author

William Baird

d. 1875

A Victorian clergyman who argued that ordinary church members should take a more active role in religious life. His surviving work captures a practical, energetic view of faith and service in the Church of England.

1 Audiobook

Lay Help the Church's Present Need A Paper read at St. Mary's Schools, West Brompton

Lay Help the Church's Present Need A Paper read at St. Mary's Schools, West Brompton

by William Baird

About the author

William Baird was a 19th-century Church of England clergyman and writer. The clearest detail confirmed from surviving editions of his work is that he was M.A. and Vicar of Homerton, Middlesex when his pamphlet Lay Help the Church's Present Need was published in 1870.

That work began as a paper read at St. Mary's Schools, West Brompton, on November 17, 1870, and was later printed at the request of listeners. In it, Baird makes a direct, practical case for greater involvement by laypeople in the church, reflecting a strong Victorian interest in service, organization, and everyday religious action.

Project Gutenberg's author listing identifies this William Baird as having died in 1875. Beyond that, readily confirmed biographical details are limited, so his reputation today rests mainly on this concise but revealing piece of religious writing.