Leadership Council

Similar to the ways a pastor leads their congregation, Leadership Council provides day-to-day leadership and support for our pastors and missionaries.

This council is composed of the BIC U.S. national director, director of BIC U.S. Shared Services, director of BIC U.S. World Missions, and bishops from each regional conference.

Alan Robinson

Alan has been serving as national director of Brethren in Christ U.S. since 2013.

Alan’s journey to the BIC family begins in his home country of Northern Ireland. Coming to personal faith at a young age through an Independent Methodist Church and discerning a call to pastoral ministry, Alan has served as a church planter and pastor across the United Kingdom. Along the way, he received a bachelor’s degree from Nazarene Theological College of Manchester University in 1993 and a master’s degree in applied theology from the University of Oxford in 1997.

Following his graduation from the University of Oxford, Alan and his family moved to the U.S. while he pursued a doctor of ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary. It was during this time that he first heard of the Brethren in Christ. In 1999, Alan became senior pastor of Carlisle (Pa.) BIC (now The Meeting House – Carlisle Campus).

Alan has been involved in BIC Church life in many ways — as chair of the Commission on Ministry and Doctrine, chair and faculty member of Equipping for Ministry, assistant moderator for the Susquehanna Conference, and representative to the National Association of Evangelicals. In addition to his doctorate from Asbury Seminary, he also earned his Ph.D. in administration and leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012.

Alan lives in Dillsburg, Pa., with his wife, Sharon. They have two adult daughters and five grandchildren. Other than ministry, Alan’s main passion is soccer, having refereed and officiated at the college level for more than 20 years. To stay in shape for his referee work, Alan enjoys running and has participated in many marathons, including a 50-mile ultramarathon.

Heather Beaty

Heather has served as bishop of the Susquehanna Conference since 2022.

Heather was born and raised in the BIC. Growing up, she attended Ashland BIC in Ohio where both of her parents pastored. Her formative years were influenced by the many students and teachers of Ashland Theological Seminary who were actively involved with the church. She graduated from Messiah College (now Messiah University) in 1999 with a degree in education and shortly thereafter married Bob Beaty.

Over the past twenty years of ministry, Heather has served in congregations across the U.S. She was the children’s director at Zion BIC Church in Abilene, Kans. and the pastor of family ministries at Solid Ground BIC Church in Alta Loma, Calif. She has also has held several leadership roles at the national level of the denomination, including serving on the Commission for World Missions and the Awaken Leadership Team. Most recently, she was the regional administrator of the Susquehanna Conference, leading the Bishop Leadership Team.

She and Bob live with their two children, Tyler and Alana, in Dillsburg, Pa. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, being outdoors, reading with a good cup of coffee, and cheering on her children at their sporting events. She is passionate about the local church and supporting them in their unique ministry settings.

Ron Bowell

Ron has been serving as bishop of the Midwest Conference since 2020.

Born on a farm near Abilene, Kansas, Ron grew to love music early in life and played professionally with rock groups for 17 years. Following his conversion to the Christian faith, his family began attending the Zion BIC Church. Following a call into ministry, he served as pastor at Zion for 14 years. In 1998, he and his wife Kerry moved to Salina, Kansas, where they planted CrossRoads Church. In the course of their 22 years there, they ministered to those struggling with addictions and helped daughter several new church plants in the area.

Ron has served the denomination in several ways, both as a member of General Conference Board for 12 years and as a member of the Commission of Ministry and Doctrine for 5 years. He also served on the Midwest Conference Board of Directors and the Midwest Church Planting Team for many years. He is the author of five books and hosts the CrossRoads Radio Show in Salina which discusses spiritual truth and application found in the lyrics of classic rock songs.

Ron and his wife Kerry live in Salina, Kansas and have been married for over 50 years. They have five adult children, and fifteen grandchildren.

Bill Donner

Bill has served as bishop of the Pacific Conference since 2023.

Bill first came to faith as a teenager and was introduced to the Brethren in Christ through a church plant in his hometown of Walnut, California. That congregation nourished, challenged, and strengthened Bill’s fledgling faith, ultimately inspiring him to become a BIC pastor.

Over the course of his ministry, he served in various roles at Walnut Valley BIC, New Community BIC in Pomona, Calif., and Gateway Karis BIC in Chino, Calif. He sat on the BIC Commission on Ministry and Doctrine from 2004 to 2016 and has taught two Directed Study Program courses. Outside of the BIC, Bill was the chief operations officer for Mercy Ships and was on the leadership council of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) Ships, both organizations that provide medical care to isolated coastal communities through hospital ships.

Bill received a bachelor’s degree in government from Pomona College and a masters of divinity and cross-cultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.

His wife Janet served alongside him throughout his decades of ministry. She dealt with complications from a brain tumor for many years and passed into the Lord’s presence in December of 2021. Bill lives in Diamond Bar, Calif., and enjoys fishing and woodworking in his free time. He has four adult children.

Bryan Hoke

Bryan has been serving as bishop of the Atlantic Conference since 2015.

