MidAmerica Nazarene University joins the Smith family and the broader Church of the Nazarene in mourning the passing of Dr. Barth Smith, professor emeritus of practical theology, whose life of faithful ministry, scholarship, and mentorship shaped generations of students, pastors, and Christian leaders. Smith passed away on July 18, 2026, at the age of 85.
For thousands of students who walked the halls of MidAmerica Nazarene University between 1974 and his retirement in 2011, Dr. Smith was more than a professor. He was a pastor, mentor, encourager, and trusted friend whose influence often extended long after graduation. His classroom prepared students to preach, but his life taught them how to follow Christ.
Smith’s connection to MNU reached back even before he joined the faculty. As the son of the university’s founding president, Dr. R. Curtis Smith, and first lady Marge Smith, he witnessed the institution’s earliest days firsthand. Decades later, he would help write its story himself, serving faithfully for 37 years as professor of practical theology and as the university’s first chaplain from 1985 to 1989.
A respected pastor-scholar, Smith earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religion and theology from Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University), a Doctor of Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and completed postgraduate study at the University of Texas at Austin. Ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1966, he devoted his life to both the local church and Christian higher education. Before coming to MNU, he served at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs as director of admissions, then academic dean; later, he taught during a sabbatical at European Nazarene Bible College in Büsingen, Switzerland, and pastored churches throughout his ministry. He faithfully led a congregation in West Line, Missouri, for four decades while simultaneously teaching future pastors at MNU.
Smith authored A Pastor’s Handbook of Church Management along with numerous articles for Nazarene Preachers Magazine and The Evangelist’s Perspective. Yet colleagues remember that his greatest work was never confined to the printed page. It was found in the lives of the people he influenced.
“Dr. Barth Smith served as a valued teacher, faithful chaplain, and caring pastor during his long tenure at MNU,” said Dr. Dean Flemming, professor emeritus of Christian ministry.
Flemming remembered Smith as a constant encourager who loved books, delighted in the Psalms, and eagerly shared what God was teaching him with friends and colleagues. “I will deeply miss him,” he added.
That love for Scripture, particularly the Psalms, became one of Smith’s lasting gifts to others. MNU President Dr. Jon North and Smith took a class on the Psalms together shortly after North joined the university as vice president. Smith’s passion for praying the Psalms profoundly influenced North’s own spiritual life and inspired many others to discover this meaningful spiritual practice.
Dr. Jim Edlin, professor emeritus of biblical literature and languages, remembers Smith’s daily presence as much as his scholarship.
“Barth was like a pastor for our department,” Edlin said. “He made his rounds to each of our offices on a regular basis each week and sat down to visit, see how we were doing and share one of the latest things he had read.”
A lifelong reader with stacks of books filling his office, Smith frequently donated volumes to the university library and was known for reading deeply in preaching, spiritual formation, and the writings of the early church. Yet despite his remarkable knowledge, colleagues describe him first as gentle, thoughtful, and caring.
“He was a colleague in the department,” Edlin reflected, “but more importantly, he was a friend to lean on and share life with.”
Smith’s approach to teaching reflected the same humility. Rather than relying on lectures alone, he designed learning experiences that challenged students to wrestle with ideas, prepare presentations, engage one another, and ultimately discover God’s calling for themselves. For decades, his preaching classes equipped future pastors not simply to craft sermons, but to faithfully shepherd God’s people.
One such student is MNU alumnus Rev. Raymond Moore, executive pastor at Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas. “Barth was a professor, friend, mentor, and pastor to me. I will be forever grateful for our conversations over 40 years about faith, ministry, family, finances, and life,” Moore said. “Barth was real and authentic. He always believed in me, trusted me, and loved me like a second father. Barth’s legacy lives on in the countless lives of women and men impacted by his kindness, his wit, his depth, and his Christlike love.”
At MidAmerica Nazarene University, purposeful lives begin with faithful examples. Dr. Barth Smith was one of those examples. His purpose did not begin on MNU’s campus, but it flourished here as he invested in generations of students who would become pastors, missionaries, educators, business leaders, healthcare professionals, neighbors, and citizens living out their own God-given callings. That kind of influence does not end with a final lecture or even a final farewell. It continues, generation after generation.
Dr. Barth Smith is survived by his wife of 51 years, Kathy Smith, assistant professor emeritus of music; children Michelle (Scott) Travis, Brent (Serena) Smith; Melody (Stephen) Smith; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and countless former students and colleagues who were blessed to call him teacher, mentor, pastor, and friend.
A funeral service will be held Friday, July 24 at 2:00 p.m. at College Church of the Nazarene, 2020 E. Sheridan, Olathe, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Barth Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o MNU Foundation, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, Kansas, 66062. Readers may also visit the Penwell-Gabel website.
