Trusting God in Study, Ministry, and Marriage

Rachel Lampard is just a few weeks away from completing her Graduate Diploma of Divinity at Trinity Theological College and getting married. After graduating as a speech pathologist in 2022, Rachel decided to take a break from full-time work this year to study, deepen her understanding of Christ, and wait on him to open the door for her next season of ministry and work.

Born and raised in Perth in a Christian family, Rachel’s faith became more personal during her university years. She shares, “In 2020, my second year of university, I was challenged by the Christian group on campus to take following Jesus more seriously as an everyday thing, not just as a Sunday morning thing. And what would that look like for my life to be in obedience to him? Those were sort of big thoughts I didn’t have until I was 19, and that was quite a dramatic giving of my life over to God moment.”

After two years of working as a speech pathologist, Rachel began to notice a need for more women in churches to be theologically trained and felt called to begin her studies. “I always knew I would really enjoy going to Trinity. I just had to trust God to dive in and just do it and not put it off,” she shares.

As she nears the end of her diploma, Rachel reflects on how her time at Trinity has transformed her understanding of faith and learning. “The biggest takeaway has been that I thought I was going to Trinity to just increase my knowledge of the Bible, which is true… but actually, and thanks to God, I have realised that the most important thing is just to grow in your understanding of the gospel. I just see more clearly how rich and deep the good news of Jesus is. And that’s the thing that everything is hooked on and everything flows out of,” she shares. “It’s really knowing Jesus better at a heart level and everything comes from that… that was a reshaping of my understanding of what I was there for.”

Rachel has also appreciated the practical skills and resources she has gained through her studies. “I feel now I have this toolbox of ways of learning in the future… like the library at College is full of Bible dictionaries and commentaries, and they’re really helpful resources… as well as people I’ve met, and lecturers that I could ask things of… I’ve got a framework for thinking about how I would answer future questions that I have or think about more,” she explains.

A highlight of her year was travelling to Port Hedland for Mission Week with her Pastoral Care Group (PCG), which also helped foster strong friendships and encouraged her throughout the year. “There’s an Anglican church there that we got to work with and we got to be a part of the Seafarers Centre, go on a ship and follow the chaplain around as he boldly prayed for sailors as he met them… It’s a real pastoral care ministry to all these sailors who are mostly international. So it’s like cross-cultural missions but right here on our doorstep,” she shares.

The support of her PCG, a small group of full-time students who meet weekly with a lecturer, has also been a significant encouragement. “That’s been a space where I could say ‘This is what I’ve been learning’ or ‘I found this hard this week. Can you pray for me? I think that’s different from a regular uni where you’re just a number. They do care about how you’re going as a person, and I’ve found that helpful,” she says.

Rachel encourages anyone who has the opportunity to study God’s Word more deeply to do so. “I think that the truth of this world comes from the Bible, and our lives are shaped by it, and so only good can come from sitting under it more and more. So I think, ‘why not?’. If you have the capacity to come and study, then I would encourage everybody to do that.” 

She continues, “I think often we can go about our Christian lives without being challenged. So, I think it’s helpful to have a year or two where you do really have to be convinced of what argument you’re making based on the things that you’ve read, and to get feedback on that, too. It’s a good way of training your heart and mind to think about Bible truths.”

Following her wedding this month, Rachel hopes to combine part-time speech pathology with part-time ministry, applying the knowledge and growth she has gained at Trinity. She continues to pray with open hands about what God has planned for her next season, but feels drawn to church ministry, particularly discipling women to understand Jesus and the Bible and be transformed by his Word.

Please pray for Rachel as she completes her diploma and reflects on all that she has learned this year. Pray that God will guide her and open doors for her next steps, and for his blessing over her new marriage.