Barbara and Jim Campbell as a young married couple in the 1970s, dedicating their lives to catechetical ministry in the Church

As Jim Campbell explains, "At the time, we saw the need for lay leadership and service within the Church rising up around us, particularly in terms of the family and the Catholic sacrament of marriage."

In the 1970s the structures of society that once had helped support the family and the commitment of matrimony were failing. Jim and Barbara were finding their dedication to marriage becoming quite countercultural. They needed to find a way to help and support themselves, or, as Barbara puts it, "to make use of our resources of each other in Christ." They needed to find "a context, a methodology" for doing this. Together they found it through their theological studies and the traditions of the Church.

"Marriage is more than just a contract," Jim explains. "We must make room for one another in our hearts and not be in competition with one another. When we make room for one another, then we also make room for the Lord."

Barbara says this commitment to their marriage and family led to their lifelong commitment to service within the Church. "One of the dangers of changed focus is it seems self-serving and closed in. But the more we discovered within each other, the more it brought us outward." Jim adds, "In a relationship with the Lord, once you get a taste of it, you get hungry."

At the time of their decision, neither was certain what the future held for them—but they knew who held the future. The Campbells simply trusted the Lord to prepare a place for them.

The Campbells today with their grandchildren, still teaching and mentoring

The Campbells' commitment to lay careers within the Church has since led to many positions at parish and diocesan levels. After serving in catechesis at the diocesan level in Orange, California, they settled in Rockford, Illinois, and took posts within the Diocese of Rockford and later within the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In 1994, after receiving her Doctorate in Ministry, Barbara Campbell accepted a job with the National Catholic Education Association (N.C.E.A.). From 1994 to 1997 she served as Associate Executive Director of the National Association of Parish Catechetical Directors (N.P.C.D.) in Washington, D.C., commuting on the weekends to her home in Illinois.

Rather than aggressively pushing for change, the Campbells' way over the years has been one of love and patience—emphasizing a process of discernment to learn where the Holy Spirit wants them to go in the future. Jim's basic interest is educational and scholarly; Barbara's is basically pastoral and directorial. Together they form a team that balances head and heart.

In the late nineties, the pair accepted positions at Loyola Press, a nonprofit publishing apostolate of the Chicago Jesuits. Barbara and Jim, currently serving as Vice President of Catechesis and Faith Formation and as Staff Theologian, lead the team that developed and continues to guide the Finding God: Our Response to God's Gifts program.

"All Christians have a vocation or ministry of some sort to perform," says Jim. "We all have been given gifts by God, and we are all called to use these in some fashion that serves the kingdom. We show our love and gratitude to God when we use our gifts in a manner that helps ourselves, the world, and others."

Barbara & Jim Campbell's Ministry in Brief

1967–69	Monterey, Calif.	Masters in History and French; first-time parents
1969–75	Orange County	High School French and Religion Teachers
1975–79	Dubuque, Iowa	Master in Theology; Doctor of Ministry S.V.D. Seminary Formation Team
1979–87	Orange Diocese	Master of Divinity; DRE at Holy Family Parish Instructor and Dir. of Orange Catechetical Institute
1987–89	Diocese of Rockford	Diocesan Associate Dir. of Youth Ministry Editor of Harpers American Bible Study Program
1989–94	Diocese of Rockford	Diocesan Dir. of Catechesis Consultant for Office for Catechesis, Archdiocese of Chicago
1994–97	Washington, D.C. / Diocese of Rockford	N.C.E.A./N.P.C.D., Asso. Dir. of Religious Education Consultant for Office for Catechesis, Archdiocese of Chicago
1997–Present	Loyola Press, Chicago	Vice President of Catechesis and Faith Formation Staff Theologian