Bishop Rance Allen, legend of the Gospel, dies at the age of 71

Bishop Rance Allen was born in 1948 in Monroe, Michigan, one of 12 children. At the age of five he began his preaching ministry, and at age nine he preached throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He was licensed to preach at age 12 and has since carried the Word of the Lord across the United States and abroad. In 1978 he was ordained an elder by the late Bishop John Seth Bailey and then served 6-1 / 2 years as Associate Pastor of the Temple Church of the Holiness of God in Christ (COGIC) Church in Monroe, MI .

In 1985, the late Bishop Gilbert Patterson founded New Bethel Church in Toledo, OH and installed Bishop Allen as pastor where he currently serves. He served for many years on the board of directors of the Neighborhood Improvement Foundation of Toledo, Inc., a community organization whose mission was to improve urban environments. In recognition of his years of ministry, the Urban Bible Institute in Detroit awarded him an honorary doctorate in divinity in 1995. In September 2011, by the astonishing grace of God, Bishop Allen was elevated to the post of prelate Michigan Northwestern Harvest in Detroit, succeeding the late Bishop Alfred Knight, Jr. and was consecrated on November 7, 2011 at the 104th Holy Convocation in St. Louis, Missouri. He also had the wonderful and humbling chance to preach the core message to thousands of people during the 90th, 96th and 105th COGIC International Convocations.

Bishop Allen has been married to evangelist Ellen Marie Groves since December 1970. The call on his life has been a tremendous blessing to Bishop Allen as it has helped him take his ministries to a higher level in God. Although there are no natural children born of this union, they share their love and support for many children of God.