Sabrina Müller

Sabrina Müller is Professor of Practical Theology at the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn since 2024. She previously served as Managing Director of the University Research Priority Program (URPP) Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich (2021-2024), where she was also a Private Lecturer and Associate Member of the Center for Church Development (ZKE) and the University Research Priority Program Digital Religion(s). Her academic journey includes a habilitation on Religious Experience and Its Transformative Power (2016-2021), a doctorate on Fresh Expressions of Church (2010-2015), and pastoral work in the Reformed Church of Bäretswil (2009-2015).

Dr. Müller's research interests span Digital Religion and Theology, Contextual, feminist and postcolonial theologies, Empirical Theology and Citizen Science, Homiletics in a culture of digitality, Church development and innovation, Pioneering and the future of the parish, and Religious experience and practical-theological anthropology. Her work bridges traditional theological inquiry with contemporary digital culture, focusing particularly on how digital spaces transform religious practice, community formation, and theological reflection. She has developed innovative methodologies combining qualitative social research with citizen science approaches to study lived religious experience in digital contexts.

Her scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on the intersection of digital culture and religious practice, with particular attention to religious influencers on social media, digital homiletics (preaching beyond the pulpit), and new forms of church communities emerging in digital contexts. Her work demonstrates how digital platforms are reshaping theological discourse, religious authority, and community formation, while maintaining connections to traditional theological concerns about religious experience, ecclesiology, and pastoral care.

Dr. Müller has received recognition for her leadership in the field, serving as Co-Chair of the Practical Theology Unit of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) since 2020. She is also active in numerous scholarly societies including the International Academy of Practical Theology (IAPT), International Society for Empirical Research in Theology (ISERT), and the Open Science Commission of the University of Zurich.

In her teaching and mentoring, Dr. Müller supervises doctoral students including Tobias Adam, Aline Knapp, and Patrick Todjeras, as well as postdoctoral fellow Kimion Tagwirei. Her editorial work includes serving as Editor of the Journal of Empirical Theology and Book Review Editor for the International Journal of Practical Theology, demonstrating her commitment to advancing methodological rigor in practical theological research.