is leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, which has been at the forefront of campaigns about UK poverty, nuclear weapons and climate change.

She has been a commissioner with the Gambling Commission since 2006 and is an active member of Winchester Road Methodist Church in Walthamstow.

The pair succeed the current president and vice-president, the Reverend Steve Wild and Dr Jill Barber.