 In 1990 he was elected the first bishop of the newly formed General Conference in Canada when three long-standing annual conferences were granted the right to form such a conference.Prior to his service as a bishop of the church he served three Free Methodist congregations—Lexington, Kentucky, during his seminary years (1953-1956), New Westminster, B.C., (1956-1961), and the Greenville College church in Greenville, Illinois, (1961-1974), totalling 21 years.Bastian has authored several books, including