By wanting to do something different and moving away from how they had done things over the past several years, Rev. Dr. Michael Beck was invited to be the keynote for the Candi and Bob Nolan Endowment Series at First UMC El Dorado.
“The primary reason for inviting him was that the concepts behind Fresh Expressions and his new book on five congregational personality types would help the people of El Dorado first build the foundations of renewal. I had the opportunity to sit in on a Zoom call discussing his book before its release last year and knew the principles discussed in the book were just what we needed,” shared Rev. Allen Crum, senior pastor of First UMC in El Dorado.
Since the weekend with Michael, several people in the congregation have been inspired to dream about how we can approach ministry differently, looking for ways in which we can develop a community around core ideas and commonality. Another part of the future work they will be doing is utilizing Beck’s book “The Five Congregational Personality Types: An Ancient Pathway for Congregational Renewal in the 21st Century” in a small group tasked with visioning and stewardship. They will take a deep look at what they determine are the strong and weak points, or “dark side,” as Beck references, based on the congregational personality assessment that comes with the book.
Rev. Crum added, “With great anticipation, I look forward to the future of our congregation as we continue to forge ahead into a new era here in South Arkansas. The seeds of change have been sown, and I am eager to see the fruits of our collective efforts.”
NOTE: First UMC El Dorado received seven new members by confirmation and Baptism the following Sunday.