Historian Mark Noll has written that historic Pietism "breathed a badly needed vitality" into post-Reformation Europe. Now the time has come for Pietism to revitalize Christianity in post-Christendom America. In The Pietist Option, Christopher Gehrz, a historian of Pietism, and Mark Pattie, a pastor in the Pietist tradition, show how Pietism holds great promise for the church--and the world--today. Modeled after Philipp Spener's 1675 classic, Pia Desideria, this timely book makes a case for the vitality of Pietism in our day. Taking a hard look at American evangelicalism and why it needs renewal, Gehrz and Pattie explore the resources that Pietism can provide the church of the twenty-first century. This concise and winsome volume serves as a practical guide to the Pietist ethos for life and ministry, pointing us toward the renewal so many long for. The Pietist Option introduces Pietism to those who don't know it--and reintroduces it to those who perceive it as an outdated and inward-focused spirituality, a nitpicking divisiveness, or an anti-intellectual withdrawal. With its emphasis on our walk with Jesus and its vibrant hope for a better future, Pietism connects decisively with the ideas and issues of our day. Here is a revitalizing option for all who desire to be faithful and fruitful in God's mission.

If the church is to thrive in the twenty-first century, it will have to take on a new form as it ministers to the 120 million unchurched people in the United States. Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century is still virtually the only available text on church planting in North America and beyond.

In this third edition, readers will find material on the importance of healthy, biblical change in our churches, updated appendixes, insight on our postmodern ministry context, and strategies for reaching new population demographics such as Generations X and Y.

Pastors, ministry leaders, and church planters will find the information and advice found in this book invaluable as they carry out their ministries.

God's plan for everyone who professes the name of Christ, both men and women, includes hospitality. No one is exempt, from pastor to people. An open heart, open hand and open home is God's divine design to open the hearts of people everywhere it is practiced.
Hospitality connects the heart of God and the heart of true ministry for every believer, yet something dramatic has happened in our hearts, closing the doors of our homes, causing Christianity Today to ask, "Whatever Happened to Hospitality?" What about your life? Do you have an open heart, open hand and open home to others... to strangers?
The Apostle Paul reminds we must all be "given to hospitality." Pastors and leaders must be "lovers of hospitality." And the Apostle Peter declared, "The end of all things is at hand... use hospitality ... without grudging." Here is hidden power reserved by God for those who dare to practice it. It is PERSONAL, it is PRACTICAL, and it is PROPHETIC! The Power of Hospitality will change your life, your family, your congregation... yes even your city and your world if your will let it.

The most critical growth decision most pastors face is knowing when--and whom--to hire. Getting the right staff at the right time can make or break a congregation's momentum. Drawing from his vast experience as a senior pastor and executive leader of large organizations, Stan shares the secrets that will make your first hire the right one. Subjects include: casting the vision for staff expansion, funding a new position, communicating vision to staff members, setting staff expectations, interviewing, the first 30 days, and how to be a great boss.