Marv’s relatives were Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake area. His parents were sealed to each other and to their children for eternity in a Mormon temple ceremony. Marv served as a deacon and teacher in the Aaronic priesthood before being confronted with the biblical gospel as a teenager. After receiving Christ, Marv graduated from Denver Seminary with an M.Div., and in 1987 Western Seminary conferred an honorary D.D. on him.
   Jan was raised in a Christian home and received Christ as a young girl. She met Marv at a church near her home where he was a student pastor while in college. They were married in 1956 and have four grown children. Jan has been a vital part of their entire ministry in Utah.
    The Cowans were appointed to a church-planting ministry in Utah in 1961 by Mission to the Americas. After starting and pasturing churches for several years, their ministry began to focus more on evangelizing Mormons and helping Christians become more effective in reaching them. Marv and others launched Utah Christian Publications which he continues to oversee. Through that avenue Marv has made books and tracts he wrote on Mormonism available, as well as tapes and videos that provide help in witnessing to Mormons.