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Show Notes
Local congregations, with their own personality, gatherings, programming and leadership are probably what people think of when they hear “church.” But cultural shifts and the pandemic lifestyle changes are making it harder and harder for these traditional congregations to thrive. This episode will provide real life examples of congregations thriving today.
Matt Lake is Pastor of First United Methodist Church, a blended ecology of church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and Portland Seminary.
Michael Adam Beck 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.
