A Revival of Faith: Sharing the Good News of Jesus as a Fresh Expression of our Faith
Featuring The Rev. Michael Adam Beck
January 10, 2026
at Zion Lutheran Church, Lexington
Overview
How do we, as people of faith, share Jesus today? Come and learn how to revitalize church that is reflective of Jesus’ life giving message.
Discover the blended ecology model for modern churches.
How can the church adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing culture while staying true to its roots? With churches facing declining attendance and outreach struggles, Rooted in the Wild offers a timely and inspiring solution.
Author Michael Adam Beck introduces the concept of a “blended ecology” of the church. This groundbreaking approach combines the “deep roots” of traditional practices with the “wild branches” of fresh, unconventional expressions of faith. From biblical foundations to real-world examples, Beck explores how churches can honor their heritage while reaching new people in unexpected places, such as homes, tattoo parlors, and dog parks.
This isn’t just a lofty vision – it’s a practical, hands-on guide filled with actionable strategies for revitalizing your church community. Whether you’re a leader in an established congregation or someone pioneering innovative ways of doing ministry, Rooted in the Wild shows how tradition and innovation can work together to create meaningful transformations.
This training serves as a roadmap to bridge the past and the future, helping your congregation grow as a community while expanding its ministry to all.
About Michael Adam Beck
Pastor. Professor. Coach. Consultant. Author.
Michael is currently the Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary. Director of Fresh Expressions Florida, and Director of Fresh Expressions for The United Methodist Church. He serves as the co-pastor of Wildwood UMC, St Marks UMC, and Compassion UMC with his wife, Jill, where they direct addiction recovery programs, a jail ministry, a food pantry, an interracial unity movement, and house a faith-based inpatient treatment center. Wildwood and St Marks are traditional congregations AND a network of thirteen fresh expressions that gather in tattoo parlors, dog parks, salons, running tracks, community centers, burrito joints, and digital spaces.
Michael guides leaders in an individual, regional, statewide, and national capacity. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at several educational institutions. He coaches entrepreneurs across the theological spectrum and has consulted with hundreds of churches, districts, denominations, networks, and dioceses. As an active ministry practitioner, he has started and developed businesses and planted missional communities most of his life. Michael has done this for over a decade while pastoring in the local church. His coaching and consulting work are not theoretical only, but experiential. He believes in maintaining a practitioner’s ethos: “I eat my own cooking and share experimental recipes.”
Beck earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary. He’s the author of fourteen books, including Deep Roots, Wild Branches: Revitalizing the Church in the Blended Ecology; Deep & Wild: Remissioning Your Church from the Outside In, A Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions; , and co-author of Contextual Intelligence: Unlocking the Ancient Secret to Mission on the Front Lines with Leonard Sweet, Fresh Expressions in a Digital Age with Rosario Picardo, as well as The 21st Century Christian: Following Jesus Where Life Happens with Michael Moynagh. His most recent books include Painting With Ashes, Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church, The Five Congregational Personality Types, and Doing Justice Together. He has also authored three ebooks, available exclusive here.
