Leadership Council
Warren Hoffman has been moderator of the Brethren in Christ Church in North America since August 1998. Part of the Brethren in Christ Church since birth, Warren graduated from Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.) in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. In 1972 he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from the American Baptist Seminary of the West (Covina, Calif.) He is the author of The Secret of the Harvest (Evangel Press, 1988).
Warren’s ministry experience is as extensive as it is varied: while working on his doctorate, he spent 3 years as a youth pastor; then, with the support of his wife, he worked for 8 years with BICWM in North America, 10 years as a church planter, 6 years as bishop, and 2 years as general secretary before assuming the role of moderator.
Warren firmly believes that, in the work of building the church, a primary aim must be bringing people to saving faith in Christ; everything builds on regeneration. Drawing on His understanding of the biblical translation of the word “administration” (depicting the pilot of a ship), Warren views his role as setting direction and giving leadership for the attainment of goals, motivating and mobilizing uniquely gifted individuals to serve in key roles.
He lives in Elizabethtown, Pa., with his wife, Connie. They have four adult daughters and seven grandchildren. Although Warren admits he has no hobbies, he and Connie greatly enjoy camping with their family, gardening, reading, and music. And ever true to his Lancaster County (Pa.) roots, Warren is a pretzel enthusiast.
Don McNiven began his term of service as general secretary of the Brethren in Christ Church in North America in August 2006. Prior to his appointment, Don served for four years as pastor of worship arts at Manor BIC in Lancaster, Pa.
The son of a BIC pastor, Don became a follower of Christ as a young teen. He went on to attend Brock University (St. Catherines, Ontario), where he received a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s in administration. Don then pursued a career in education, assuming the presidency of Niagara Christian Collegiate (NCC), a BIC-affiliated residential high school in Fort Erie, Ontario. Later, Don served in both educational and ministry roles at various organizations in Toronto, including The Peoples Church.
Over the years, he has served the denomination in such areas as the Atlantic Conference’s Stewardship Team, both the General and Canadian Conferences’ Boards for Congregational Life, the BIC hymnal committee, and the General Conference Board for Schools and Colleges.
Having spent a number of years in ministry outside of the Brethren in Christ Church, Don has a fresh appreciation for the denomination, and believes strongly in empowering local congregations to teach, encourage, support, and bring the Gospel to their surrounding communities. A licensed BIC pastor, Don is firmly committed to the concept and practice of servant leadership, which, combined with principled administration and influenced by character and faith, allows him to be a highly effective strategic thinker.
Don lives in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with his wife, Sue. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. As they have moved three times in four years, Don and Sue have developed a taste for exploring towns—their people, food, and shops. And as often as they can, they pay a visit to their very wise young grandchildren.
Perry Engle is the bishop of the Midwest and Pacific Conferences of the BIC General Church in North America. Born into the BIC Church, Perry brings a passion for peace and justice, racial reconciliation, culturally-relevant communication, and the radical renewal of the Church to his role as bishop. The church planter and founding co-pastor of New Community BIC (Pomona, Calif.), Perry pastored for 15 years before his appointment to leadership council in 2002.
Perry has been an active leader at both the regional and denominational levels of the Church, lending his gifts of communication and humor to each task.
Perry lives with his wife, Marta, and their three daughters in Ontario, Calif., where they attend Upland (Calif.) BIC Church. When he’s not busy with his duties as bishop, Perry enjoys mountain biking, gardening, and camping at the beach with his family.
Ken Hoke is serving as interim bishop of the Susquehanna Conference.
Eduardo Llanes was installed as bishop of the Southeast Conference at the 2006 General Conference. Involved with the Brethren in Christ since 1957, Eduardo pursued ministry at a young age and holds master’s degrees from Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Ill.) and Emory University (Atlanta).
Born and raised in Cuba, Eduardo has been pastoring congregations in Cuba, Costa Rica, Ohio, and Florida since 1960. In addition, he has spent 25 years as a teacher in seminaries and universities in both the U.S. and Costa Rica. Before officially becoming bishop, Eduardo oversaw the vibrant cluster of Spanish-speaking BIC churhces in and around Miami, Fla., for eight years.
