Departing Pleasant Hills minister leaves lasting impression on many

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Departing Pleasant Hills minister leaves lasting impression on many (HT Presbyweb)

When the Rev. E. Stanley Ott attended his first clergy meeting in Jefferson in 1988, he found a group of pastors resigned to attendance that would steadily decline after the collapse of Pittsburgh's steel industry.

The Rev. Ott, who had just become senior pastor of Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church, believed such decline wasn't inevitable and delivered a pep talk to his colleagues on outreach.

When he bade farewell to his congregation last week, its transformation from decline to renewal had become a model studied by thousands of pastors nationwide. During his tenure at Pleasant Hills, Sunday attendance grew from 400 to 600 — which doesn't count weeknight youth activities that draw hundreds more.

He will now mentor other pastors full-time through his Vital Churches Institute.

I have not met Stanley in person, but he has commented a few times here on my blog. I always appreciate his insights. Congratulations on your new venture, Stanley!