Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Agnostic Advice
For about a year now, two enterprising agnostics have been writing a blog that provides church leaders with a unique and potentially useful perspective on Sunday morning church. In the blog, called Church Hopping, both writers (a young man and woman) visit a church service almost every Sunday and then grade their experience and explain what they liked and didn't like about the church.
It's an interesting read because neither is a Christian, so you don't get the usual complaints from first-time attendees about not having their favorite songs or an issue with a theological point in the sermon. What you get is a fresh look at the way non-Christians view church.
Regardless of how "seeker-friendly" your church is trying to be, some of the views and advice in here should be considered by every church leader. Sometimes we get used to our church and we just take for granted things like explaining the procedure for communion (a constant issue on Church Hopping) or how important it is to make connections with people we haven't seen before. Even simple stuff like putting your Web site on your marquee might get past us.
But while the authors' agnosticism provides a unique viewpoint, it also makes you take their advice with a grain of salt. Both writers do a pretty good job of separating their viewpoints from their analysis, but you can't get away from the fact that non-Christians tend to have a fairly "consumer" outlook on church. And occasionally you get a sentence like this: "The message just seemed to personal and way too involved. I like a sermon to ask a question in my mind, not tell me what I'm doing is wrong." I'm sure there are many pastors wouldn't be too upset with that criticism.
Here's a few of the better reviews showing a variety of viewpoints:
INTERACT: What do you think of Church Hopping? How much should we pay attention to their opinions? How would you feel if your church was reviewed? Let us know by commenting below.
It's an interesting read because neither is a Christian, so you don't get the usual complaints from first-time attendees about not having their favorite songs or an issue with a theological point in the sermon. What you get is a fresh look at the way non-Christians view church.
Regardless of how "seeker-friendly" your church is trying to be, some of the views and advice in here should be considered by every church leader. Sometimes we get used to our church and we just take for granted things like explaining the procedure for communion (a constant issue on Church Hopping) or how important it is to make connections with people we haven't seen before. Even simple stuff like putting your Web site on your marquee might get past us.
But while the authors' agnosticism provides a unique viewpoint, it also makes you take their advice with a grain of salt. Both writers do a pretty good job of separating their viewpoints from their analysis, but you can't get away from the fact that non-Christians tend to have a fairly "consumer" outlook on church. And occasionally you get a sentence like this: "The message just seemed to personal and way too involved. I like a sermon to ask a question in my mind, not tell me what I'm doing is wrong." I'm sure there are many pastors wouldn't be too upset with that criticism.
Here's a few of the better reviews showing a variety of viewpoints:
- 4/15 - Catholic church (Rating: 9)
- 2/25 - Catholic church (4)
- 1/8 - Vineyard church (6)
- 10/15 - Baptist church (1)
- 8/27 - Church of Christ (8.5)
- 6/23 - Methodist church (mixed)
- 6/2 - Non-denom church (9.9)
INTERACT: What do you think of Church Hopping? How much should we pay attention to their opinions? How would you feel if your church was reviewed? Let us know by commenting below.
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Hi, this is Erica from Church Hop. Comments have been disabled until just recently, but I wanted to thank you for writing an even-handed article and for looking at the project in a positive light. Bradley and I both appreciate it. :D
I find your blog interesting. I just wanted to state that even though the world says, "you only have one chance to make a good first impression," we can never "predict" when that first time will be for someone. Even when a church plans to put their best foot forward, things happen, beyond your control. It would be a shame, that a first-timer would not remember that -- perhaps that first day they visited a church, things were just not going right, but the second Sunday, things were improved and going well. That first-timer, who left with the wrong first impression, would miss out on a good second impression which could make all the difference in their world. We (people who oversee/lead Sunday worship services and those who attend on a regular basis) should be given more than one chance. There is so much more to a church than a "Sunday Service."
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