The Hybrid Congregation: A Practical Theology of Worship for an Online Era
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Can Church Really Be Hybrid?
The Hybrid Congregation is a groundbreaking exploration of how church worship practices are evolving in our digital age. Written by seasoned church musician and scholar Michael Huerter, The Hybrid Congregation guides you through a detailed account of how congregations are adapting to digital mediatization, enriched by interviews with leading scholars and practitioners. Discover vibrant online communities that thrive through digital life together, challenging traditional notions of participation and embodiment.
The Hybrid Congregation explores how technology has become an integral part of our daily lives and how it is impacting religious practices in unexpected ways. With the rise of online platforms, including social media and video conferencing tools, the concept of a physical church space is being redefined. The virtual world is now an extension of our physical reality, blurring the lines between what is considered “real” and what is not.
Whether you’re a music minister, theologian, or a curious layperson, The Hybrid Congregation invites you to rethink worship in a hybrid world, making it a must-read for anyone invested in the future of church ministry.
This is a Logos Reader Edition. Learn more.
- Guides you through a detailed account of how congregations are.
- Explores how technology has become an integral part of our daily lives.
- Invites you to rethink worship in a hybrid world.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Enter the Internet
2. Activity and Embodiment
3. Mediation and Virtuality
4. Hybridity and Church Music
5. Online Ritual Communities
Conclusion: Where Did We Come From? Where Do We Go?
This is a fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of the complexities of online and hybrid worship practices. It introduces us to a rich conceptual landscape for reflecting on questions of community and participation and provides useful tools for thinking about the future shape of digitally mediated worship.
--Mark Porter, research associate of religious studies at the University of Erfurt in Germany
At a moment in which we look back and seek to assess and understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on how congregations worship, Dr. Huerter’s book provides a critical framework for that assessment. His research systematizes and helps provide language for a conversation that is scholarly and practical. In that sense, it is a gift to teachers in the classroom and worship leaders in churches and a welcome addition to a crucial conversation in worship and church music studies.
--Marcell Silva Steuernagel, assistant professor of church music, director of the master of sacred music, and doctor of pastoral music programs at the Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology
Dr. Huerter awakens us in a new day that has already dawned but has yet to reach its noontide. Whether we fear the hybrid congregation or fantasize about it, Huerter keeps our feet on the ground. He calms the fears of virtual-hesitant individuals and asks the virtual veterans to see beyond the screen. The questions raised offer an opportunity for us to reexamine our worship practices and to consider what expressions of embodiment they privilege or marginalize. This is the new book for classrooms and for church staff group study.
--Terry W. York, author of Let Our Words Become Flesh and Kurt Kaiser: Icon and Conscience of Contemporary Christian Music
- Title: The Hybrid Congregation: A Practical Theology of Worship for an Online Era
- Author: Michael Huerter
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 2025
- Logos Release Date: 2025
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- Subjects: Public worship; Religious gatherings; Digital media; Internet; Theology, Practical
- Resource ID: LLS:THDCTNCLTHGWPNR
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-10T21:47:35Z