Hybrid Church Is Definitely Here to Stay
- Updated Jun 13, 2023
In my latest book, Hybrid Church, I make the case that the hybrid model of doing church is here to stay. By “hybrid” I simply mean a blending of the physical and digital, as opposed to the physical alone.
The digital revolution is nothing new. The inventions of the semiconductor, personal computer and the internet marked a Third Industrial Revolution. Started in the 1960s, it is often referred to as the “Digital Revolution.” This revolution was put into cultural play in 2007 through the launch of the iPhone and then radically accelerated due to the COVID pandemic.
And that model is here to stay.
Many believed that the return to all things “in person” at the end of all things COVID was a given. It wasn’t because there was nothing ending about the digital revolution. COVID just moved us more quickly into the hybrid life that we were already careening toward.
Oh, and one more thing.
We like it.
The Pew Research Center has recently found that more than a quarter of Americans regularly watch religious services on TV or online. “Broadly speaking, the survey finds that most Americans who watch religious services on screens are happy with them,” the survey report stated. “Two-thirds of U.S. adults who regularly stream religious services online or watch them on TV say they are either ‘extremely satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the services they see.”
The majority (60%) are also committed in their online participation to a single church, signaling an online connection or commitment. They also feel like participants in the experience, with 25% saying they usually feel like they are an “active participant” and another 42% saying they sometimes do. That’s nearly 70% experiencing connection and participation to one degree or another.
And beyond being satisfied with the online experience, they overwhelmingly cite its convenience.
To be sure, the survey found that people are also happy with their in-person experiences. And that is the point of the hybrid model. That when it comes to the physical and the digital, it is not an “either-or” but a “both-and.”
This goes beyond the simple offering of online services. It’s about opening the digital front door to your church, developing online campuses, rethinking delivery systems, revisioning community, reaching out online, and so much more.
Because with a revolution comes a new model. And in this case, … one that is hybrid.
James Emery White
Sources
James Emery White, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age(Zondervan, 2023), order from Amazon.
Michelle Faverio, Justin Nortey, Jeff Diamant and Gregory A. Smith, “Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular,” Pew Research Center, June 2, 2023, read online.
Adelle M. Banks, “Virtual Worshippers Often Satisfied, but More Americans Choose In-Person Services,” Religion News Service, June 2, 2023, read online.
About the Author
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Christian Headlines.
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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.
