I am a mystery worshipper!

The famous  Ship of Fools "has an intrepid team of Mystery Worshippers travelling incognito in the British aisles and beyond, reporting on the comfort of the pews, the warmth of the welcome and the length of the sermon."

I decided to do the same, blogging on other churches when away from home, in the pew, not the pulpit.

1. Barton Evangelical Church, Canterbury. http://www.bartonchurch.org.uk/

Denomination: F.I.E.C (AFAIK)
Meets in a secondary school, Chaucer School.

The neighbourhood: Residential area

The cast: Service leader - Anne Lyttle. Pastor Tim Saunders - preacher.

The date & time: Sunday, 13 February 2006, 10:30am.

What was the name of the service?
Baptismal Service.

How full was the building?
About three quarters full, perhaps 200 people.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
We received both a greeting and a smile from the person who handed us service sheet and two people greeted us from among the congregation before the service started. This is a very visitor friendly church.

Was your pew comfortable?
A sensible chair but underneath the window it was a bit draughty. Our fault. We declined an invitation to move further in.

How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
A little quiet chatter but this was not disturbing. People seemed happy to be there.

What were the exact opening words of the service?
I cannot remember exactly as at that point I had not decided to do this. IIRC it was words of welcome. It was not a call to worship.

What books did the congregation use during the service?
None. Everything was Powerpoint.

What musical instruments were played?
A group with guitars and keyboard but I am not sure as to the details.

Did anything distract you?
I always find female leaders distracting. It is a man thing. but apart from this, the lady should just try to just limit her useage of just. It just kept coming out.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
Modern, charismatic type. Some clapping. No traditional stuff except, "Jesus loves me, this I know", chosen by one of those baptised. One spontaneous interuption with a prayer.

Exactly how long was the sermon?
20 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
8 – A clear simple gospel message from Galatians 2

In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
The gospel. salvation a gift from God to be received by faith. Good references to and illustrations from the contemporary secular world. You can illustrate grace from Denis the Menace.

Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
"Jesus loves me, this I know"

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
This was not like t'other place at all.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I didn't but if i had i am sure I would have soon been greeted.

How would you describe the after-service coffee?
We did not stay for the tea and coffee.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
5. I am not a Baptist and need more traditional hymns. If I was a Baptist, 8.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes! Good to be with those who are communicating the gospel and growing.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Grace is a lady giving Dennis the Menace biscuits because she was kind, not because he was good.