Melanie Ross works at the intersection of ecumenical liturgical theology, North American evangelicalism, and the worship practices of contemporary congregations. Her first book, Evangelical vs. Liturgical? Defying a Dichotomy (2014) brings together historical analysis, systematic theology, and congregational fieldwork to argue that the common ground shared by evangelical and liturgical churches is much more important than the differences than divide them. Her second book, Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic (2021) draws on extensive fieldwork in seven congregations to show how evangelical identity is formed through corporate worship practices.
A Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology, Ross has also received research grants from the Louisville Institute and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Ross has written numerous chapters in edited volumes, and her work has been published in journals such as Worship, Studia Liturgica, and Pro Ecclesia, among others. She coedited, with Simon Jones, The Serious Business of Worship: Essays in Honour of Bryan D. Spinks (2012) and is coeditor of the Worship Foundations series (Baker Academic). Her greatest academic achievements are the successes of her current and former students.
B.S. Messiah College; M.A.R. Yale University; Ph.D. University of Notre Dame
Expertise:
- Liturgy
- North American Protestantism
- Worship