Online Dialogue

In judging the relative merits of online, in-person, and hybrid conferences and meetings, this article takes as a case study the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI), which took place as an in-person phase held in conjunction with the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 2022, following an earlier online phase. The primary objective was to determine the level of satisfaction among participants with the online phase and whether they considered the online phase to have enhanced the productivity of the subsequent in-person phase. The research found that the combination of online and in-person phases was deemed an ideal approach for conferences and programmes such as GETI. While it would have been challenging for young researchers or students without previous assembly experience to keep up with the programme without a preparatory online phase, building friendships and connections solely through the online phase proved to be difficult. Accordingly, it is crucial to recognize the situations where in-person meetings are necessary and effective versus those where online dialogue suffices.