 "The Welcoming Congregation" unpacks the "roots" of hospitality, looking at hospitality in the Bible and in church tradition before highlighting specific practices to welcome and nurture people.Congregations that pay attention to first impressions are successful in attracting strangers, and those that further disciple those visitors through meals and small groups deepen people’s connections to God and each other.The book then explores the "fruits" of hospitality, describing how congregations rooted in hospitality are able to grow in reconciliation, outreach, and ever-broadening perceptions of God.