"Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For there is a hospital for sinners and not a court of law."

Chair Department of Theology at Letourneau University 

Professor of Biblical Studies

He was born in Kazakhstan, a former republic of the USSR. While pursuing a degree in mechanical and industrial engineering, he sensed God’s call to ministry. In 1993, shortly after the fall of Communism, he moved to the United States to pursue studies in Scripture and Theology.

He has been serving at LeTourneau University since 2005 and has come to deeply value the institution’s unique role in the arena of Christian higher education. He is passionate about exploring how students’ lives and academic disciplines can participate in the story of God’s mission of redemption and reconciliation of all things.

Currently, his interests focus on the New Testament texts and the early Church’s rich interpretive traditions, seeking to understand how they shape and inform all that we are and do. Having grown up in the Eastern part of the world, he enjoys bringing insights and theological perspectives from the Eastern Church into his classroom and scholarship. He considers it an honor to serve at LeTourneau University.

President of FOC-LETU

Lucas Barnes is the founding President of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians at LeTourneau University. He is a sophomore, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Counseling Psychology with plans to graduate in 2028. Passionate about Church History and theology, Lucas intends to continue his education at LeTourneau by enrolling in the university’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. He aspires to reflect a deep commitment to spiritual formation and to foster a faithful Orthodox Christian presence on campus.