Educational Experience
1998-2001
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO
Major: History
Degree: MA candidate
1977-79
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Major: Philosophy
1974-77
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH
Major: Philosophy
1971-74
Cincinnati Christian Seminary
Cincinnati, OH
Majors: Apologetics, Church History
Degree: Master of Divinity (May, 1974)
Honors: Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Graduate Assistant to Dr. Jack Cottrell and Professor Robert Drake
1968-71
Cincinnati Bible Seminary
Cincinnati, OH
Major: Christian Ministries
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (May, 1971)
Honors: Delta Aleph Tau Honor Society
Professional Experience
1979-2001
Central Christian College of the Bible
Professor of Church History, Theology, and Philosophy
Academic Dean, 1990-93, 1999-2000
Christian Service Director, 1979-90, 1994-95, 2001
Subjects taught:
Current
U.S. History I & II
Church History
Restoration History
Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion
Life of Christ II
Biblical Theology
Church
Logic
Philippians
1-3 John
Parables
Previous
Art of Preaching
Expository Preaching
Written Communication I
Oral Communication I
Hermeneutics
Ethics (at UC)
Epistemology (at UC)
Christian Evidences
1974-79
Moscow Church of Christ
Moscow, OH
Preaching Minister
1970-72
Germantown Christian Church
Germantown, KY
Youth Minister
Publications
Why Believe? – Standard Publishing, 1981
NIV Bible Teacher & Bible Teacher Leader sections – Standard Publishing, 1998-2002
Authored Discovery Learning and What Do You Think?
Devotions – Standard Publishing, 1989-2001
Restoration Herald – Co-authored the “Young Man’s View” column until I got too old.
Christian Standard/Lookout – Several freelance articles over the years.
To see a list of Mr. Koffarnus’ articles on cccb.edu, visit his Author Profile here.
Professor Koffarnus's Biography:
Richard Koffarnus attended five different colleges, studying complicated topics to find insight. His teaching career has helped students strengthen their lives and ministries by understanding those topics.
Richard Alan Koffarnus was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended high school in the nearby Village of Greendale, graduating in 1967. After enrolling in Oshkosh State University (now UW-Oshkosh) for one year, he transferred to Cincinnati Bible Seminary.
Richard received a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry in 1971. Three years later, he received a Master of Divinity from Cincinnati Christian Seminary (CCS), majoring in Theology, Apologetics, and Church History. During his time at CCS, Richard served as a Teaching Assistant in the Seminary and held youth ministries in Norwood, Ohio, and Germantown, Kentucky.
In 1972, he met fellow student, Patti Fausz, of Dayton, Kentucky, whom he married in 1974. They have two children, Nathan and Robin. Patti has worked as a Registered Nurse, Executive Assistant at CCCB, and as an adjunct instructor for Moberly Area Community College.
Following graduation, Richard began a five-year preaching ministry at Moscow, Ohio, while pursuing further graduate studies at Xavier University and at the University of Cincinnati, where he again served as a Teaching Assistant, offering courses in epistemology and ethics.
In 1979, Richard was called to the faculty of Central Christian College of the Bible, to be Professor of History, Theology, and Philosophy. This was the first and only teaching position of his career, during which he taught over thirty different courses in New Testament, History, Theology, Philosophy, and Communication. He has also developed and taught online courses for Central.
Besides his teaching duties, Richard twice served as Academic Dean at CCCB. The second time was during the College’s transition to the Full-Tuition Scholarship, which required major changes in every aspect of Central’s organization. He also earned a Master of Arts in History from Truman State University in 2004.
While still an undergraduate, Richard developed an interest in writing for publication. He has published numerous articles and has authored a book on Christian apologetics entitled, Why Believe? He is also a frequent contributor to Standard Publishing’s Adult Sunday School curriculum.
Richard and Patti have been long-time members in the Union Avenue (now Timber Lake) Christian Church. Richard has served as both a deacon and an elder, and has taught the Master’s Servants adult class for over twenty years.
His hobbies include: watching Missouri football, playing with his grandchildren, and obsessing over the Green Bay Packers, not necessarily in that order.
Student Appreciation:
Mr. Koffarnus played an important part in my faith and life while I was at Central, and it has continued in the years since I was graduated. When I came to Central I had little knowledge of the Bible. I had heard the basic Bible stories in Sunday school, but had never learned how to study the Word. During my first semester, I took Mr. K’s Life of Christ II class and in each class I took several pages of notes, as he brought the Bible stories to life. I was so mesmerized by the Bible stories and by the way he was telling them and teaching their meanings. He put in me a desire to truly study the Word and to learn what the Bible was really saying, instead of relying on the interpretations of others. His subject matter was not always as exciting as the life of Christ, but he managed to make philosophy, theology, and history interesting.
Mr. Koffarnus was well known for his essay tests. He would give us 6-8 questions, then he would pick two and we would pick two on test days. The hope was that you would guess the two questions he was going to pick so you only had to know 4 or 5 of the answers and be able to write a page on each. His current students should be thankful for Scantron tests.
Mr. K is a dedicated family man, and it was just as evident while his kids were small as it is now that they are grown. He, Patti, Nathan, and Robin were involved on campus, and it was a joy to watch them as a family. As a member of the “Koffarnus family group” I was given an extra opportunity to get to know them more.
