Fresh Expressions 2023 via Zoom 

$18.00 non-refundable registration fee will cover participation

Across North America, urban centers are growing, creating new challenges and opportunities for rural cities and towns. Rural churches, once a centerpiece of small-

town life, need new tools for loving their neighbors, sharing the gospel, and connecting in community. This gathering will help our churches be prepared for the next

season of ministry. If you are a pastor, lay leader, or are simply interested in vital ministry in small towns, this opportunity is for you.

 
9:00 - 9:15      Welcome & Centering Time
9:15-10:00      Session 1: Soil Map: Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges of the Rural Church 
10:00-10:10    Break
10:10-10:50    Session 2: The Blended Ecology: Re-Imagining our Congregations and Communities as a Spiritual Ecosystem
10:50-11:00    Break
11:00-11:45    Session 3: Cultivating the Ground: How to Cultivate Missional Communities from the Local Church
11:45-12:00    Closing and Next Steps

Michael Beck is Director of Re-Missioning for Fresh Expressions and Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist

Church. Michael serves as Pastor of St Marks UMC in Ocala, FL where he directs addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, an interracial unity

movement, and a network of thirteen fresh expressions that gather in tattoo parlors, dog parks, salons, running tracks, community center, and burrito joints.

Michael earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary with his mentor

Dr. Leonard Sweet. He is the author of Deep Toots, Wild Branched: A Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions; and Issachar's Secret. Michael and his wife

Jill currently live in Ocala FL. They have a blended family of eight children, four grandchildren, and two pugs.