Welcome! Our leaders - called 'Elders' - are a group of Christ-centred, faithful, dedicated, compassionate men who guide and care for our Church community. Rooted in biblical principles, they work together to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, provide spiritual wisdom, nurture growth, and support the life of our Church family.

Here, you can get to know the individuals who humbly serve in this vital role, sharing their faith, experience, and commitment to God’s work.

From left to right:

Neil Forsythe - married to Elisabeth and father to Ruthie & Micah - is the lead Pastor & Elder, as well as a Gospel Community leader, at Liberti Church Lark Lane. Neil led the church plant team from October 2015 - October 2017 that has become Liberti Church today, and has continued to be our lead Pastor & Elder since the beginning. Before Liberti Church was planted, Neil served as an Elder at Cornerstone Church Liverpool - from where Liberti was planted. He now serves as a full time employed member of staff at Liberti.

Mark Frost - married to Juli and father to Eliya, Joshua, & Hannah - has been a member of Liberti since March 2018 not long after Liberti was first planted, has been a Gospel Community leader since 2022, and was appointed Elder in October 2024. Mark also takes a lead role in serving on various Ministry Teams, such as Kids Church Leader and Worship Leader.

Shaun Price - married to Joy and father to Augustine, Jane, Hugh, Edmond, & Elsbeth - has been a member of Liberti since July 2023 when he and his family moved to Liverpool to be full time employed by the International Mission Board (IMB) to support ministry at Liberti Church. He became a Gospel Community leader in February 2024, and was appointed Elder in October 2024.

Ryan Mason - married to Georgina and father to Ezra - has been a member of Liberti since late 2019, just before the pandemic. Ryan served as an Elder at Cornerstone Church Liverpool prior to moving to Liberti with view of later being installed as Liberti's first Elder after Neil, bringing plurality of eldership for the first time to Liberti. Ryan was appointed Elder in April 2021, and since then continues to also serve as a Gospel Community leader.

At Liberti we are an 'Elder-led Church,' a conviction rooted in how Church leadership is described and explained in the Bible - God's Word - and exemplified by the early Church. In short, Elders are trusted, faithful men who lead and guide the Church with God-dependent, Christ-centred wisdom, integrity, and compassion, ensuring spiritual growth and health for God's people. Eldership provides:

• High Standards: The Bible outlines clear qualifications for Elders as the leaders of God's Church, emphasising devoted faith in Christ Jesus, good moral character, mature wisdom, and the ability to teach the Gospel and the Scriptures (e.g., 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9).
• Care for God's People: In the Bible, Elders are sometimes called 'shepherds' who care for the Church, offering guidance and protection (e.g., Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-3).
• Shared Leadership: The Bible shows that Churches were led by a plurality of multiple Elders working together (e.g., Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). This creates balance and accountability in the leadership of God's people, and does not rely on one individual leader.

Elders are entrusted with making wise decisions and caring for others. Our Eldership at Liberti is based on the example of the early Christian churches in the New Testament. Elders work together as a team to lead with wisdom, compassion, and integrity. The word 'elder' in the Bible, originally translated from the Greek word 'presbyteros,' literally means "mature" - reflecting not necessarily age, but wisdom, experience, and spiritual maturity. Their role is to preach the good news of salvation in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nurture the spiritual growth of the congregation, safeguard biblical teaching, and support the church in practical ways.

At Liberti, as members of the Church, we praise and thank God for giving us such men as this to lead us well. We commit to pray for them as they take on the noble and hard task of leading God's Church.

• Care for the Church and seek her growth in grace, truth, and love, according to the Scriptures (Matthew 28:16-20, Ephesians 4:!5-16, Colossians 1:28, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-5).
• Provide teaching and counsel from the whole of Scripture (Acts 20:27-28, 1 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Titus 2:1).
• Prayerfully seek God and His will for our Church community and stewardship of Church resources to the best of their ability, based on their study of the Scriptures and following of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:20-28, 1 Peter 5:1-5).
• Appoint Elders according to the biblical criteria assigned in the Scriptures (1 Timothy 3:1-17, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-5).

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil." ~ 1 Timothy 3:1-7

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" ~ 1 Peter 5:1-5