The Hybrid Congregation: A Practical Theology of Worship for an Online Era

by Michael Huerter

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781514011423
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	06/10/2025
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Michael Huerter (PhD, Baylor University) is a pastor at Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, where he leads worship and works to build community and connection. As a lifelong church musician and digital native, he is interested in engaging with and contributing to scholarship that bridges the gap between research and practical ministry.

Table of Contents

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?

Appendix: Live Chat Responses on ZeplaHQ's Twitch.tv Stream and YouTube Comments on Related Music Videos
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"In The Hybrid Congregation, Michael Huerter does academic acrobatics to expose a critical gap between the theology and practice of online ministry and the theology and practice of church music. While attending this gap is necessary, perhaps more important is Huerter's ability to move beyond academic analyses in order to provide pastoral questions and touchstones that church leaders will do well to attend to as they navigate the issues this text raises in real time. This book is a must-read for anyone regularly navigating the opportunities and complexities of hybrid worship ministry."

Eric L. Mathis

"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

"With the diagnostic rigor of his academic mind and the compassionate bedside manner of his pastoral heart, Michael Huerter gives a compelling and thorough assessment of the congregation in the digital age. Especially after the mediatized dislocations of the past decade, this book lays bare the myriad interlocking systems that produced our current moment of fracture and encourages us to refocus on the task of building richly textured Christian communities, whether online or off."

Joshua Kalin Busman

"Theologian and pastoral musician Michael Huerter has given us a resource to navigate the tectonic technological shift facing the church as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With pastoral insight, historical grounding, and theologically astute observation, Huerter guides us to redefine and reposition the effects of technological shifts on the music of the locally gathered community in the here and now. With thoughtful questions and engaging perspectives, he moves this conversation forward in ways that are clear and precise, grounded in best practice, and always rooted in an abiding love for the church and its worship. Michael Huerter has given the church a gift that comes at just the right time to triage the technological emergency to which all churches were forced to respond."

Randall Bradley

"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

"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