Specialists

Rev. Dr. Keith Broyles

I have been a pastor in the United Methodist Church for 30 years, 20 of those years as an elder. Many of the congregations I have served during that time have been small-membership congregations along with a few mid-sizes and slightly larger. I have taken advantage of various educational opportunities including using media in worship and Charis spiritual director’s training. My wife, Cindy, and I live in Lufkin, TX. We have two grown sons and six grandchildren.

Throughout my career I have preached many traditional sermons. I have also done quite a few messages that were unique. I taught in Lay Speaker’s School prior to its replacement with Certified Lay Ministry. Emphasizing first person narratives and open letters as sermons seem to be sermon styles lay speakers enjoy.

Rev. Stephanie Hughes

Rev. Stephanie Hughes has 21 years of pastoral, preaching, and teaching experience as an ordained elder currently serving at St. John’s UMC in Texas City.  In discerning her own call to ministry, she related most to Moses standing before the burning bush ready to reject God’s call with a list of excuses and insecurities.  She learned early on that figuring out a call to ministry, next steps in ministry, strategic planning, or even getting unstuck takes discernment and often times, seeking help from a seasoned professional.  Just as God sent Aaron to walk alongside Moses, God sends individuals to walk alongside us in ministry to be a coach and mentor.  Throughout her ministry career, she has come alongside both lay and clergy to encourage and equip them to discern their next steps in deepening their own journey in personal discipleship and in public ministry.  As a Ministry Specialist, Rev. Hughes is coaching and mentoring clergy in preaching, spiritual formation, community engagement, revitalization, and long-range planning.

Rev. Hughes has been preaching for 21 years and enjoys the creativity of preparing and delivering sermons.  She can help with new ideas for sermon series, creativity in delivering sermons for special occasions, creating media to enhance the sermon and so much more!

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 love helping preachers find their unique voice and improve upon communication skills especially in presentation and content flow. After graduating from seminary, I found that the model of preaching I was taught as ill-fitting as David found Saul’s armor (1 Samuel 17). Through much observation, practice, trial, and error, I have found a style of preaching that is uniquely mine and hope to be useful in helping other preachers find theirs. During the preaching session offered in my cohort of Advancing Pastoral Leaders, colleagues found my suggestions grace-filled and helpful. I enjoy watching other preachers, providing feedback, and helping them become the preacher God uniquely created them to be.

Rev. Dr. 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.

Preaching is an artform and a craft that requires constant refinement and reflection if one hopes to master all the necessary skills. Sometimes preaching becomes just another thing pastors must and when it does, the messages begin to lose their effectiveness. I have been speaking and preaching to groups of various sizes and in various locations for the past twenty years. I have experience working with students, young adults, seminarians, and seasoned preachers. I have been blessed to work with some young preachers who have been able to participate in regional and national preaching forums, like the Academy of Preachers. I have recently completed a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching through the ACTS DMin in Preaching program as a student of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. I love working with people to help them hone their skills in preaching and find their unique God given voice for that task. Whether you are new to preaching, looking for some new skills or wanting to become more polished, I would welcome the opportunity to journey with you.

Rev. Luis Ramirez

Pastor Luis was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He is a graduate of the Moores School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Houston where he studied Opera Performance, Italian and Spanish. He received his Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Pastor Luis has been active in ministry and in the community through Walk to Emmaus, Kairos Prison Ministry International, United Way, Meals on Wheels, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, SHSU Charter School, UPWARD™ Soccer, Spring ISD Ministerial Alliance, Northwest Area Assistance Ministries and UM ARMY.

In the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, he has served as the Founding Pastor of Misión Milby UMC in Houston, as the Associate Pastor at Servants of Christ UM Parish, also in Houston, and Cedar Bayou Grace UMC in Baytown, and as the Senior Pastor of Cypress Trails UMC in Spring.

While at Cypress Trails UMC, Pastor Luis led a Change Management process that emphasized Community Engagement and Outreach. Over a period of six years, the Church’s congregation accurately mirrored its multiethnic community Demographics. This process included the transformation of the Music Ministries in style and multigenerational engagement, charismatic Preaching, and an emphasis on fruitful Stewardship.

Pastor Luis spurred Cypress Trails UMC’s Revitalization through Fundraising. In six years, he helped raise over $500,000 inclusive of grants, individual gifts, bequests, corporate support and building rental revenue. This caused the Church to re-engage its Vision and develop Mission Strategies for reaching the neighborhood.

Pastor Luis has been involved in Clergy Mentorship as a mentor to the Conference’s Exploring Candidates for ordained ministry. He has also mentored the Associate Pastors, Lay Ministers and Staff members under his leadership throughout his ministerial career.

Currently, Pastor Luis lives in Baytown with his wife, Heather, their daughter, Isabella, and their dog, Luna, where he serves as the Senior Pastor of Cedar Bayou Grace UMC.

Rev. Dr. Keith Somerville

Dr. Keith L. Somerville is the husband of Mrs. Jessica Somerville. Rev. Somerville is an Ordained Elder in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and currently serves as Senior Pastor of Riverside-Houston United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas.

He is a graduate of Morehouse College, The Interdenominational Theological Center (Gammon Seminary), and a Doctor of Ministry from The Candler School Of Theology at Emory University with a concentration in Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation. His final capstone at Emory University focused on Moral Leadership and the plausibility of moral preaching in times of racial crisis. Dr. also holds a certification in Clinical Pastoral Education from St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston Medical Center.)