Mystery Shopper Worshipper I worked a summer as a sales associate at a local Super KMart.  In order to keep us on our toes they would bring in a "mystery shopper" every now and then.  A person, posing as a shopper, was really coming to evaluate how well we followed the company guidelines for customer service.  The idea was to instill a sense of fear, but also to make us treat every customer like he was a mystery shopper (i.e. according to the guidelines).  The good folks at Ship of Fools have created a new concept, that of a Mystery Worshipper. This incognito worshipper, visiting a new church, evaluates it on certain criteria.  That person then fills out a questionaire giving answers that may be relevant to others who want to visit the particular church.  The questions are related to several topics, but they mainly deal with how welcoming and hospitable the congregation is to visitors.  These are then posted for the rest of the world to see.  They visit all kinds of churches, although the bulk looked to me like Episcopal/Anglican. In spite of some obvious drawbacks, I actually like this idea.  First, some of the drawbacks.  I don't think it's fair to evaluate a church based on one visit (fortunately many reviewers make this same admission).  I also think the idea of a traveling 'church critic' is a tad bit arrogant, especially since some of the reviewers are clearly snobs in certain areas (like music).  I am a liturgical snob, but recognize that my tastes would probably cause the average person to lose interest. In spite of these drawbacks, I think the concept of a mystery worshipper is very healthy for churches and a great idea overall.  This would not be to 'test' a church, but to allow a church to see how it is perceived by an outsider.  Since we are in a post-Christian age, we have to start caring about evangelism and this especially applies to making visitors feel welcome.  This is not about some namby pamby greeter program, but about helping people feel at home as they enter, providing non-members with an idea of how to follow the service, and some sort of after church followup by the priest or a parishoner. Most churches get so insulated they have no idea how to reach out to visitors.  They also have no idea how to make visitors feel the least bit welcome.  Sometimes even when we think we are welcoming, we fail miserably.  A little outside constructive criticism could be helpful.  I have been in the situation many reviewers describe: standing alone at the church coffee hour being totally ignored, being completely lost in the service, and wanting to talk to a priest/minister and having none in sight.  Believe me, it's not a feeling that makes a person want to come back.  And if we do not practice sufficient hospitality to our visitors to make them want to come back, how will they ever hear the saving message of the Gospel and know the true Faith?