Rooted in Practice, Trained by Experience
What distinguishes us from others is our commitment to a “practitioner’s ethos.” We plan gardens, we eat our own cooking, and we share experimental recipes with others. Meet the trainers from Michael Adam Beck and Associates.
Michael Adam Beck
Michael Beck is Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary, Director of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference, and Director of Fresh Expressions for the United Methodist Church. Michael serves as co-pastor of Wildwood UMC and St. Mark’s UMC, Ocala with his wife Jill, where they house a faith-based inpatient treatment center (House of Hope), and a shelter for those experiencing homelessness (Open Arms Village). These are traditional congregations and a network of fresh expressions that gather in tattoo parlors, dog parks, salons, running tracks, community centers, burrito joints, EV charging stations, and digital spaces. Michael earned a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary with his mentor Leonard Sweet. He is the author of nine books widely utilized in the missional church movement.
Jill Beck
Jill Beck is Senior Pastor at Wildwood UMC, Florida. She enjoys serving in the local church and believes it is God’s primary instrument for the healing of the world. Jill is also Co-Pastor at St Mark’s UMC in Ocala with her husband Michael. She is a cultivator of new ministries and has a heart for the oppressed, the marginalized, and those struggling with addiction. Jill serves on the Board of Directors for House of Hope, a local inpatient substance abuse program housed at Wildwood UMC. Her passion is Fresh Expressions, Discipleship, and Outreach. While pastoring both inherited congregations and a network of fresh expressions, Jill serves her blended family of 8 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 pugs. Jill has served as Pastor at Wildwood since 2017. Prior to Wildwood, she served as Pastor of Webster UMC and was founding Pastor of the only Celebrate Recovery in The Villages, FL area for over a decade.
Tiffany McCall
Rev. Tiffany Mitchell-McCall is the senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, and has an extensive background in leadership development. She is a practitioner of Fresh Expression and has established Pillars Plus Foundation Inc. to help connect the church with the community by repurposing the church’s over 12000 square feet education building into affordable housing for young adults ages 18 to 24, targeting but not limited to students aging out of foster care.
Piper Ramsey-Sumner
Piper Ramsey-Sumner has a passion for lifelong learning, community building, and creating spaces for personal and spiritual transformation outside the walls of a church. Receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Iliff School of Theology, she now serves as Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church, where she explores new ways of reaching new people outside of traditional churches. In the Tallahassee area, Piper facilitates Tally Brew Theology, a community that meets in local breweries and pubs to engage in meaningful dialogue on subjects related to religion and philosophy.
Amie Martin
Amie Martin is in awe of Jesus and hopes to encourage his body, the Church, to more faithfully reflect him in the world. She is an ordained elder in the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church and planting pastor of 80-Twenty United Methodist Church in O’Fallon, MO.
Jessica Taylor
Jessica Taylor is a practitioner of Fresh Expressions who has served at a variety of levels from early Children’s ministry to adult discipleship in innovative ministry. She served at the Warren Willis Youth Camp in Fruitland Park, Florida, on the Summer Leadership Team where she fully discerned her call into ministry. In addition to her role with Fresh Expression FL, Jessica also serves on the Fresh Expressions United Methodist team and is continuing to further her education with a focus on Fresh Expressions and Wesleyan studies.