An active member of the Brethren in Christ U.S. since childhood, Bryan grew up in Pennsylvania. As a young adult wanting to impact the lives of others, he earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies from Messiah College and later a master of divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Bryan has more than 15 years of pastoral experience spanning across three BIC conferences. His ministry includes stops in Lawrenceville, Ga., as a bi-vocational pastor; Carlisle, Pa., on the pastoral staff of a large congregation; and Hummelstown, Pa., as senior pastor of a nontraditional church. He has also served on numerous conference and denominational boards, including the Southeast Conference as treasurer and the Atlantic Conference as a representative on the Commission on Ministry and Doctrine.

Bryan lives just north of Hershey, Pa., with his wife, Kerry.  They have three daughters, a son-in-law, and a grand child spread across the country.  He relaxes by playing and watching sports, working around the house, or grabbing the latest movie or series from Netflix. Much to the dismay of his friends, Bryan is a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.

Jonathan Lloyd

Jonathan has been serving as director for BIC U.S. World Missions since 2016.

Even as a child, missions work was a central theme in Jonathan’s life. Born to missionary parents serving with Mennonite Central Committee, he spent the first two years of his life in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Returning to Pennsylvania, he later studied engineering at Messiah College, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1996 and working as a mechanical engineer and project manager for a firm in Carlisle, Pa.

Jonathan was first introduced to Brethren in Christ U.S. World Missions through his wife, Erica, whom he married in 2002. Through BIC U.S. World Missions, they deployed in 2005 to Malawi, Africa, as church planters in a rural Muslim community. Jonathan later served as the business manager for the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi, using his administrative gifting to help believers from different denominational backgrounds work together in training church leaders.

After returning to Pennsylvania December 2010, Jonathan served as HR manager for BIC U.S. World Missions, as well as the director of finance and HR for the Brethren in Christ U.S. In January 2016, Jonathan transitioned to his role as director of BIC U.S. World Missions.

Jonathan and Erica live in Newville, Pa., along with their four children.

Mitchell Martin

Mitch has been serving as director of BIC U.S. finance and shared services since 2017.

An accounting graduate of Messiah College, Mitch specialized in churches and faith-based nonprofits as an auditor at public accounting firm Hamilton & Musser, P.C. for five years. He is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner.

With his niche in nonprofits and training as a CPA, Mitch joined BIC U.S. first as assistant controller of the BIC Foundation summer 2016. When Rick Snyder — director of BIC U.S. shared services and CEO of the BIC Foundation — retired end of July 2017, Mitch led as interim director of BIC U.S. finance and shared services.

Late November 2017, General Conference Board approved Mitch as director of finance and shared services. As a former auditor of faith-based nonprofits and churches, Mitch is excited about the opportunity to help local congregations operate with excellence.

Mitch and his wife, Sarah, worship at Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where Sarah leads as director of preschool ministries and Mitch served on the board of directors and in the congregation’s youth ministry. Mitch also serves on the Messiah Lifeways board of directors.

Aner Morejon

Aner has been serving as bishop of Spanish-speaking congregations in the Southeast Conference since 2012.

At an early age, Aner was introduced to Christ through his parents — both pastors in the Church of the Nazarene in Havana, Cuba. Baptized at 12, he was called to ministry at 18. After working as the youth pastor for a church in Camaguey, Cuba, he returned to Havana to finish his studies at Seminario Teológico Nazareno Cubano.

A year after moving to the U.S., Aner joined a BIC ministry that has grown to become Maranatha BIC, Hialeah, Fla., now a thriving congregation of Spanish-speaking believers. For 21 years, Aner served as senior pastor at Maranatha BIC.

An influential leader in Miami’s faith community, Aner serves on the board of directors for the Greater Miami Ministers Association — assuming the role of president from 2009 to 2010. A member of the reference committee for Mennonite Central Committee, Aner is also a leader of an interdenominational prayer group consisting of 18 pastors from various churches in Hialeah.

Aner and his wife, Vivian, have two grown children, Anler and Magbys, and four grandchildren.

Rob Patterson

Rob has been serving as bishop of the Allegheny Conference since 2002.

A third-generation member of the Brethren in Christ, Rob is a graduate of Messiah College and the U.S. Air Force’s Officer Training School and Squadron Officer School.

Prior to his appointment as bishop, Rob pastored Canoe Creek BIC, Hollidaysburg, Pa., for 12 years. During his time at Canoe Creek BIC, Rob also served the denomination as a board member for BIC U.S. World Missions and was very active in the Allegheny Conference’s growth and church-planting initiatives.

A motivated leader with a big vision, Rob is passionate about prayer and helping to strengthen the body of Christ. He senses that the denomination has historically enjoyed God’s favor and believes that as we seek him with sincere hearts, God’s blessings will continue to pour out.

Rob and his wife, Daryl, live in Bedford, Pa., and have three children and four grandchildren.

Lynn Thrush

Lynn has been serving as bishop of the Great Lakes Conference since 2016.

Graduating with a master of divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1978, Lynn first served as a senior pastor at Fairview Avenue BIC, Waynesboro, Pa. In 1991, he accepted the role of senior pastor at Gateway Community Church, a BIC U.S. congregation in Chino, Calif., where he worked until his appointment as bishop.

Lynn taught at Azusa Pacific University as an adjunct professor for 12 years and has been an instructor for several BIC U.S. Directed Study Program courses. He is author of the book Soaring Hope: Imagining Life As It Ought To Be.

Lynn and his wife, Carol, have four grown children and four grandchildren. An avid sports fan, he enjoys teaching and serving in church leadership.