[Colonel_Flagg]

I get that feeling welcome is important, but I wish this article had said even one word about the reason you should go to church in the first place — to worship God.

I see a lot about the seeker — as I always do in stories of this nature, but not lot about worship — as I always do in stories of this nature.

[tbpiper]

Pastors are using it to improve people's experiences at their churches.

I wonder what the secret shoppers would think of the church if the pastor actually preached the undiluted Gospel and the congregation came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Pastors who concern themselves the creating the best here and now experience will end up with congregations who's bye and bye experiences will be not so sweet.

[Alex Murphy]

You have no doubt heard of mystery shoppers who visit department stores and secretly evaluate customer service. Now, there is a new wrinkle to this old concept: Pastors are using it to improve people's experiences at their churches. "Even the American Medical Association recommends to their member doctor to have secret patient shoppers," Thomas Harrison said. Harrison is the founder of Secret Church Shopper, a firm that travels to churches across the country to secretly evaluate worship experiences.

Truth is stranger than fiction:
Analysts Predict Biggest Christmas Church Shopping Season Ever
Afraid of breaking news to pastors, family now attends six churches

[cloudmountain]

I've been going to Catholic Churches all my life.
From my observations, the dearth of or bump in attendance, whether daily or Sundays, has been because of time of year. We've ALWAYS had our C&E attendees. C&E = Christmas and Easter. Summer time has always been slow for vacation time.
Rain seems to thin things out A BIT. The Alka-Selzer Mass (11:30 or noon) draws an older crowd who don't have to get up early anymore. We have a children's Mass where ALL THE SMALL CHILDREN ON THE PLANET seem to attend with doting parents. The parents become WillieMaysBobbingHeadDolls with taking screaming toddlers in and out of the pews for scream-time.

A gangbuster parish priest draws in a few more, but not much more. The real draw for the daily attendee, that is, me, is being able to partake of the real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord every single day of my life. Who WOULDN'T want that? I need food for my journey through this corporeal life and need food for my journey to Heaven. You know that we believe that the priest has the Jesus-given authority (Do this in memory of me.) to call down the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine. It gives me peace, joy and hope.

I have an old friend in Texas who says that they have the same service of the changing of bread and wine in her Presbyterian Church. SHE also believes that the bread and wine are "transubstaniated."

Maybe it's different for Protestant churches.

[Vigilanteman]

"I've noticed poison sumac growing in the flower beds, next to the main entrance, four foot tall," he said.

More than likely, what this evaluator saw was Staghorn sumac, an ornamental which often gets confused with its poisonous cousin. Not only is staghorn sumac not poisonous, but the ripe berries can be harvested, bruised and seeped in cold water to produce a very nice drink which tastes close to pink lemonade.

Here in SW Pennsylvania, it grows all over the place, including hillsides and ditch banks. Few people use it as an ornamental due to the confusion with poison sumac, which produces a greenish white berry with looser clumps than the telltale red, maroon or reddish white staghorn shape.

I'm one of those few people. I have neighbors and visitors tell me it is poisonous. But the berries are getting ripe about now, so maybe I'll offer them a drink next time it happens.

[Buckeye McFrog]

We got about a half-dozen of these at my Catholic Church.

After Mass they come streaming to me, a lowly usher, with their complaints. The Priest is doing this wrong, the Liturgy should be done THAT way, etc.

I look like the Pope apparently.

[PeterPrinciple]

If churches are club houses, which most are, this is a very appropriate activity.

[rawcatslyentist]

Sins absolved while you wait.

[Truth2012]

The emergent church is about the seeker only. The Baptist church, for example, is about the salvation of the Lost and the Christian education of the saved. (see the difference?)

Here is my advice- if you want to get taken advantaged of and lied to, if that is your thing, go to a seeker friendly- emergent church. They will welcome you and your money, and you will never be able to participate, because you are the audience and they are the special chosen. Look for Rick Warren’s definition of WHO is good enough to make it into the group of “good enough” to be o payroll. THAT has a lot to do with WHO will deny the Word of God, who loves money, who will not make the Pastor feel guilty about his huge house and travel perks, and lack of interaction with the people.

THAT is my secret shopper update for today.

[buffaloguy]

People who come to a church and are ignored will be at another church the next week.

It may violate your highly developed sensibilities but that is the way life works.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It quickly grew to 400 members and relocated to a larger new facility, but the congregation has hovered at 400 for the last few years.

That is because that is just about as big as a church can get. One pastor can only do so much.

Around three hundred you look to spin off a "daughter" church you should have picked out a place and found a pastor for the new church at that point.