Specialists

Rev. Dr. Daniel Irving

Daniel is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and has been in full-time ministry for 14 years. In his first appointment he planted The Journey Worship Community at Memorial Drive UMC and during his tenure the community grew from 70-700 in worship making MDUMC in the top ten fastest growing UM churches in the country. He then served as Senior Pastor at First UMC Huntsville during a season of church transition and change and was appointed as Senior Pastor of First Methodist Conroe in July 2020 of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been married to Jean for 16 years and together they are parents to twin pre-teen daughters and a 7-year-old son.

I am Certified coach through YourEnneagramCoach.com and am working on my Marriage and Family Endorsement for Enneagram application. I am passionate about using the Enneagram as a spiritual tool to help people develop compassion for self, empathy for others and gratitude to God. I believe that the Enneagram can be transformational for individuals, families, marriages, and is of particular value in developing and enriching staffs, teams, and congregations.

Rev. Michelle Manuel 

Rev. Michelle Manuel pastors in Houston, TX, at St. Luke’s UMC.  She is a gifted teacher and thought leader, always asking how the church might stretch and grow in its praxis informed by an understanding of the Gospel for our time. Some of her interests and areas of study include systemic racial justice, the Enneagram, and Christ’s healing of the world. She passionately joins this generation of Christians in inviting the church into a deeper and more authentic expression of what it espouses. She lives in Houston with her spouse, Quentin, their young son, and their cat Margaret – with whom she has a love/hate relationship.

I firmly believe that the Christian life must be deeply rooted in the transformative love of God. This is the way we can best live into the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission. Christ’s love pours out on us and can do no other than bring healing, redemption, and recovery. The Enneagram teaching offers us insight into our unique personality/ ego patterns and habits for just this purpose. I enjoy teaching large groups in how to identify their number or even go deeper with more advanced groups. I also am able to coach individuals and guide them in relinquishing their grip on the ego/personality. Large group teachings are best done over several sessions, a day-long workshop, or weekend retreat. I enjoy and thrive in such settings. I am also able to coach teams and departments in utilizing the Enneagram for better communication, production, and rapport. I am available to speak, preach, and coach, host workshops, both short-term and longer-term contracts.

Rev. Eric Pugh

Eric is a native Ohioan, who grew up in Central Ohio, attended The Ohio State University earning a BS in Biological Sciences. Eric served 8 years in Parks and Recreation Management in Ohio and Texas, prior to answering his call to ministry. Eric has been in full-time ministry with the United Methodist Church since 2005, serving in Youth, Young Adult, Family, Missions. Currently he serves as the Executive Pastor for John Wesley UMC in Houston, Tx. Eric is an ordained Deacon in the UMC, with an MTS from SMU - Perkins School of Theology. He is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching, from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Chicago. Eric has been married for 21 years and has 3 teenage daughters. Eric is an outdoor and travel enthusiast. He is passionate about helping others discover their God given gifts, answer their unique call to ministry and achieve their goals.  Eric is an excellent communicator, with great interpersonal skills which allow him to lead in small and large group settings.

Eric has been informally coaching for more than 20 years, beginning with his time in Parks and Recreation. In 2021, Eric completed the National Youth Ministry Coaching Program, and is a certified coach through that program, which focuses on the Enneagram as the primary coaching tool. Eric has coached individuals, small groups, and teams. Eric is passionate about helping everyone discover their unique giftedness and how they fit in the whole. Eric is capable of coaching both lay and clergy.

Kathy Reiter

My spiritual roots have been enriched by having grown my faith initially in the Catholic churches I was raised in and then the Methodist churches I have been a part of since marrying Jim, in 1982, before he attended seminary. Life is best for me when I am outdoors with family or friends. I can be found gardening, visiting with people, cooking for family, or taking photos of nature, all of which are my joys. Ministry with Jim has blessed me with friends, who feel like family, across the Texas Annual Conference. We have moved from parsonage life to improving and our own 65-year-old home and yards, which we enjoy tremendously. While our three grown children, daughter-in-law and granddaughter have never lived in this house, we are always glad when they come “home”.

The Enneagram stands out as a personality tool that leads to better self-awareness, better awareness of others (and compassion for others) as well as offering us paths to living out of our best self (the part of us which reflects our Creator). Paying attention to how we are present in the world with an eye toward our spiritual growth is enriched when Enneagram wisdom is engaged. Teaching the Enneagram pairs with my work as a spiritual director in that it opens our hearts, minds, and bodies to how God is calling to be more Christ-like in this world. Enneagram workshops are lively experiences of teaching and dialogue where we see the Enneagram dynamics through each other’s experiences. My certification as an Enneagram facilitator has come under the auspice of Dr. Jerome Wagner, founder of the International Enneagram Association, as well as the Enneagram Spectrum (Chicago, IL).

Mindy Standlee

Mindy has a background in psychology and has worked in ministry for over 15 years.  She is passionate about helping people feel connected in the church.  She loves helping people find an area to serve and plug into.  She feels strongly about partnering the local church and families together to grow a child’s spirituality. She loves to help children understand and relate to scripture at their level.

Her experience includes leading and growing a mid-week program for the church and community for 80+ elementary aged children and a weekly worship service for children aged Kinder-5^th grade.  She has developed and trained multiple strong volunteer bases for Sunday morning, Mid-Week, VBS, special events and Confirmation at multiple churches.  She has experience in nursery protocols and best practices along with developing and leading Confirmation classes and preteen groups.

She has experience leading and equipping both employees and volunteers.  Mindy has acted as an enneagram coach with individuals and groups.  She has experience helping people relate to one another using that methodology.  With a psychology background, she is familiar with many tools and methods to assess and improve group dynamics.

Rev. Dr. Steve Stutz

The Rev. Dr. Steve Stutz is an ordained Lutheran minister who has served rural/small town congregations in west Texas, as well as suburban/inner city congregations in the metro Houston area. He has worked extensively with clergy and congregations of the Texas Annual Conference in a wide variety of consulting roles since 2014. He is a certified church consultant through the Society for Church Consulting and teaches at the Houston Graduate School of Theology.

The Enneagram is a model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. The Enneagram can be a catalyst for organizational development at individual, team, and organizational levels because it has the ability to reflect deep motivators and change behaviors which enhance leaders’ ability to understand and lead themselves, their team, or their organization. Dr. Stutz has taught the Enneagram to students at the Houston Graduate School of Theology since 2015 and uses the methodology in spiritual direction and clergy coaching contexts.

Rev. Dr. Richard ‘Dick’ L. White

Richard White served 44 years as an elder under appointment in the Texas Annual Conference before retiring July 1, 2021.  During his career, he served primarily in the Houston area as the senior pastor of several mid to large size congregations.  Prior to his final appointment as the lead pastor of Katy First UMC, he served six years as the District Superintendent of the Southeast District of the Texas Annual Conference. Richard earned his Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.  He is married to Letica who is a psychotherapist in the Katy area. They have three daughters and three grandchildren.

Pastors are lifelong learners.  Some things can be learned by reading a book or attending a seminar but integrating what is learned into the practice of ministry is best done with a clergy mentor or coach.  As a clergy mentor, I have 44 years of pastoral experience leading churches.  I served eight years as a member of the conference board of ministry and mentored many candidates as they discerned their call and readiness for ordained or local pastor ministry. During my time as a District Superintendent, I supervised 50 pastors in the Southeast District, some of whom had tricky ministry challenges. I am familiar with Family Systems Theory and have taught seminars on the Enneagram, which is a helpful tool for personal and professional growth. I have a collaborative leadership style, and I am energized by working with pastors in ways that encourage, guide, and support them in their work of ministry.