A Wall Street Journal article came out today about the newish phenomena of mystery worshipers visiting churches to evaluate them. It is much like secret shoppers who evaluate their experience at restaurants and stores. This particular consultant charges $1500 for a visit and a written evaluation. The article said that some pastors "say that church shopping has become necessary for churches seeking to compete in an increasingly mobile and consumer-oriented society."
It is sad that often churches aren't very welcoming as seen by this article. I think that it is important to know what newcomers think about your church, but this article concerns me. My concern is the fundamental assertion that church is another cog in the consumer driven wheel. Should churches "compete" with each other? Should a church's biggest concern be meeting peoples' needs? What are the metrics that should evaluate a church?
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2 comments:
Jim Henderson of Off the Map (a BGU DMin grad) has been doing this for a while - not for churches to compete, but for churches to see how those outside them see them. I think from taht perspective, it's brilliant.
Yes, Pat I agree. I thought about Jim. I also think this is genius and I found his research really helpful. I think the part that made me a little concerned is the "consumer" talk in the article. That may have simply been the WSJ's perspective on the subject.
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