Tyndale Appoints Community Minister

We are pleased to welcome Rachel Haig as Community Minister based here at Tyndale. Rachel, formerly the Minister of Horfield Baptist Church and prior to that Horfield’s Associate Minister, has good Baptist antecedents; her father Chris is a retired Baptist minister.

We are delighted that Rachel will be conducting the next stage of her ministry here. She will be involved in leading the church’s worship from time to time and, likely, pastoral involvement will arise from this as well, though Tyndale’s pastoral care remains primarily in the hands of the Minister, deacons and members.

But Rachel’s main focus is neither of those things. She won’t be doing more of what is already being done (whether such a thing might be thought useful or otherwise…!).

Rachel’s job description made it clear; a primary focus of her work will be outward. Rachel will be working from the church in the local area; reaching out in the cause of the gospel, in whatever ways present themselves to her and to the group that will be supporting her in the work, with the intention always of keeping Tyndale fully aware of what’s being done, eliciting it’s support and interest and engaging the church in discussion of issues that arise and in considering new developments.

All of this, we hope and pray, will in time enhance the life of the church – in fact we’ve included in the job description the phrase “build up the congregational life of Tyndale” precisely because we want to see this ministry as fully a part of what Tyndale is about.

But the challenge is not all about growing any particular church – it is the same challenge that has always faced the whole Church – to present a message of good news to a world that does not know it wants to hear it, does not think it needs to hear it, and to people, enterprises or institutions who may or may not respond when they do hear it.

If it were not for the work of God’s Spirit it would be a pretty pointless task, this presentation of the good news. Yet when Christians and churches do present the message – when they witness to the gospel in their own lives and in the community of the church and when they reach out with that message in loving service, God’s Spirit is at work.

This is the season of resurrection, when we rejoice that God brings new life and hope into the world. Our privilege is to minister – to serve – in the light of that and thus to live by faith that God’s will is the measure of fruitfulness in ministry, church and world.

It is our fervent hope and belief that Rachel’s ministry will be fruitful at Tyndale as she ministers in whatever ways seem good to her, to us and to the Holy Spirit. Rachel, welcome and please be assured of our thoughts and prayers as you minister here.

Michael Docker