The Revd Dr Brian Haymes: 1940-2024
The Revd Dr Brian Haymes, who died suddenly on 17 July 2024 at the age of 84, was among the greatest British Baptist figures of modern times, and a dear friend to myself and many others, writes Paul Fiddes
The centre of his ministry was in a masterly weaving together of theological scholarship with devoted pastoral service to the churches. His style of preaching, for which he was much in demand, was thoroughly relevant to the present age and was always firmly centred on the nature of God and God’s own mission in the world.
Further, he gave generously of his time to support other ministers, especially those who were younger. A prolific author, he prompted the recent debate on what it means to be Baptist with his lectures to the Yorkshire Baptist Association, Baptist Identity, in 1986, and for him this identity was firmly rooted in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, in the covenant nature of the church, and in the reality of the communion of saints.
Brian always traced his approach to being a Baptist and a catholic Christian to his formation as a young Christian at Sutton Baptist Church, London, which he remembered with deep gratitude. There he met Jenny, and they married two weeks after he had finished his formation as a minister at Bristol Baptist College. Jenny has had her own life-long ministry in spiritual counselling and spiritual direction, and in the last decade of his life Brian’s concerns focussed more directly on the nature of the spiritual journey, and in particular on the ‘dark-night’ experience of St Thérèse of Lisieux, sharing Carmelite retreats with Jenny.
Earlier in his ministry he served in the pastorates of three local churches—St George, Bristol (1965–69), South Street, Exeter (1969–1977) and Mansfield Road, Nottingham (1977–85). He then served two Baptist Colleges, first Northern Baptist College as Tutor (1981–85) and Principal 1985–94), and then Bristol Baptist College as its Principal (1994–2000).
He was determined to complete his ministerial offices in the local pastorate, and became minister of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church from 2000–2005, once describing this period as “the most demanding but happiest years of all my ministry”.
It is important to emphasise that he understood his years in two colleges as “ministry”, and so he also regarded his time as President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (1993–4), his election a testimony to the esteem and affection in which he was widely held among the churches. His theme was The Fullness of Christ, and he typically began by affirming that it is 'God who has been about the work of reconciliation, peace-making, taking down the dividing walls of hostility'.
There was a direct line here from his doctoral thesis in philosophy of religion, on the theme of “The Knowledge of God”, written during his years of ministry in Exeter (later published by Macmillan Press). The same subject had preoccupied him in his earlier master’s thesis on the Congregational theologian H.H. Farmer.
Pressing on to know God was in fact the theme of his life, carrying friends and students with him on his journey, and he was still curious, alert and open in his quest when he died. I was glad to join him on this path when we first collaborated with others in a small book, A Call to Mind: Baptist Essays towards a Theology of Commitment in 1981, followed up by Bound To Love: The Covenant Basis of Baptist Life and Mission (1985), and there ensued four more books similarly addressed to fellow-Baptists.
In all of these, Richard Kidd was also a partner, and then from 2010 the three of us formed a study and conversation group united by deep bonds of friendship and theological interests, producing two books on the theme of the communion of saints (Baptists and the Communion of Saints, 2014 and Communion, Covenant and Creativity: An Approach to the Communion of Saints Through the Arts, 2020).
Of course, Brian was writing much else, several dozen articles and book chapters, some of which will shortly be compiled into a book on which he was working. He was also taking services long into retirement, serving churches in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Edinburgh. He was always generous in sharing his passion and wisdom with others, whether in writing or preaching, but I venture to mention these two volumes on ‘The Communion of Saints’ because there we were exploring the reality of the fellowship of believers not only in the church of the present time (‘Baptist identity’), but also with those who continue to live in God beyond the boundary of death, where new adventures await.
It was a privilege to be moving on towards an ever-new knowledge of God in Brian’s company, and with his help, and I know that many others have shared this with him too. He himself rejoiced in his last years in the loving company of Jenny and his daughter Debby and her husband with whom he went to live, as well as in close family life with Vicky and their grandchildren.
Reflecting on Brian’s life and ministry, I believe he is among those few in our Baptist community of whom it must be said, ‘They, being dead, yet speak’ to us still (Hebrews 11:4).
Paul S. Fiddes
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'He always insisted on the centrality of God... and his contribution to the life of the Baptists will endure' - friends and colleagues pay tribute to Brian Haymes