by Vicki Biggs

In summer 2022, Rev. Mark Barz was on campus attending his 40th class reunion. During that event, he had a brief encounter with Seminary President Dr. Thomas J. Egger and asked, “Is there anything I can do for the Seminary?” That nine-word question led to his call to serve as campus chaplain effective this past August. 

When the call came from Egger, it was a “kinardlee” moment. Kinardlee is a contraction Barz and his brothers made up to mean “can hardly” believe it.

Before joining the staff at the Seminary, Barz served as senior pastor at Crown of Life Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas, since 1987. From 1982-87, he was the assistant pastor at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Mich. He graduated from Concordia Seminary with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in 1982.

As he wrapped up his responsibilities at Crown of Life — celebrating a final Christmas with his congregation, leading his final confirmation class — his elders said about his upcoming role at the Seminary, “You can’t do part-time!” Barz’ response: “I’m going to prove you wrong!”

As campus chaplain, Barz is meant to work for about 20 hours a week. He schedules daily office hours which might typically begin at 7:30 a.m. He may meet with a student before an 8 a.m. class to offer Confession and Absolution, pray, share Scripture and speak a blessing.

He serves all members of the campus community – including faculty and staff – in addition to students. “In some ways, this service is much like that of a congregational pastor. People are experiencing joys and sorrows of life, and they turn to the chaplain,” he says.

“Pastoral ministry is the care of souls,” Barz elaborates. He referred to the German word seelsorger, a carer of souls. This care, though, does not just happen in his office. It happens in chapel with the students; it happens in conversations after chapel; it happens in planned appointments and in spontaneous dialogues on the sidewalks.

In the short time since taking on the role of campus chaplain, Barz has been meeting with student cohorts and with faculty, attending campus events such as the popular Prof ‘n Stein gatherings on Friday nights, and playing intramurals: flag football and ultimate frisbee this fall, volleyball in the winter and softball in the spring. In addition, Barz ran — slowly he says — the Faster Pastor 5K in early November. “The role of the chaplain is to serve the entire campus community,” Barz says, “and I want to know people and their stories. So, I go where they are!

“Jesus says in John 10, ‘I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,’” Barz says. His desire: I want to know you and call you by name.

As Barz looks to the future of his campus chaplaincy, he says he is honored and humbled to be given this role because of the impact of the Seminary. “Our mission has ripples that will continue for generations as we form and send church workers,” Barz says. “Some of the impact won’t be known until we get to heaven; but here on earth, we’ll hear that someone helped another person to know Christ because they shared the Gospel. To be a part of that is a great privilege.”

When Barz and his wife, Connie, came to St. Louis and Concordia Seminary when Barz began his M.Div. studies, this was the first “big” city the couple had lived in. In addition to the Seminary’s academic rigors, navigating an urban location provided many opportunities to learn new things.

As Barz reflects on a lifetime of ministry coming full circle back to the Seminary where his preparation for this work began, he says, “I hope to still be learning as a child of God.” One way: He hopes to sit in on classes, to learn especially about the vocations of teacher and student.

“Learning, serving, growing. To be a follower of Christ is to be a disciple, which is to be a learner. All to be a better carer of souls,” Barz says.

It could be indeed that the Crown of Life elders called it!