Formation of the Berean Fellowship of Churches dates back to the 1930’s. In 1932 in North Platte, NE, a group of people dedicated to the study and application of the truth of the Bible began meeting together on a regular basis. Four years later they called a pastor by the name of Dr. Ivan Olsen, a native of northern Michigan. He had just completed his studies at Denver Bible Institute and enthusiastically began serving the Lord in his first pastorate at North Platte.
In area towns near North Platte, people who were yearning for Bible-based ministries in their own communities began contacting Dr. Olsen to start Bible studies. Soon, groups were meeting in several towns. As those groups grew into churches, a Fellowship of Churches was born in 1947.
By the late 1940’s and into the 1950’s, Berean churches had been established in a number of Nebraska locations as well as in Wyoming and Colorado. Today there are approximately 50 churches in 8 states and in Manitoba, Canada dedicated to planting churches, making disciples and reaching the world for Jesus Christ.