REV. SCOTT PATON
Scott’s Journey to Ministry
I was brought up in the fishing town of Peterhead in the North East of Scotland, raised in a strong Christian family and the youngest (by 20 minutes) of 6 children. I came to a personal faith in my home church at the age of 8 and this faith was stretched and deepened in my school and university years through involvement with Scripture/ Christian Union where I was encouraged to share and live out my faith. After completing an Art Degree in Aberdeen I commenced work with a local newspaper as a Graphic Designer.
In 1992 I first sensed God’s call to serve him in pastoral ministry which led not to Bible College at that stage but to involvement with the work of Aberdeen City Mission and other mission expressions for a number of years. In 1997 I was introduced to the work of Prison Fellowship in the local Prison which I went on to lead for the next 8 years. In that time I became involved for a period of 10 years as a trustee for The Way Trust a work training program for men and women struggling with addictions. In 1999 God provided a way for my German fiancé Kordula to continue her children’s ministry work in Aberdeen. In 2000 we were married and three years later God blessed us with a daughter Johanna and 2 yrs later with a son Benjamin.
In 2003 I began Theological Studies by Open Learning with the Highland Theological College near Inverness initially by individual modules at a time then later changing to full time studies and reducing work to two days a week to speed up the process. In 2009 after completing a BA at the Highland Theological College I was accepted as a candidate for the Baptist ministry. From 2009-10 whilst still working part time I completed a Graduate Diploma in Ministry at the Scottish Baptist College in Paisley near Glasgow.
After a year of exploring God’s call in Scotland, God prompted me to explore further south and in particular my attention was drawn to Harston Baptist Church. By God’s providence this led to 2 visits to the church where both the church and ourselves overwhelmingly sensed God’s call for me to be their new pastor. I was inducted in the church on 1st October 2011.