Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age

I was given a copy of this book by a friend and I am so glad I was! As someone who works in ministry, I think that the ideas put forth by White shine a spotlight on the need for the church to be both physical and digital. Through my own church, I've seen the difference that it makes to have an online presence and to figure out ways to reach people digitally. My niece in college loves watching our online services. She hasn't found a church home where she goes to school, but feels completely connected to my church even from a distance. I think it's foolish for the church to not try anything they can to reach people where they are. As White said - you don't do this by watering down the gospel message at all. But you do bring that message to them. I highly recommend reading this resource so that you can catch a vision for where the church needs to be headed!

This is an excellent engagement of the digital reality in which we live and move and have our being. White's analysis is theologically informed and grounded in a wealth of experience in the offline and online ministerial trenches. While not ignoring the negative aspects of the digital world, White puts forth a positive vision for ministry in our contemporary reality, rather than wishing we lived in a different era.I appreciated both the practical considerations (e.g. the need for a great website and social media presence because of how people check us out online first) and the big-picture analysis (e.g. the need to balance both grace and truth).I am a Catholic priest, and while aspects of his model would need to be adjusted for a Catholic context, this is such a helpful book for ministry in our post-Christian/post-Christendom reality.

Dr. White provides a challenging synopsis of how pivotal is the age of the modern Church and how its unique challenges must be met with a unique response. More than anything, he encourages the local church to rethink a traditional "come to us" approach to ministry and instead consider going out into the world of those we're trying to reach for Jesus. And where are they? Online. I found that the book provided a proper balance of orthodoxy and creativity. He acknowledges what aspects of Christian teaching, worship and comunity must be embodied, but he also unashamedly reconsiders what church in a digital age could and must look like. As someone who usually resists change and has a deep appreciation for Christian tradition, I found this book compelling.

This book was such an insightful look at how the church needs to adapt and grow as the online community around the world does. Continuing to find ways for people to engage with God in-person AND online is so important. James Emery White does a great job of laying out how churches can begin this process and how doing so will help reach the people most longing for community in a time when the world has felt the most lonely.