The governors of the Northern Baptist Learning Community have announced that the Revd Glen Marshall and the Revd Dr Clare McBeath are to be appointed as Co-Principals.

The pair will succeed the Revd Dr Richard Kidd who retired in October and the Revd Dr Anne Phillips who retires this coming August.

Dr McBeath is minister of Openshaw Baptist Tabernacle, East Manchester and a Team Leader with Urban Expression. While much of her ministry has been enabled by Home Mission, she has also worked bi-vocationally for more than six years as a Non-Executive Director and Vice Chair of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust.

For the last four years Dr McBeath has served on both the Baptist Union of Great Britain Trustee Board and Council as well on the Council and Peace Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. She is passionate about justice and equality and is a regular writer for Roots for Worship magazine, Church Action on Poverty and Christian Aid.

Dr McBeath is co-author of Crumbs of Hope: Prayers from the City and the worship resource www.dancingscarecrow.org.uk. She has a PhD in contextual theologies and research interests in urban theology, eco-feminism and liturgy.

Mr Marshall has been a tutor with NBLC for the past nine years, teaching courses on mission and preaching at Luther King House, the community's home-base in Manchester. Previously he pastored churches in Wakefield, Ward Green and Altrincham. He is a former Co-Chair of Mainstream (now known as Fresh Streams) and currently chairs the North West steering group for the church-planting agency, Urban Expression.

Mr Marshall is a member of the BMS World Mission council of reference and is in demand as a preacher and conference speaker. He has theology degrees from The London School of Theology, The University of Manchester and Spurgeon's College. He blogs sporadically at http://nah-then.blogspot.co.uk/

The Revd David Warrington, chair of governors at NBLC said, 'I am absolutely delighted with the appointment of Glen Marshall and Clare McBeath. Glen comes with a wealth of experience as an evangelical leader in Mainstream and the wider Church; Clare brings a creative outlook and experience of working with Urban Expression in an emerging church network.

'Together they offer truly exciting possibilities and visions as we seek to serve the learning needs of the wider Church in a rapidly changing world.'

Dr Phillips declared herself 'delighted with this very creative appointment' and said that all concerned could be, 'confident that NBLC will move forward with new vision.'

The statement announcing the news added that Dr McBeath's and Mr Marshall's appointments underline NBLC's 'commitment to collaborative leadership and innovation and is an indicator of the importance that the community places on mission as it prepares women and men for a range of ministries across the church.'

This story first appeared on The Baptist Times.