Cooper, Quincy D.
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Cooper, Quincy D.
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Quincy Cooper appointed new Lansing District Superintendent
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1/Mi t.ANSING
(MCA)-The Reverend Dr. Quincy D. Cooper will
become District Superintendent of t he Lansing Dist rict in the West
Michigan Conference following the Annual Session in June. Bishop
Judith Craig announced this appointment on Friday, March 6 when
she introduced Dr. Cooper and wife, Ellen, to the Committee on
the District Superintendency. Dr. Cooper will succeed the
Rever d Dr. Ronald Houk who is completing a six-year term as
. . en
.
D1st nct Supenntendent.
Quincy is presently servin~ as se_nior
pastor as Scott Memonal Un1ted
Methodist Church in Detroit, a position he
has held since June, 1980. Prior to that
appointment, he served pastorates in the
Baltimore Conference and the New York
Conference.
He graduated from the University of
Maryland in 1960 with a B.A. degree and
from Wesley Theological Seminary in
1963 with a M-Div. degree. Post-graduate
work at New York Theological Seminary
provided a S.T.M . degree in 1967, and a
D-Min degree from Howard University in
1977. Additional studies have been carried out at Fordham University, the Jewish
Theological Seminary, and I.T.C.
Quincy has taught courses at Adrian
College and has been widely involved in
community agencies in New York and
Detroit. He brings broad experience in the
church, having served on many boards
and agencies within the conferences
where he has been a member. Presently
he is a member of the Council on Finance
and Administration in the Detroit
Conference ~
A window of opportunity
In announcing this appointment, Bishop
Craig said, " Sometimes a window of opportunity presents itself when something
you want to do comes together with the
resources with which to do it. That is the
case in appointing a new Superintendent
for the Lansing District.''
"The Cabinet and I wanted to respond
to West Michigan Annual Conference action of several years asking for placement
of ethnic minority persons in places of
significant conference leadership," she
said. "In addition, we have felt the need
to make our circle at the Cabinet table
racially inclusive, giving us experience of
a more visible inclusive church in our
regular working together. Further, we
have been working to increase the
number of ethnic pastors in Conference
membership."
"There are a number of persons in the
West Michigan Conference who 'fit' the
description of what the Lansing District
wants in its new Superintendent," Bishop
Craig noted. "Yet those qualities sought
and our desires to respond to conference
and personal prompting, came together in
a window of opportunity in the availability
of Dr. Quincy Cooper. Quincy ' matches
the profile' of the district in terms of leadership style, theological openness, emphases of ~in istry, an_d relational skills. "
Y~s .. he 1s from outs1?e the conference,
and 1t 1s unus_ual t.~ bnng ~uc~. a pers~n
on to the cabinet .. she sa~d. But he IS
part of the connectional fam1ly and has the
ability to make the transition and learn the
new territory quickly."
Bishop Craig continued, " I am grateful
for the support of the Lansing .District
Committee on the Superintendency, the
encouragement of the cabinet, and the
faithful and courageous response of the
Coopers. 1 believe th is appointment will
enrich and enliven the life of the West
Michigan Annual Conference and I trust
God's grace will find abundant expression
in Quincy' s ministry and our work
together."
The Cooper family includes wife Ellen
who teaches English at Denby High in the
Detroit public schools, daughter Deborah
who is a law student at the University of
M ichigan, and daugher Mont elagra
(Monte), age 11 , who is a fifth grader. The
Cooper family enjoys travel, symphony,
and " just relaxing at home as a fam ily."
Dr. Quincy D. Cooper
Cooper, Quincy D.