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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly every church in the US has had to adopt new ministry strategies, including digital technologies they may have avoided before. In Hybrid Church, James Emery White asks churches to see this as a positive and keep a dual physical and digital strategy to reach a post-Christian culture in a digital age.
About the author
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president; and author of more than twenty books that have been translated into ten languages.
Summary
We live our lives in both physical and digital community.
We need to do ministry the same way.
Because of COVID-19, nearly every church in the US was forced to adapt to a quarantine and adopt new ministry strategies, including digital technologies they may have avoided before. When services began to be offered in-person once more, many church leaders said they hoped they'd never have to "live stream" again for the rest of their lives. But then came the shock: people didn't return in droves, and declining attendance steepened. The pandemic had only accelerated the profound cultural changes that were already marginalizing the church and reducing its relevance.
In Hybrid Church, James Emery White argues that the post-pandemic church must commit to a hybrid strategy as the only means to reach a post-Christian culture in a digital age.
This book will help you rethink the church's approach and stretch you to move beyond the mentality of "that's the way we've always done it." First outlining the dynamics and depths of the new realities we face, White then walks you through major ways of rethinking digital community, strategic thinking, discipleship, and outreach—tackling practical topics like:
- How to create an online presence that removes unnecessary barriers to engagement and community.
- How to rethink your church's delivery, both online and in-person.
- How to meet the spiritual and communal needs of a younger, digitally-native generation.
- How to shift from a focus on gathering and attendance to a more biblical vision of togetherness and discipleship.
Hybrid Church is written to enable pastors and church leaders to see the positive opportunities in the radical changes of the day and to help model a dynamic new approach to ministry.
