Rate My Professor Laurel Koepf

Rev. Dr. Laurel Koepf serves as Research Professor and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible in the Bible Department at McCormick Theological Seminary, where she has been Director of Doctor of Ministry Programs since joining the faculty in 2023. A dedicated Hebrew Bible scholar with a profound passion for education, she earned her PhD from Union Theological Seminary. Ordained in the United Church of Christ—a denomination of which she is a lifelong member—Koepf began her teaching journey at an early age, instructing Sunday School in her home church in Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout her career, she has held various significant roles in local congregations, including Acting Minister of Religious Exploration and leadership positions in youth and children’s ministries. Her scholarly pursuits center on child-centered biblical interpretation, religious education, and the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and disability within biblical texts.

Koepf authored the book Give Me Children or I Shall Die: Children and Communal Survival in Biblical Literature, published by Fortress Press in 2013, alongside several essays and journal articles that delve into child-centered biblical interpretation. At McCormick, her teaching portfolio includes Hebrew Exegesis I as well as elective courses such as The Bible, Gender and Sexuality; Judges & Women; and Dis/ability in the Bible and Ministry. Prior to her current position, Koepf served at Eden Theological Seminary as Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Religious Education, Associate Academic Dean, and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program during 2013-2018 and in 2022. In these roles, she chaired multiple faculty committees, acted as faculty liaison to the LGBTQIA student cabinet group known as Common Ground, developed comprehensive assessment rubrics for the Doctor of Ministry and master’s degree programs, and supported curriculum development in religious education. Additionally, she represented the seminary as a curricular leader in the United Church of Christ’s Our Whole Lives (OWL) Human Sexuality Educational curriculum, designed for all ages. Koepf’s extensive experience in professional ministry, coupled with her expertise in experiential forms of online teaching, significantly contributes to the growth and development of McCormick’s Doctor of Ministry programs.