hero image
Brett C. Hoover - Loyola Marymount University. Los Angeles, CA, US

Brett C. Hoover

Associate Professor of Practical/Pastoral Theology & Graduate Director | Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES

Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts

Media

Publications:

Brett C. Hoover Publication Brett C. Hoover Publication Brett C. Hoover Publication Brett C. Hoover Publication Brett C. Hoover Publication

Documents:

Photos:

Videos:

Audio/Podcasts:

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

Social

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.

view more

National Conversation on Shared Parish Life

Anonymous Foundation 

Part of Hispanic Pastoral Leadership Initiative at LMU

view more

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 Theology

Brett 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.

view more

Evaluating the Moral Framing of Disaffiliation: Sociological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Rise of the “Nones”

Religions

Brett 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.

view more

Practical Theology in the United States

Zeitschrift fùr Pastoraltheologie

2020-03-18

“Practical Theology in the United States,” Zeitschrift für Pastoraltheologie (Journal for pastoral theology) 39, no. 2 (2019): 7-18.

view more

Power in the Parish

American Parishes: Remaking Local Catholicism

Brett 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).

view more

Power Dynamics in Catholic Parishes Shared by Latinos

Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community

Brett 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.

view more

I Am Not a Sociologist: Reflections on Sociological Research in Theology

Qualitative Research in Theological Education

Brett 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).

view more

A Place for Communion

Theological Studies

Brett C. Hoover

2017-11-21

“A Place for Communion: Reflections on an Ecclesiology of Parish Life,” Theological Studies 78, no. 4 (2017): 825–849.

view more

The "Ownership of Shared Sacred Space: Churches and Ethnic and Racial Groups in US Catholicism"

Eurostudia

Brett 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.

view more

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).