Mystery worshipper

[Naomi4Christ]

Ship of Fools operates a Mystery Worshipper programme in the greater London area.

The write-ups are really interesting and worth a look. Most of the churches are Anglican (at least 70%)

http://ship-of-fools.com/Mystery/index.html

[gtsecc]

One of my favorite websites.

[marciebaby]

Neat! Has the mystery worshipper visited your church?

[gtsecc]

Neat! Has the mystery worshipper visited your church?
Not yet.
3 in Charleston so far:
St. Andrew Mt. Pleasant (ECUSA)
St. Philips (ECUSA)
St. John the Baptist (RCC)

[higgs2]

Ship of Fools operates a Mystery Worshipper programme in the greater London area.

The write-ups are really interesting and worth a look. Most of the churches are Anglican (at least 70%)

http://ship-of-fools.com/Mystery/index.html
I love ship of fools! THe mystery worshippers are a hoot.

[karen freeinchristman]

I love ship of fools! THe mystery worshippers are a hoot.
Me too! I think it would be great if we all behaved as if there were a mystery worshipper in our churches. We'd be more welcoming! We'd treat people better! It's like a mystery diner in a restaurant. If the staff know one is there, but don't know which diner it is, they treat them all better!

[higgs2]

Me too! I think it would be great if we all behaved as if there were a mystery worshipper in our churches. We'd be more welcoming! We'd treat people better! It's like a mystery diner in a restaurant. If the staff know one is there, but don't know which diner it is, they treat them all better!
I agree!

[StarryEyedPea]

Totally fab idea, and they did a London day hence all the Greater London reports, they have them coming in from all over the place though.

I agree with all the postive comments so wont make any more of my own :)

Sep x

[Father Rick]

You know, I've looked at that site and thought the mystery worshipper idea was a great way for people to get an idea of what to expect before visiting a particular church.

I even thought about checking into becoming a mystery worshipper myself-- but I figured as soon as I walked in wearing my collar it would give me away!;)

[erin74]

I was surprised. The only sydney anglican churches were the 3 anglo-catholic ones (one was done twice), the cathedral (on a special service - the queen's jubilee from memory), and a church near the one I grew up in at Figtree (near Wollongong, 80km south of sydney).

[trooper]

Totally ditto on the idea and the website. As kind of whacko as the thought originally seems, I think they do a great service to all churches in reminding them of their service to the "outside world."

Ditto too on the idea that we should all pretend that a mystery worshipper will be attending THIS Sunday, so what should we be doing differently to prepare?

[ebia]

I was surprised. The only sydney anglican churches were the 3 anglo-catholic ones (one was done twice), the cathedral (on a special service - the queen's jubilee from memory), and a church near the one I grew up in at Figtree (near Wollongong, 80km south of sydney).
Not really surprising. The Ship has always had a strong contingent of high-church and liberal anglicans, and a lack of conservative evangelicals (because generally they don't cope well with the Ship's ethos). (I know, and have met in real life, at least two of those Sydney Mystery Worshippers, probably more.)

[erin74]

do you know nunc? I've seen her post on sydneyanglicans.net.au

your explanation would certainly explain it.

[ebia]

do you know nunc?
Yes.

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

"We" - for SoF is where I generally hang out - do have con evos, but it's true that many of them do jump overboard when they discover that "You're all going to Hell if you don't believe x, y and z" tends to be heavily challenged, and "The Bible says" is not a debate closer, but a debate opener ;)

If they can live with that, they stay, and many do. Only one conevo has ever been actually banned, though, to the best of my knowledge.

[ahab]

whats a 'conevo'?

[erin74]

i assume conservative evangelical

[ahab]

Ah thanks erin74,

There have been some great Mystery Worshipper reports on some great Anglican conevo services.

[erin74]

which countries (I assume the UK) - I wouldn't mind having a look.

[ahab]

Hi erin74,

I cant remember precisely which but Uk I think.

:wave:

[cenimo]

At first I got a kick out of reading the reports but then the more of them I read the more I realized the last thing the "Mystery Worshipper" was there to do was worship.

Nobody greeted ME, no one asked ME. etc...

Just my $.02

[Naomi4Christ]

At first I got a kick out of reading the reports but then the more of them I read the more I realized the last thing the "Mystery Worshipper" was there to do was worship.

Nobody greeted ME, no one asked ME. etc...


I don't see a problem with this - the visits are to focus on all parts of the worship experience, from the arrival in church to the end of any social stuff afterwards.

The reports I read were incredibly positive - that people did speak to the mystery worshipper and tried to make them feel at home. For most of them, they would have been happy to make that place their church home if they lived closer.

[higgs2]

This was a fun thread. :) 'member?

[pmcleanj]

I actually applied and wrote my "audition review"and got the password to be a "Mystery Worshipper". And then we had a system crash and I lost the password. That was several years ago, when I did enough travelling that I thought I might be able to review several different churches.