Growing up a devout Catholic in St. Louis and always drawn to liturgical music, Kauffman has spent more than two decades on what he calls a “faith journey” that has grown from a personal pursuit to a full-blown mission to create music that touches hearts, feeds souls and influences lives. But it wasn’t always this way. Even though he was active in church and contributed his musical ability to the liturgy throughout his youth, he began his adult life as many others do: attending college, earning a “practical” degree, getting married and entering the business world.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Mary’s University in 1982, Kauffman launched a business career in banking and real estate. He was good at it. Very good. But he felt that something was missing – and that something was his music.In 1987, he followed his heart and plunged headfirst into a Christian music career. He wrote songs. He performed at churches. He led youth rallies. He gave sold-out concerts. He appeared on Catholic TV programs. He even landed a national recording contract, got substantial radio airplay in many American markets, and went on tour, crisscrossing the country and performing overseas.
One of the high points in his career was a performance for Pope John Paul II and more than one million Catholic youth from around the world during World Youth Day in 1997 in Paris, France.Along the way, Kauffman garnered thousands of devoted fans from all walks of life who were profoundly touched and influenced by his original, spirit-filled and inspiring music.But again, something seemed to be missing. Chasing after an elusive dream of “stardom” within the Christian popular music industry, he came to realize that he didn’t fit the industry’s pre-conceived notion of what it meant to be a “star.” In other words, he didn’t fit the mold. He became frustrated, disappointed and even disillusioned. It became clear that he had to choose a different path for his ministry but he wasn’t sure what that should be.Finally, he took time off from touring to start a family with his wife Missy and to ponder what his life’s purpose should and could be. And he prayed for guidance.
All the while, he never stopped writing music and performing in his own backyard of San Antonio. But the songs and performances had a new purity of purpose: to both minister to others and to seek, define and follow a new direction that would more fully realize Kauffman’s calling.
Through careful reflection and by seeking input from friends, family and his wife Missy, he at last came to the conclusion that he should start his own business and that it should have one clearly defined mission: to write music that would be a companion on the journey and help people experience God’s embrace in every day life.Thus was born Good For The Soul Music™ a San Antonio-based musical content creator/publisher with a state of the art recording studio and an ever-growing inventory of top-flight inspirational music products with worldwide distribution.Through hard work and determination, the business has become highly successful, producing multiple CDs by Kauffman, Gokelman and other Christian artists, music books, choral octavos, sheet music and a full-blown musical, “Moses and The Burning Within,” which has been staged throughout the U.S. and Canada and is currently being shopped among producers in New York, Los Angeles and other major theater communities.The latest offering, “Mass of Renewal” – soon to include a Spanish version – has potential to become Good For The Soul’s most widely recognized work as it makes its way into the hearts of Catholic congregations everywhere.