In November 1975, after being transferred to the reserve, he got a job as an altar boy at the St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral in the city of Serdobsk, Penza Oblast.

[1] While on obedience at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, hegumen Barsanuphius had a close friendship with the confessors of the monastery, Archimandrites Cyril (Pavlov) and Nahum (Bayborodin) [ru].

While studying at Moscow theological schools, Abbot Barsanuphius spent his vacation time annually at the Pühtitsa Convent in Estonia.

While obedient to the bishop, later Archbishop of Penza Seraphim (Tikhonov) [ru], he received many edifying lessons from him in performing divine services, in clerical work, and in administrative activities.

He was aware of the affairs in Mordovia well, since in his position as secretary of the Penza diocesan administration he often visited Saransk and the churches of the republic, and had a concrete idea of the economic, political and cultural state of the parishes.

On March 31, 2009, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was appointed acting Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate.

[4] On May 27, 2009, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was appointed chairman of the newly formed award commission under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

On December 25, 2009, he was confirmed as the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, permanent member and secretary of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

[6] On February 1, 2010, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, “in consideration of the diligent service of the Church of God and in connection with his appointment as the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate,” he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

The discussion on this topic, which took place within the diocese, spilled into the public space in 2015 with the light hand of the then head of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Nikolai Burov.

[13] In 2015, he actively promoted the idea of transferring St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church, and repeatedly sent letters to the Governor of Saint Petersburg, Georgy Poltavchenko and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

[12] At the beginning of September 2018, against the backdrop of a general deterioration in Russian-Greek relations, it was reported that he was denied a visa for a pilgrimage trip to Greece, to Mount Athos.

[14] On February 26, 2019, the Holy Synod granted the request of Metropolitan Barsanuphius to be relieved of his post as the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate.