Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGood quality sociological work should open the door to future research, and this book masterfully does so, where little research currently exists. This should be a welcomed resource for scholars and practitioners alike. * Joel Thiessen, Review of Religious Research *
This book is an important effort to bridge a divide between studies of entrepreneurs and studies of religion. In the religion entrepreneur, Pitt identifies a social actor with particular needs and skills who operates in ways familiar to the business world to promote religious worship and fellowship. Their actions have consequences for religious vitality, communities, and how we think about the competitive religious landscape in the United States. * Brian J. Miller, Wheaton College, IL, USA, Social Forces *
This book is an important effort to bridge a divide between studies of entrepreneurs and studies of religion. * Brian J. Miller, Wheaton College, IL, USA, Social Forces *
Good quality sociological work should open the door to future research, and this book masterfully does so, where little research currently exists. This should be a welcomed resource for scholars and practitioners alike. * Joel Thiessen, Review of Religious Research *
Church Planters will be of interest to several different audiences. First, for scholars of American religion, this book offers a finer grained portrait of the perspectives of Protestant religion entrepreneurs hoping to find success in a challenging religion marketplace.... Second, scholars interested in organizational leadership and business startups might find the arguments in Church Planters compelling for discussions regarding the entrepreneurial focus on church leaders in the United States. Third, for those who train ministers or pastors.... although this book is not a 'how-to manual,' many lessons could be drawn from the experiences and perspectives detailed within the chapters. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *
>"Church Planters offers a rich, insightful, and clear-eyed look at those who start new churches. Why do they do it? How do they do it? What counts as success? Richard N. Pitt's answers to these and other questions are sometimes surprising, often provocative, and always compelling. This engaging book is a must-read for anyone curious about how this often-overlooked kind of social entrepreneur helps shape the American religious landscape.>" - Mark Chaves, Anne Firor Scott Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Duke University
In Church Planters, Richard N. Pitt shows us the deep commitment that religion entrepreneurs have to their spiritual calling to spread the Christian message by planting a new church. Pitt shows the importance of understanding these churches as start-up organizations with the same needs and requirements for their success as non-religious organizations. For those who are feeling the call to plant a church, or those who are interested in the interplay between the practical and spiritual innerworkings of religious entrepreneurial activity, this book is a must-read. * Richard Flory, Senior Director of Research and Evaluation, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California *
<"Why does a 'religion entrepreneur' take on what seems to be a very risky undertaking? The research behind Church Planters offers a fresh angle and helps us understand the innovative qualities that set apart these organizational founders: both what motivates them and how they handle the fear of failure. Based on the 135 men and women Richard N. Pitt extensively interviewed, we walk away convinced that 'entrepreneurship' makes total sense as a helpful lens for understanding the decision to start a church.>" - Warren Bird, co-author of Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers
I suppose my judgement of Pitt's work is that it is thorough (within the limits identified above), sociological, entirely secular (appropriately so, given his assumptions) * Justin Anthony, Studies in Christian Ethics 38 *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 Introduction 2 Church Planting: A Bird's Eye View PART I: BECOMING RELIGION ENTREPRENEURS 3
