REV. MARK DAVID BARZ
Child of God, Follower of Christ, Husband,
Dad, Grandpa, Pastor
Mark David is the second son of Marvin and Marilyn Barz. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 21, 1955. On Sunday, November 6, 1955, Mark David was washed by the water and the Word at the Baptismal font of Trinity First Lutheran Church of Minneapolis.
Raised as the son of a Lutheran pastor, he enjoyed life in a family of one-and-a-half dozen (that’s seven!) children. They lived together in Springfield, Illinois; Pembroke, Ontario; Worland, Wyoming; Bancroft, Nebraska; St. Johns, Michigan; and Goderich, Ontario, but now are scattered across the United States.
Late in his high school years Mark decided to use his life in the same way as his father. His undergraduate studies were at Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri with a Master of Divinity in 1982. He served his vicarage [internship] at Messiah Lutheran in Eugene, Oregon.
Mark’s ordination into the Pastoral Ministry of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was on Sunday, July 18, 1982, at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Michigan. He was called by Crown of Life Evangelical Lutheran Church – then a young mission congregation – to serve them with our Lord’s Word and Sacraments and to lead and assist God’s people in the proclamation of the Gospel. He has served Crown of Life since Transfiguration Sunday in February of 1987.
Mark was married to Connie Marie [nee Lehenbauer] at Peace Lutheran Church of Deshler, Ohio on July 22, 1978. They are blessed with four children: Kristen Marie Whirrett of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Liesl Rebekah Beaton of New Albany, Indiana; Joel Benjamin of Saint Louis, Missouri; and Mikaela Anne Zischke of Fayetteville, Arkansas. They also thank God for three great sons-in-law and eleven wonderful grandchildren.
Pastor Barz has served the broader church in a variety of ways, including as awriter, as a PALS Facilitator, and as a DOXOLOGY Chaplain and Collegium Fellow. He was elected Area C Vice President of the Texas District in June 2012.
His personal interests are, above all, his family and friends. He also enjoys athletics (especially golf, bicycling, and soccer), reading (particularly World War II history), music, and collecting antiques (depression glass, wooden coat hangers, and bottle caps are some of his favorites).