The purpose of this article is to introduce the Ecclesiology and Ethnography conversation by highlighting some of its characteristics. According to the inquiry, significant contributors to the conversation understand ethnography as a form of theology and see ethnographic and ecclesiological modes of theologising as an alternative to idealist ecclesiological accounts. The article also shows how participation is a key theological theme as well as a research approach. Two pressing issues, that are highlighted, concern normativity in relation to doctrine and tradition and the role of theology in qualitative theological and ecclesiological research. The article ends with discussions on two dilemmas in ethnographic ecclesiology and with suggestions on how to deal with them responsibly.