Dr. Cooper received his Master of Divinity degree with honors from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA, and his Doctor of Divinity from King College in Bristol, TN. After serving several churches in Georgia and North Carolina, the Coopers and their children moved to Nashville, TN in the fall of 1971 and lived there for 14 years. For nine years he was the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), and for the next five years he was senior pastor of the church he planted, Christ Presbyterian (PCA), where he also directed the founding of Christ Presbyterian Academy. Dr. Cooper founded the first PCA church in the San Francisco Bay area, and subsequently became senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, AL. He was the first president of Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, FL where he has also served as board member, chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee, and adjunct professor of Practical Theology.

For more than four years, Dr. Cooper served as coordinator of Mission to North America for the PCA, directing six home mission ministries for the denomination. Then he returned to the pastorate, serving four years as pastor of Draper’s Valley Presbyterian Church in Draper, VA, before being honorably retired by Blue Ridge Presbytery. Since then, not believing in ”retirement” from the Lord’s service, he has served as interim pastor (stated supply minister) of PCA churches in Mississippi, Virginia, Maryland, and most recently, at Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MO.

In 1990, Dr. Cooper was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America, the highest honor bestowed upon elders in the denomination. He has served on the Board of Trustees at King College, Covenant College, Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, Peacemakers International, and World Harvest Mission. He presently serves as chairman of the National Board of Bethany Christian Services, the oldest pro-life Christian ministry in the nation. Dr. Cooper has been in much demand as a speaker at conferences, seminars, and retreats. He has lectured in several state universities in Russia and in a Korean seminary.

Dr. Cooper will be serving as our Interim Pastor for a year or more as we seek a Pastor. He and his wife, Pat, will be commuting on weekends from their home in Lynchburg, VA.