Our Story
This is where Artios Ministries was inspired, overlooking the Scottish town of Crieff.
The story of Artios Ministries starts with the story of Liberty Church in Dunfermline, which in turn starts in Pensacola, Florida.
Liberty Church in Pensacola was begun in 1964, and gave rise to Liberty Bible College and a missions agency called Globe Missionary Evangelism. All three institutions were founded and led by the apostolic figure Ken Sumrall.
In 1979, three graduate couples of Liberty Bible College, David and Debi Kerr, David and Nodya Havice, and Thom and Ruth Raller, (average age 29½), were sent to Dunfermline as a team of missionaries under Globe Missionary Evangelism with the goal of planting a church. On July 15th 1979, Dunfermline Christian Fellowship was born. Excitedly yet steadily, the new church began to grow and develop.
Although the three missionary couples formed a team, there was leadership within the team. David Kerr was referred to as Senior Pastor, and Thom Raller and David Havice as Co-Pastors. And being missionaries, the goal was to raise up indigenous leadership (that is, Scottish leadership), work towards handing the Church over to that leadership, and move on to repeat the process elsewhere. In the event, after one year in Scotland, David Kerr responded to the call to become the first Assistant Director of Globe Missionary Evangelism. David and Debi returned to Pensacola, Florida in 1980, and David Havice assumed the title Senior Pastor.
At this time, Steve Bowen, an American trained at the same Bible College and also under Globe Missionary Evangelism, joined the team from YWAM. Then in 1982, David and Nodya moved to Perth to begin a new church there, and Thom Raller was set in as Senior Pastor. After just over a year in Perth, the Havices decided their leading was now to return to the USA as pastors, which they did in late 1983. Then in 1985, in response to some stirrings, Thom and Ruth made plans to move to Spain in a church-planting role, and to set in George Alexander as Senior Pastor. George and Mary were set in to these new responsibilities in July 1985 by the existing leadership and David and Debi Kerr, who came over from Pensacola for the purpose. Although Steve and Pattie Bowen were still there in a supportive capacity, the Church after six years was indigenous!
George was a former schoolteacher and Methodist preacher. He chose to maintain the relationship links with Pensacola, and in 1986 became the first non-American to be ordained under Liberty Fellowship of Churches and Ministers.
In June 1989, on the occasion of celebrating the tenth anniversary, the name was changed from "Dunfermline Christian Fellowship" to "Liberty Church".
George was Senior Pastor for the next 12 years. Within that time, Steve Bowen moved on in 1989, and at the beginning of 1992, Mike McMahon joined the staff as Associate Pastor. In addition, the Church started to relate apostolically to Derek Brown. In 1997, under Derek's counsel, responsibilities between George and Mike were adjusted in accordance with gifting. This resulted in George being released to more of a teaching focus, and Mike taking the pastoral lead. It was a new situation for all concerned, and not without its confusions. In essence, it proved to be a long-term handover, with George being released to begin Artios Ministries in 2003 as a teaching ministry. Shortly thereafter, Jon Farrimond became the new Associate Pastor. And when Mike responded to the Lord's call to plant churches in the north of England, Jon took over as Lead Pastor in 2008.
In 2014, those concerned got together in Pensacola, Florida to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Liberty Church that began it all. At that time, George completed the cycle and began a new phase of ministry in relationship with the re-named and re-launched Liberty Network International. He began to serve as part of the Apostolic Council.
In 1992, Liberty Bible College closed; but Globe Missionary Evangelism, now called Globe International, continues its God-appointed work. Liberty Network International is now known as The Covering, and Liberty Fellowship has been renamed Global Alliance Networks. Things change and move on, but the relationships continue.
And what of Artios Ministries? After twenty years of operation, Artios Ministries has now formed additional relationships and in 2023 began to build apostolically with the Go Global international family of churches based in Edinburgh and led by Peter Anderson. As Colossians 1:10 says, "bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God," we continue to believe for much blessing and many good things to come.