Leadership | About | Mascot Baptist Church

Zach Barnhart, Pastor

Zach was born and raised in Southeast Texas. He was brought up in the local church from birth, and eventually by God's grace, Zach made a profession of faith at a young age. After moving to East Tennessee and graduating from high school there, Zach saw his faith grow significantly during his college years at Middle Tennessee State University, where he would receive a Bachelor's degree in Audio Production.

Not only did his relationship with the Lord grow, but so did the desire to consider and pursue ministry as a vocation. During his early twenties and a handful of pivotal experiences, it became clear that he was called to local church ministry. The most life-changing of these experiences was meeting the woman who would become his wife, Hannah. After meeting on the first day of school, then dating throughout college, they were married in 2013.

After completing a two-year pastoral ministry internship, Zach has been serving in full-time pastoral ministry since 2017, serving first in the Austin, TX area (2017-2021) before coming back to the Knoxville, TN area. Zach became the Pastor at MBC in May of 2024.

Zach is nearing the end of his pursuit of a Master of Divinity (M.Div) degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spent seven years serving as a Staff Writer to Gospel-Centered Discipleship (2017-2023), and has also recently written at his personal blog, Him We Proclaim. He enjoys not only writing sermons and Bible study curriculum, but also about matters related to theology and the Christian life.

Zach and Hannah are immeasurably blessed to share life with their four children: Nora, Haddon, Owen, and Zoe. Their greatest enjoyment is getting to spend time together as a family. He also enjoys reading with a good cup of coffee, watching his Texas Longhorns, listening to vinyl records, and barbecuing.

E-Mail Zach

Hello!

My family and I are so thankful for the privilege to serve at MBC, and to be a part of this community. My desire as a pastor is to help others find a deep joy and delight in Jesus Christ and in the Word. I aim to see that we are a church that not only believes the gospel, but lives the gospel in everyday, ordinary ways. I pray that our church is a place where everyone can find safe and authentic relationships, get equipped to do the work of ministry, and families can be changed by the good news of Jesus Christ. Please come introduce yourself on a Sunday some time!

— Zach