Dennis Beckner, pastor of the Columbia City Church of the Brethren, was elected by delegates of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in Greensboro, N.C. earlier this month to serve as moderator-elect. He will serve in this initial role for the next year as he prepares to lead the denomination as moderator in 2027.
The moderator of the Church of the Brethren is the highest elected position in the denomination. Duties as moderator will include leading business sessions during the 2027 Annual Conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., as well as visiting many of the 23 Districts of the Church of the Brethren throughout the United States and globally. He will continue in his role as pastor at the Columbia City congregation as he serves the denomination in this elected position.
Pastor Beckner will be the 113th individual called to serve in this position since the denomination’s first annual meeting in 1742. He will be consecrated for his role as moderator at the conclusion of next year’s Annual Conference, which will be held for the first time in Fort Wayne. Church of the Brethren members from around the world will join together at the Grand Wayne Center, June 28-July 2, 2026 for the 239th recorded Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren. The conference was last held in Northeast Indiana in 1945 in North Manchester…