Networked Church

Abstract

Abstract This article explores some of the recent deliberations concerning the nature of networked church. According to earlier sociological theory, the usual trajectory for newly formed churches (and religious movements) is that they become denominations, particularly in the context of the transition to second-generation leadership. Recent history suggests that this is not an inevitable trajectory, as many churches founded in the middle of the twentieth century continue to exist in the form of networks. Theological and sociological factors are relevant to the question of whether these churches will eventually become denominations. This article summarizes different attempts to understand the nature of networks and suggests that it is possible to conceptualize a continuum from loose networks to highly centralized ecclesial bodies. This continuum indicates possible transitions from one type of structure to another, but such transitions are not inevitable, and network structures may prove to be enduring.