Her grandfather was a vicar, her dad is a chorister and her mum has recently retired as a churchwarden after many years in the role.
The 35-year-old is now revelling in her new role as the Rev Rachel Firth – curate of Halifax Parish Church – but she reveals, the realisation that she had a calling was not immediate.
"No, I never grew up thinking that's what I would do," she laughs.
"When I tell people that my family have always been involved in the church, they think it's obvious I've ended up where I am but it took me quite a while to realise what I wanted. To be honest after school, I had no clue what I wanted to do – and didn't for years," she adds.
Originally from Mirfield – where her family is connected with St Mary's Parish Church – Rachel first thought about a career in drama.
"I went off to university and did a degree in theatre studies, thinking I might end up in acting but I soon began to realise that wasn't going to be for me."
So she headed off to the South of France for a holiday – a trip that resulted in a job.
"I was in a bar one night when this chap came in with a guitar and a PA system and invited people to get up on stage and sing. So I did. I saw him again a couple of nights later and he recognised me and invited me up again, before offering me a job."
"I ended up doing a summer season and then going back to France the following year as an entertainments manager. We continued with these shows and it was funny because I was the only one who actually sang. Everyone else mimed."
Rachel returned home, to live in Huddersfield and took on various temping jobs.
"I worked for a solicitors and a plumbers' merchants and then I thought I'd do an MA," she says.
By this time she had met her husband Simon – the couple were married in 2001 and moved back to Rachel's hometown.
"I still had no idea what I wanted to do but I began to get involved with St Mary's again. It was at a time when they had just begun to allow women in the choir so that was the start of it. Then I began to get sucked in – but in a good way.
"I thought I'd like to be on the parochial church council and be more involved with the life of church. This is it, I thought. This is where I'm meant to be going."
But Rachel adds she still did not realise it would lead to a job as she began to run the choir, play piano for church and became director of music.
"My mum would joke when I went off to meetings that perhaps I ought to turn my collar round and I'd even laugh and say 'I might as well be the vicar.'"
But then the realisation began to dawn and "the cogs set off in motion" about six years ago.
"No one was surprised when I made my decision. My local vicar said 'how fabulous'. It was if people had been expecting it. Thinking about it now I realise that everyone has a vocation but it's just a case of allowing yourself time to explore it, time to find your place."
One person who was shocked by Rachel's decision to train for the ministry, however, was an old school friend.
"She came to my ordination in Wakefield Cathedral (in June this year) and said she could not think of anyone less likely than me turning out to be a vicar. Mind, we were quite naughty at youth group because we were always smoking fags."
Rachel, who now lives in Halifax, began her training in 2005. She has now completed a theology degree and been ordained as deacon. Next year she will become a priest.
"Being able to marry people and be fully sacramental will be wonderful," she says.
She adds that she is looking forward to becoming fully involved in all aspects of the Parish Church of St John's and Halifax parish as a whole.
"There is some great work going on here and I just want to be part of all of it," says Rachel, who becomes part of the team run by Hilary Barber, the Vicar of Halifax.
But she realises she will have to be patient because in the next few weeks she is expecting a new addition to her family of 23-month-old Isaac and her 21-year-old step-daughter, Kirsty.
"Going on maternity leave is going to be very testing because I will have to take a back seat for a little while. But once I'm back, it will be full steam ahead."
"I've been made to feel really welcome so far. I think people are more accepting now of women in the church – although there's been the odd funny moment," she says, recounting a scene worthy of the hit TV series The Vicar of Dibley.
"I was in the market and the butcher took one look at my dog collar and said 'hey love, is that for real or are you in fancy dress?'
"I said 'this is for real and it's taken me a long time and a lot of hard work to get to wear it'."