The Allegheny Conference is one piece of a larger picture; namely
the Brethren in Christ (BIC) Church of North America. The BIC came into existence in the 1750's in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania near the town of Marietta. Since that time, the BIC has spread across the United States and Canada.
Brethren in Christ Churches can be found in more than 23 countries around the world! (Read more BIC history)
At the close of 2005, the Brethren in Christ Church was made up
of 288 individual congregations with the prospect of opening 15 more churches in 2006! The vision of the BIC church
is to have 325 healthy congregations by the year 2010.
To make these churches easier to keep track of, the BIC churches
of North America are divided geograhically into eight subdivisions called conferences. Each conference is headed by
a Bishop who oversees the progress and administration of the churches within his jurisdiction. (See all conferences)
Robert A. Patterson serves as the Bishop for the Allegheny Region.
The conference is currently made up of 36 churches in a tri-state area which includes portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland and
West Virginia.
