MidAmerica Nazarene University Mourns Death of Professor Emeritus Barth Smith, 85

MidAmerica Nazarene University joined the Smith family and the wider Church of the Nazarene in mourning the death of Dr. Barth Smith, professor emeritus of practical theology. Smith died on July 18, 2026, at the age of 85.

Thousands of students passed through MidAmerica Nazarene University between 1974 and Smith’s retirement in 2011. Colleagues remember him as more than a professor, describing him as a pastor, mentor, encourager and trusted friend whose influence often continued long after graduation. The university said his classroom prepared students to preach, and his life showed them how to follow Christ.

Smith’s connection to the university began before he joined its faculty. He was the son of the university’s founding president, Dr. R. Curtis Smith, and first lady Marge Smith, and he witnessed the institution’s earliest days firsthand. He later served 37 years as professor of practical theology and as the university’s first chaplain from 1985 to 1989.

Smith earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religion and theology from Bethany Nazarene College, now Southern Nazarene University, and a Doctor of Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also completed postgraduate study at the University of Texas at Austin. He was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1966. Before joining MNU, he served at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs as director of admissions and then as academic dean. He later taught during a sabbatical at European Nazarene Bible College in Büsingen, Switzerland, and pastored churches throughout his ministry. For four decades he also led a congregation in West Line, Missouri, while teaching future pastors at MNU.

Smith wrote *A Pastor’s Handbook of Church Management* and numerous articles for *Nazarene Preachers Magazine* and *The Evangelist’s Perspective*. Colleagues said his most important work, however, was in the lives of the people he influenced. Dr. Dean Flemming, professor emeritus of Christian ministry, called him “a valued teacher, faithful chaplain, and caring pastor during his long tenure at MNU.” Flemming said Smith loved books, delighted in the Psalms and eagerly shared what he was learning with friends and colleagues. That devotion to the Psalms was among Smith’s lasting gifts to others, as MNU President Dr. Jon North took a class on the Psalms with him shortly after North joined the university as vice president (Psalm 78:4). The university said Smith’s approach to prayer in the Psalms shaped North’s spiritual life and inspired many others.

Dr. Jim Edlin, professor emeritus of biblical literature and languages, recalled that Smith made regular weekly visits to each office in the department to ask how colleagues were doing and to share something he had recently read. Smith often donated books to the university library and was known for his deep reading in preaching, spiritual formation and the writings of the early church. “He was a colleague in the department,” Edlin said, “but more importantly, he was a friend to lean on and share life with.”

Rev. Raymond Moore, executive pastor at Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas, and an MNU alumnus, said Smith had been a professor, friend, mentor and pastor to him. “He always believed in me, trusted me, and loved me like a second father,” Moore said.

Smith is survived by his wife of 51 years, Kathy Smith, assistant professor emeritus of music; children Michelle (Scott) Travis, Brent (Serena) Smith and Melody (Stephen) Smith; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. 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, or at mnu.edu/generosity. Readers may also visit the Penwell-Gabel website.

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