Seminary friend Louis Zbinden dies, September 11
The Reverend Louis Zbinden, former chair of the Austin Seminary Board and the first holder of The Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership, died last Friday. Zbinden served most of his career as senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, and he was integrally connected to Austin Seminary throughout that ministry and beyond. He served on the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees from 1993-2002, as chair from 1999-2002. He was the first Zbinden Professor from 2003-2009, and after he left teaching, he continued his involvement with the Seminary, assisting with fund raising and donor relationships.
As Louis Zbinden approached retirement after thirty-one years at First Presbyterian Church, the San Antonio congregation raised $1.2 million to endow The Zbinden Chair at Austin Seminary to honor their pastor. The chair gave Austin Seminary the opportunity to invite distinguished and experienced pastors to teach in broad areas of ministry, including church administration, stewardship, preaching, and church programming. Emily Peeples, who has been credited with the idea for the chair, said, “I began thinking what a wonderful opportunity it would be for Louis and others like him to be able to transition from the parish into preparing students for parish ministry, teaching out of their wealth of experience and wisdom of many years in the service of the church.” In accepting the gift from the church, Austin Seminary’s Board of Trustees voted to elect Zbinden as the first to teach in that position.
Other holders of the Zbinden Chair have included The Reverend Dr. K.C. Ptomey (2009-2013), The Reverend Dr. Blair Monie (2014-2018), and The Reverend Bobbi Kaye Jones (2019-present). Jones says, “When I reflect on why the good people of First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio would endow such a position, ensuring into the future that a retired congregational minister would be a full faculty member at Austin Seminary, I realize what the people who loved Louis knew full well: long years' experience as a pastor adds seasoning into the hearty and healthy broth our students are served. Each of us honored to hold this position has infused our own mix of passion and expertise. I have long been aware of the faithful witness of Louis Zbinden's life and am increasingly grateful to participate in his legacy.”
In addition to the emerging pastors he taught during his years on the Austin Seminary faculty, Zbinden also shared his gifts and experience with prospective pastors a continent away. He was first introduced to Justo Mwale Theological Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia—which has deep ties to Austin Seminary—during a Seminary-sponsored travel seminar. He later returned to Zambia with his wife, Kip, to be a visiting professor from 2005-2010.
“Louis Zbinden was the epitome of the Christian gentleman,” says Austin Seminary President Ted Wardlaw. “He was a devout biblical scholar, a committed Presbyterian churchman, a pastor-preacher, a missional advocate, and an enduring friend of Austin Seminary. Louis was a relentless proponent for the Seminary’s spiritual and financial health. As the first occupant of the Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Chair in Pastoral Ministry and Leadership, he taught for six years to enthusiastic classes of students. Louis was a friend, pastor, and confidante to me from the very first days of my presidency, and I join the ranks of grateful admirers who keenly sense his absence. ‘A prince has fallen in Israel.’”
A memorial service for Reverend Zbinden will be held at First Presbyterian Church, San Antonio, on Saturday, September 19, 2020, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, maximum occupancy is 150 people; social distancing will be in place and masks are required. You may also view his service from the livestream link found within his obituary page at www.porterloring.com.
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