Joshua Zentner-Barrett

Originally from Ottawa, ON, Joshua Zentner-Barrett is a PhD candidate in Theology at Saint Paul University (Ottawa, ON). His research explores worship in the Anglican Church of Canada, studying how ritual perpetuates and resists coloniality. Drawing on qualitative research methods, Josh is particularly interested in the lived experience of Christians in Canada and the ways in which they understand their practices. His doctoral research makes use of drawing as a research method, and he is always excited to discuss this approach! 

Alongside his academic work, Josh is also an organist, musical enlivener, and liturgist. His first degree was in music, studying organ, and he went on to complete a Master of Sacred Music (also in organ) at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. As a church musician, he invites communities to engage with one another and with the sacred through music and liturgy. He has held church music positions at Anglican, United, and Lutheran churches, most recently for the Anglican Studies community at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. Here in Winnipeg, he is mostly a freelance organist and liturgical leader, as well as an organ instructor at Canadian Mennonite University. 

Josh moved to Winnipeg in August 2025 with his spouse, who is an Assistant Professor of Music at Canadian Mennonite University. Between making music and working on his dissertation, you can often find him exploring the city on his skates, his skis, or his bike. 

• Ph.D. Candidate, Theology, Université Saint-Paul University
• M.A., Theology, Université Saint-Paul University (2022)
• ARCCO, Royal Canadian College of Organists (2018)
• M.S.Mus., Organ Performance, Southern Methodist University (2017)
• B.Mus., Organ Performance & French, Wilfrid Laurier University (2015)

“Germinal Ritual: Ceramic Feathers and Social Transformation in Canadian Churches,” with Sarah Kathleen Johnson, Yearbook for Ritual and Liturgical Studies 41 (2025): 21–43. 

“With Orca, Goose, and Bear: Expanding Canada’s Ritual Body.” Toronto Journal of Theology 41.2 (2025): 118–135.

“A Place of Encounter: Liturgy, Culture, and the Work of Anscar Chupungco.” Worship 99.2 (April 2025): 128–148.

Then Let Us Sing! with Alydia Smith, Catherine MacLean, Lloyd MacLean, Bruce Harding, and Paul Sales, eds. Toronto: United Church of Canada, 2025.