The author and his Cessna 150 in the background

President, Pastor, and Pilot
The Rev. Michael Cooper-White serves as president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He began his calling as chief steward of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) oldest and most historic seminary in the summer of 2000.

Prior to his Seminary calling, President Cooper-White’s distinguished career of service in the church includes his roll as Executive Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and simultaneously as Director of the ELCA’s Department for Synodical Relations. He has been a consultant to and developed resources for ELCA and ecumenical church leaders throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean.  His previous ministry experience included service as an inner city parish pastor in Los Angeles, directing an urban coalition and ecumenical council in the San Francisco Bay area, and serving as assistant to two synod bishops in California.  Fluent in Spanish, Pastor Cooper-White has consulted in the development of bilingual and multicultural ministries, taught urban ministry and Lutheran polity at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and authored numerous articles and devotional materials. 

Married to the Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White, an Episcopal priest who serves as Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Pastor Cooper-White is the father of three children, Aaron, Adam and Macrina.   His avocation as a pilot and flight instructor has included serving as a chaplain with the Civil Air Patrol.