We are pleased to announce that Warren Hoffman, former moderator for Brethren in Christ U.S., will serve as interim bishop of the Pacific Regional Conference starting in August 2022.
This change in leadership comes after long-term bishop of the Pacific Conference Perry Engle transitioned out of denominational leadership in April 2022. Bishop Perry served the conference for twenty years with wisdom and integrity and stepped down to return to pastoral ministry at Upland BIC in Upland, California.
“Following the remarkable legacy of service that Perry leaves behind, we thought it wise to take some time to prayerfully look to the future of the Pacific Conference under the leadership of an interim bishop,” said Alan Robinson, national director of BIC U.S. “We are pleased to welcome Warren Hoffman to guide the conference in this season of transition.”
Warren will serve in this role for six to twelve months as the Pacific Conference conducts a search for a bishop to serve long term.
Warren has been an influential leader in the Brethren in Christ for over fifty years, and his ministry experience is extensive and varied. He has served as a youth pastor, U.S.-based home missionary, and church planter in several different regional conferences. For 24 years he served in denominational leadership as bishop, general secretary, and moderator for the BIC Church in North America.
In the years since his retirement, two dozen congregations have benefitted from his assistance through a nonprofit ministry, Barnabas Initiatives, including three with the intensive support of interim pastorates—Speedwell Heights BIC (Lititz, Pa.), Millersville BIC (Pa.), and Bright Hope Fellowship BIC (Middletown, Pa.). Warren is convinced that efforts to encourage and revitalize stressed congregations helps to strengthen the life and mission of the whole Christian faith community.
Warren graduated from Messiah College (now Messiah University) 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) and Rooting for the Underdog (Barnabas Initiatives, 2018).
Warren and his wife, Connie, have four adult daughters and 16 grandchildren. Although Warren claims he has no hobbies, he and Connie greatly enjoy camping, gardening, reading, and music. True to his Lancaster County and nearby Hershey (PA) roots, Warren is a pretzel and chocolate enthusiast.
Warren is currently serving as an interim pastor for a congregation in Pennsylvania and will assume the role of Pacific Conference Bishop starting August 1, 2022. Alan Robinson will serve as interim bishop of the Pacific Conference through the end of July.
