Our Church Leadership
Berean Bible Church is led by a pastor and a team of deacons that are elected by the congregation from year-to-year. Bruce Buchanan has been our pastor since 1996.
Our pastor's story in his own words:
"I grew up in a suburb of Boston, MA, and moved with my family to the Albany, NY, area as a child. My parents did socially correct things, which at that time included going to church. However, we went to church only because it was 'the right thing to do.' At some point my parents began to search for another church. Through a series of circumstances we ended up in a small church where the pastor preached like he truly believed that the Bible was true and could change your life. The people in that church had a vitality and love that was missing every other place we had visited. I learned that each of these people had a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and that these relationships were what gave them that vitality and love. I learned how to begin that right relationship with God, and I became a follower of Jesus Christ.
"While going through school I contemplated a number of different vocations. Architecture, engineering and law loomed largest on my horizon, but when our family relocated away from Albany to a rural setting, God worked in my heart to lead me in a different direction. We began to visit many churches, looking for the delicate balance of sound Biblical teaching, mingled with genuine Christian love and fellowship. God used this experience to show me that there was a need for more pastors and churches that would preach God's Word with a high view of Scripture. As a result I felt God wanted me to shift my focus and prepare for the ministry.
"After undergraduate, graduate and seminary training the Lord opened the door for me to minister in Berean Bible Church in Cortland. I pray that God will use me however He sees fit to lead and equip the believers He has called together to form Berean Bible Church."