This dissertation will critically examine the nascent emerging church movement, evaluating its role in the landscape of American Protestantism and will critically assess the relationship between the core practices and ecclesiology of the movement. I will propose that the most significant contribution of the emerging church movement thus far is its relational ecclesiology, and I will claim that the relational ecclesiology is being operationalized in several ways, including an anti-clerical, egalitarian leadership structure, a high level of interpersonal connectivity (often enhanced by Internet and cell phone technology), and eclectic liturgies that draw on diverse traditions within Christianity, regardless of theological presuppositions. Ultimately, this dissertation will both add to the relatively thin corpus of scholarly work on the emerging church movement and will critically examine many of the practices of the movement. As a result, the dissertation will be helpful to both the academic community and the ecclesial community.