Professor of Ministry Leadership and Biblical Studies
Dr. Victor Copan is a professor of ministry, leadership and biblical studies and is also chair of the ministry department. Under his leadership, the B.A. in Ministry degree has expanded significantly through the addition of six concentrations. His areas of teaching range from spiritual formation, New Testament, ministry, to missions courses. His research interests lie in the areas of spiritual formation and Pauline studies.
He received a Th.D. from the University of Vienna in Austria. His dissertation was titled, “Pauline Imitation and the Contemporary Practice of Spiritual Direction” and explored the Apostle Paul as a spiritual director. His dissertation was significantly revised and published in Paternoster’s Biblical Monograph Series as St. Paul as Spiritual Director. His most recent work is a spiritual formation text book, Changing your Mind: The Bible, the Brain, and Spiritual Growth (Cascade Books, 2016).
Dr. Copan has written several articles for scholarly journals. The most recent one, “Creational Allusions in Romans 8:18-27 and their Interpretive Significance for Understanding Predestination Language in 8:28-33,” is part of a collection of articles on Pauline theology published by Criswell Theological Review (Spring 2015). He also regularly reads papers at professional societies and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, Institute of Biblical Research, and Society of Biblical Literature.
In 2013 Dr. Copan’s online course on Spiritual Formation received the “Online Course of the Year Award” by the Association of Christian Distance Education. In 2010, he also received the “Mentor of the Year Award” from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Prior to coming to PBA, Dr. Copan served for over 15 years as a missionary in Austria. He partnered with the established Protestant church in Austria and worked as a church-growth consultant, a small-groups specialist, and he also developed training programs and curricula for small group leaders across Austria. Dr. Copan also established a thriving ministry to theology students at the University of Vienna and was an independent instructor at the Protestant Institute of Theology at the University of Vienna. From 1996 to 2003, he was on the steering committee for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students’ annual European Theological Students’ Conference held at Schloss Mittersill, Austria.
In addition, Dr. Copan has served as faculty advisor to Theta Alpha Kappa, the theological honor society of the university. He is also active in his local church leading small groups, preaching, and mentoring. Dr. Copan and his wife, Kathy, have three children. His hobbies include walking, tennis, and foreign films.
EDUCATION: B.A., Columbia International University; M.A., M.Div., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Ph.D., University of Vienna (Austria).