Brett C. Hoover
Associate Professor of Practical/Pastoral Theology & Graduate Director | Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
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Biography
Brett C. Hoover. Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Pastoral and Practical Theology at LMU and Associate Chair for Graduate Education for the Theological Studies department. Dr. Hoover focuses on how Christian life, practice, and ministry shape and are shaped by both social and cultural context as well as interpretations of the Christian (especially Roman Catholic) tradition. He teaches courses on ministry, immigration, faith and culture, and US Catholicism. Dr. Hoover also serves the Church by teaching pastoral leaders locally and around the country, especially about ministry in culturally diverse parishes, the focus of much of his recent research. He is the author of several books and articles, including the forthcoming IMMIGRATION AND FAITH: CULTURAL, BIBLICAL, AND THEOLOGICAL NARRATIVES (Paulist, July 2021). He regular consults with parishes and offers workshops for various organizations. He co-founded the Catholic seeker website, BustedHalo.com, and he currently serves on the board of LMU's Center for Religion and Spirituality. Before coming to LMU in 2011, he taught graduate students in ministry at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, and in the various seminaries of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
Education (3)
Graduate Theological Union: Ph.D., 2010
Washington Theological Union: M.A., 1997
University of California, Santa Barbara: B.A., 1989
Areas of Expertise (7)
Practical Theology
Parish life
Religious disaffiliation
Sociological of religion in theological research
Qualitative Research
Pastoral Theology
American Catholicism
Languages (1)
- Spanish
Research Grants (4)
Project Grant for Researchers
Louisville Institute
2021-01-04
A grant to research the operative theologies of ministry of Catholic pastoral leaders of color.
National Conversation on Shared Parish Life
Anonymous Foundation
Part of Hispanic Pastoral Leadership Initiative at LMU
Fellow
The American Parish Project
2015
Fellow
Congregational Studies Fellow
2012-2014
Courses (13)
Supervised Pastoral Field Education
Contextual Education Seminar
Foundations of Pastoral Theology
Foundations of Pastoral Theology
Migration and the Border: Context, Theologies, and Pastoral Responses
Migration and the Border: Context, Theologies, and Pastoral Responses
"The Nones": Religious Disaffiliation
This courses covers the sociological research on people opting out of religion and examines and evaluates various theological and pastoral responses.
Faith and Culture in Pastoral Ministry
Faith and Culture in Pastoral Ministry
Church and Mission
Church and Mission
Introduction to Theology
Introduction to Theology
Theologies of Cultural Diversity
Theologies of Cultural Diversity
American Catholicism
American Catholicism
Ministry and Pastoral Leadership
Ministry and Pastoral Leadership
Search of a Way: Spirituality, Faith, and Culture
Search of a Way: Spirituality, Faith, and Culture
Communion Ecclesiology in a Culturally Diverse World
Communion Ecclesiology in a Culturally Diverse World
Special Studies: Faith and Culture
Special Studies: Faith and Culture
Articles (15)
Segmented Secrecy as Catholic Ecclesial Practice: The Case of Gay Priests
International Journal of Practical TheologyBrett C. Hoover
2022-06-11
“Segmented Secrecy as Catholic Ecclesial Practice: The Case of Gay Priests,” International Journal of Practical Theology 26, no. 1 (2022): 111-129.
Evaluating the Moral Framing of Disaffiliation: Sociological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Rise of the “Nones”
ReligionsBrett C. Hoover
2021-05-27
"Evaluating the Moral Framing of Disaffiliation: Sociological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Rise of the “Nones”" Religions 12, no. 6: 386. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060386. Special Issue: The Survey Says: Uses and Misuses of Sociological Research in Shaping Pastoral Practice.
Practical Theology in the United States
Zeitschrift fùr Pastoraltheologie2020-03-18
“Practical Theology in the United States,” Zeitschrift für Pastoraltheologie (Journal for pastoral theology) 39, no. 2 (2019): 7-18.
Power in the Parish
American Parishes: Remaking Local CatholicismBrett C. Hoover
2019-07-02
“Power in the Parish: Racial and Ethnic Groups Sharing Parishes,” in American Parishes: Remaking Local Catholicism, ed. Gary Adler, Tricia Bruce, and Brian Starks (New York: Fordham University Press, 2019).
Power Dynamics in Catholic Parishes Shared by Latinos
Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the CommunityBrett C. Hoover
2019-01-17
“Power Dynamics in Catholic Parishes Shared by Latinos,” Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community 46, no. 4 (2019): 380-392.
I Am Not a Sociologist: Reflections on Sociological Research in Theology
Qualitative Research in Theological EducationBrett C. Hoover
2018-09-30
“I Am Not a Sociologist: Reflections on Sociological Research in Theology,” in Qualitative Research in Theological Education: Pedagogy in Practice, ed. Susan Wilhauck and Mary Moschella (London: SCM Press, 2018).
A Place for Communion
Theological StudiesBrett C. Hoover
2017-11-21
“A Place for Communion: Reflections on an Ecclesiology of Parish Life,” Theological Studies 78, no. 4 (2017): 825–849.
The "Ownership of Shared Sacred Space: Churches and Ethnic and Racial Groups in US Catholicism"
EurostudiaBrett C. Hoover
2017-05-08
“The ‘Ownership’ of Shared Sacred Space: Churches and Ethnic and Racial Groups in U.S. Catholicism,” Eurostudia 12, no. 1 (2017): 105-124.
No Favoritism: Effective Collaborative Leadership Practices in Multicultural Parishes
Lanham, MD: Lexington Books“No Favoritism: Effective Collaborative Leadership Practices in Multicultural Parishes,” in Collaborative Parish Leadership: Contexts, Models, and Theology, ed. William Clark and Daniel Gast (2016)
Hispanic Ministry and Parish Life
Hispanic Ministry in the 21st Century: Urgent Issues"Hispanic Ministry and Parish Life," in Hispanic Ministry in the 21st Century: Urgent Issues (Miami: Convivium Press, 2016).
From Bonaventure to BustedHalo®: Ministry Beyond the Church Walls
Wipf & Stock/Cascade“From Bonaventure to BustedHalo®: Ministry Beyond the Church Walls,” in The Church Has Left the Building, ed. Michael Plekon et al (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock/Cascade, 2016).
Lost and Found: Immigrant Conversion Stories, the New Evangelization, and Parish Life
New Theology Review“Lost and Found: Immigrant Conversion Stories, the New Evangelization, and Parish Life,” New Theology Review 27, no. 1 (October 2014): 33-39.
Faith from Nowhere: The Liquid Catholicism of Busted Halo
Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century“Faith from Nowhere: The Liquid Catholicism of Busted Halo,” in Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century, ed. Gina Messina-Dysert and Rosemary Radford Rüther (New York: Routledge, 2014).
Dorothy Day: The Seeker Saint
All Holy Men and Women: A Paulist Litany of Saints"Dorothy Day: The Seeker Saint,” in All Holy Men and Women: A Paulist Litany of Saints (New York: Paulist, 2014).
Generations and Culture: The Future of Parish Life in the United States
Parish Under Pressure-Quests for Meaning from a Global Perspective: Germany and the USA in Comparison“Generations and Culture: The Future of Parish Life in the United States,” in Parish Under Pressure-Quests for Meaning from a Global Perspective: Germany and the USA in Comparison (Münster: Aschendorff Verlag, 2012).
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