Biography

Coming from a long line of ministers, Barbara (otherwise called Barbi by her closest friends and family) is not a stranger to ministry. Both sides of her family have a rich heritage of ministers. Her father, an ordained Baptist minister with 3 master's degrees in Philosophy, Theology, and Anthropology and a doctorate of Biblical Studies (that he recently earned at 75 years of age), has given Barbi a legacy of life-changing Christian service. Both Barbi's parents continue growing in their passion for God, ministry, and revival in the Church.

Barbi's mother was the daughter of a powerful minister in the Lutheran Brethren denomination before he died (she was just 5 years old). Soon after this, her mom's mother came to Christ and became a powerful evangelist, often using her skill in chalk drawing to share the gospel. She would travel to churches bringing her 2 daughters (one being Barbi's mom) to play Vibraharp and sing. Even during the most difficult days of the Great Depression, she pressed on, winning many to Christ as a single mom and widow. Barbi's grandmother was a great example of perseverance and love for God, and experienced God's miraculous provisions and answers to prayer daily.

Barbi's dad, Dr. James Murk, grew up under his father's pastoral ministry in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her grandfather pastored there for 39 years. Cliff Barrows was the church's Music Director before receiving the call to minister full-time as choir director for Dr. Billy Graham. Barbi's immediate family, The Murk Family, traveled in an extensive itinerant music ministry from the time she was 3 years old. She frequently sang for the Billy Graham Crusades as she was growing up.

In a life devoted to ministry, Barbi has traveled around the globe in 34 countries, privileged to minister in some of the largest churches in America and around the world. Her legacy continues as she still travels the world with her own husband, Terry, and 2 teenage sons, Tyler and Travis. She continues to preach, as well as minister through her singing and violin playing, in churches, conferences, and concert halls around the world.

With a rich heritage and a family legacy of centuries of preaching, missions, and music ministry, Barbi is deeply inspired and anointed to continue the call of God. She has ministered healing and encouragement to family relationships and marriages for over 4 decades. Knowing her first priority is her own husband and kids, she emphatically states, "If I can't be what I need to be for Terry and my boys first, I don't belong in the ministry. They are my first ministry priority!"

Barbi says, "I've been told about my great, great, great, great, great Grandmother (7 generations ago - in the mid 1800's), who, at a time that women weren't even able to vote, became the Music Minister of the first Scandinavian Baptist Church in Minnesota. Knowing of her life and ministry has been a great inspiration to me!" The anointing for Music Ministry has passed down through many generations on each side of her family line for many decades, as has preaching, teaching, training, and evangelizing.

Barbi's ministry has taken her to all 50 of the United States of America as well as 34 foreign mission fields. Her preaching, prophesies, and music ministry has been a great inspiration to millions around the world. She says, "I know I'm no better than a person like 'Rahab the prostitute,' mentioned in the Bible. We all fall short of God's glory, but 'faith' is what God is looking for. God loves it when we depend and lean on Him in all circumstances. Nothing eternally good can come of our lives without His power, strength, and grace. But it's our actions of obedience that prove our faith is real."

Barbi's home and ministry center is nestled in the hills of Tennessee just east of Nashville. By a word from the Lord and many miraculous confirmations by others, she and her husband, Terry, moved to a 5 acre piece of property and built a training center and main headquarters there, debt free, for their ministry, Heart For The World, Inc. Together, Terry & Barbi have an international ministry and missions organization who's purpose is to strengthen the family, carrying the theme, "Inspiring Love in the Home & Revival in the Church.

Even before knowing this land was part of the site of the famous historical healing springs called the "Fountain of Health" (brought about by the monumental New Madrid earthquake in the early 1800's), the Franklins named their land and ministry center, "Wellspring Acres". One of the visions Barbi had was of fountains springing out of the land to touch the World with the freedom and healing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In addition to her world-wide travels, Barbi has felt the call to mentor other ministers in order to multiply what God has done in her own life and family. She has a great passion to instill in others solid, Biblical doctrine and the freeing power of the Word of God, as well as encourage the empowerment of the Holy Spirit through discipleship, teaching, and prayer ministries. "Today is the Age of Apostasy," Barbi says. "We are at the end of the Last Days. We must be prepared for false doctrine and false prophets that endeavor to purge our land of the pure truth of God's Word. Much of the American Church has become Biblically illiterate and is, sadly, positioned to be devastated by satan's lies and tactics. The Bible warns of great delusion coming in the end times so that even the elect would be led astray."

Having ministered in over 6000 churches of every denomination over her life-time, Barbi has a great love for the WHOLE body of Christ. She has ministered along side of the most well-known pastors and evangelists of our day. From Jim Cymbala at Brooklyn Tabernacle to Adrian Rogers at Bellevue Baptist. She's worked in healing crusades with Marilyn Hickey and sung on cruises with Dr. Jack Hayford and Dr. David Jeremiah. She has ministered before 10's of thousands at Bill & Gloria Gaither's Praise Gatherings and Jubilate's as well as many international denominational pastor's conferences and gatherings. She has ministered in meetings for Focus on the Family and Promise Keepers, as well as in the jungles of Peru and 33 other countries along side of the Wycliffe Bible Translators and other missions organizations globally.

With years of experience and also with personal relationships with ministers and people from every culture, gender, race, and denomination, Barbi truly touches the core of peoples hearts. Her ministry has a broad scope of wisdom to draw from, though she would tell you, herself, that she feels unworthy to minister. She often repeats these penetrating words, "I am weak, but HE is strong!"