A gifted teacher and pastor, Eduardo is passionate bringing people to life in Christ, as well as nurturing and caring for God's people. He is excited about the vitality he senses in the denomination, and particularly appreciates the way the Brethren in Christ model and live out a spirit of servanthood. For him, being BIC is about belonging to a family that seeks to embody the New Testament commands to love, care, submit, build up, support, and exhort one another.
Eduardo lives with his wife, Jill, in Miami, Fla. They have two grown daughters and five grandchildren.
Rob Patterson currently serves as the bishop of the Allegheny Conference of the BIC General Church of North America. A third-generation member of the Brethren in Christ, Rob is a graduate of the United States Air Force (USAF) Officers Training School, USAF Squadron Officers School, and Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.).
Prior to his appointment as bishop in 2002, Rob pastored Canoe Creek BIC Church (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) for 12 years. During his time at Canoe Creek, Rob also served the denomination as a board member for BIC World Missions and was very active in the growth and church-planting initiatives of the Allegheny Conference.
A motivated, resilient leader with a big vision, Rob is passionate about prayer and building the body of Christ to be strong and healthy. He senses that the denomination has historically enjoyed God’s favor and believes that as we continue to seek Him with sincere hearts, His blessings will continue to pour out.
Rob and his wife, Daryl, live in Bedford, Pa., and have three children and one grandchild.
Pauline Peifer is serving as interim bishop of the Atlantic Conference.
Chris Sharp was installed as executive director of Brethren in Christ World Missions (BICWM) at the 2008 General Conference in Toronto. A graduate of Messiah College (Grantham, Pa.) in business administration, Chris is currently pursuing a master’s degree.
Prior to her appointment, Chris served BICWM as interim executive director and, from 2007–2008, as its director of missional development for BICWM. In this latter role, she helped establish strategic partnerships between BIC churches in North America and mission teams around the world by facilitating personal transformation in global contexts, forging international connections, and encouraging BIC members to apply training in their local communities.
Over the years, Chris has had many opportunities to discern and exercise her leadership skills, having served for six years as the senior associate pastor at Pequea BIC Church (Lancaster, Pa.) and, before that, for six years at Mechanicsburg (Pa.) BIC Church. She’s also led the Atlantic Conference Ministry Leadership Team in the development of its Global Impact Team and has worked as a church board coach, cluster leader for pastors, and leadership coach.
Chris and her husband, Steve, make their home in Conestoga, Pa., where they live with their three children and are members of the Pequea Church. To relax, Chris enjoys reading, flower gardening, and spending time with family and friends.
Darrell Winger has a rich history of leadership within the Brethren in Christ Church. Having served as a pastor, missionary, general secretary of the denomination, member-at-large on the General Church Board, bishop of the Canadian Conference, and executive director of the International Brethren in Christ Association (IBICA), Darrell accepted the nomination for a second term as director (bishop) of the Canadian Conference in 2010
Darrell graduated with honours from Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, ON) with a B.A. in psychology and received his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.). Currently, Darrell is pursuing doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at the Toronto School of Theology (Wycliffe College), University of Toronto. He and his wife, Anna, live in Oakville, ON, with their three children. In addition to being a husband and father, Darrell enjoys reading, following politics, and gardening.
John Zuck has served as bishop of the Great Lakes Conference of the BIC Church in North America since August 2004. Raised in the Church, John accepted Christ at the age of 9. When he was 18, John volunteered for two years of alternate service in a hospital in Williamsport, Pa. As a young adult, following the infilling of the Holy Spirit—resulting in a significant turning point and transformation of priorities—John responded to the Lord’s call to pastoral ministry.
Stretching over three decades, John’s ministry has landed him in pastoral and church-planting roles in Alberta, Ontario, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Especially gifted in the areas of preaching, teaching, and administration, John has a heart for those who don’t yet know Christ. Although he strongly affirms each of the distinctive Core Values of the Brethren in Christ, John sees “Believing the Bible” and “Living Simply” as particularly unique and critical for the denomination.
John lives with his wife, Connie, in West Milton, Ohio, where he enjoys woodworking, gardening, and taxidermy. The Zucks have two grown children and—on rare occasions when they’re home—attend Fairview BIC Church in Englewood, Ohio. A connoisseur of Ford Escorts (although he now drives a Ford Focus), John is well-known for his unusual hobby of driving north, following the routes through Canada to their northernmost points.
