Sani Ibrahim Azar

In 1992 Azar married Nahla Elias, who is from Amman, Jordan and they have three daughters:

Azar is a product of The Evangelical Lutheran Schools in Palestine, graduating from The Evangelical Lutheran School of Bethlehem in 1979. Azar earned his theology degree from Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich, Germany in 1987. He speaks fluent German as a second language. His first language is Arabic. His Master's thesis was, “The History of the Evangelical Mission in the 19th and 20th Century.” He was ordained March 25, 1988 and elected to be the incoming bishop on January 2017. Azar served as pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City, Jerusalem for 30 years.

Sani Ibrahim "Barhoum" Azar (ساني ابراهيم عازر June 22, 1961) is the fourth and current Palestinian Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Azar was born on 22 June 1961 in Lebanon to Mr. Charlie Azar originally from Jaffa and Mrs. Jihan Azar, originally from Nazareth. His father was a deacon with the Bethel order of German deacons. His father was the House Father at the Schneller School in Lebanon and at the Boarding School of the Evangelical Lutheran School in Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Azar was greatly influenced by his father's diaconal work with their people in Palestine. Azar attributes his respect for missions and Diakonia to his two aunts who were among the first Palestinian deaconesses in the Lutheran church in Palestine. His aunts also worked with youth in the Lutheran schools during Azar's childhood. Later, when Azar was called to pursue ordained ministry, he went to Germany to study and became fluent in the German language.