Houston, Texas, April 20, 2023 – Dr. Robert Sloan, President of Houston Christian University (HCU), Dr. Stan Napper, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Phil Tallon, Dean of the School of Christian Thought, are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lynn H. Cohick as Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Director of Houston Theological Seminary. She will also lead the new Doctor of Ministry program. Dr. Cohick’s role will begin on June 1, 2023.
“We are thrilled to have Lynn Cohick join the Theology faculty of Houston Christian University. Her presence as a scholar, leader, teacher and mentor in the School of Christian Thought will not only add to the visibility of the University and the Seminary, but have a significant impact on churches near and far, beginning in Houston,” Dr. Sloan said.
Dr. Cohick has a vast array of publications on the New Testament. Most recently, she is the author of The Letter to the Ephesians in the New International Commentary on the New Testament and the associate editor of the second edition of IVP’s Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, a leading reference work for global evangelical scholarship. Cohick has also published Christian Women in the Patristic World (co-authored with Amy B. Hughes), Philippians in The Story of God Commentary, and Ephesians in the New Covenant Commentary, among other books and over fifty essays, book chapters, and reviews in New Testament scholarship.
Dr. Paul Sloan, who chairs the Department of Theology, said, “We are excited and grateful to be able to welcome Dr. Lynn Cohick to the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University. She will bring her wealth of expertise in the New Testament, the patristic period, and their cultural contexts to our classrooms and seminars, not to mention her years of experience training students for ministry and further academic study.”
Dr. Cohick previously served as the Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs of Northern Seminary, which is part of the Northern Baptist Convention (now the American Baptists Churches, USA). At Northern, she helped to develop the DMin program and led the Center for Women in Leadership.
With Dr. Ben Blackwell’s appointment as Vice-Principal of Westminster Theological Centre in the UK, Dr. Cohick will step into an important role in HCU’s growing Doctor of Ministry program, which has tracks in New Testament and Faith and Culture (HC.edu/DMin).
“As we are currently finishing our first year of our Doctor of Ministry program here at Houston Theological Seminary, Dr. Cohick’s leadership will be essential to guide us into future strength. She has demonstrated her commitment to biblical research and the life of the church, so she is the perfect fit to direct this program and its two tracks in New Testament and Faith and Culture,” Dr. Blackwell said.
Dr. Cohick received her bachelor’s degree from Messiah College in Grantham, PA, and her PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. She also served as department chair and dean at Wheaton College, as well as provost and dean at Denver Seminary. Cohick taught pastors and leaders at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Kenya.
Dr. Phil Tallon, Dean of the School of Christian Thought, said of Lynn Cohick, “It is hard to think of a scholar who brings more academic heft and administrative experience to this important role. Lynn is eager to help train the next generation for service to the church, which is our core mission.”
“Dr. Cohick joins a team of scholars, professors and mentors, bringing her unique experiences in global missions, new program development and growth, administration, church service, and biblical languages. I believe she will inspire and motivate students and colleagues at HCU and enable the Houston Theological Seminary and its programs to flourish,” said Dr. Stan Napper, HCU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
“I am excited to work alongside the exceptional scholars at HCU,” Dr. Cohick said, “and grow the mission to equip women and men in their vocational and ministry callings.”
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ABOUT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose resulting from our central confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.
ABOUT THE HOUSTON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Houston Theological Seminary is an evangelical and multi-denominational community, which exists as a graduate school within Houston Christian University to provide a Christ-centered biblical education for the church and for the city. Drawing on our foundation in biblical studies, the goal of our theological school is to bring together the best of missional and academic resources to further the Kingdom of God. We partner with Second Baptist Church Houston so our ministry classes are taught by those on the front lines. Students also have access to graduate-level courses from other parts of the university, such as the business school, to supplement their theological education for the practicalities of modern ministry. For more information, visit The Houston Theological Seminary website.