Church Rater #1

The Church
What Church did you visit?

Bethel Assembly of God

What city or town is this Church located?
Littlestown PA

What date and service did you attend?
February 8th, Evening Service

Evaluating
How would you rate this church?
Overall good and well rounded church experience. Very energetic without coming off too hip and youthful for an older crowd.



Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: 4 Friendliness 3 Singing 3 Preaching 5
First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find? i followed someone there who knew where they were going so i dont really know...large building, i am being told it was fairly easy to find
Was it difficult to find parking? not at all, i had a good spot
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently? maybe make the main entrance to the building slightly more marked. would probably not known where to go in had i not sen other people going in.

What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?
i was very impressed with the layout and size of the building. I like big buildings so i was very excited by the size of the building. the buildings size and impressive construction made me expect good things. Also, the effectiv3e layout made me feel like i was in a professional place. It think the general impression of the building and signage causes you to be very excited and causes you to expect an impressive service.
Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway? no one approached me
If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?

Can you share their names?

Did you know them before the visit?


General observations:

As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? it was a lot like FVWC's services so i guess i was kind of doing my church thing to. i just saw everything that was going on as normal. i found myself feeling a little odd about the speakers and pastor staying up on stage. that was the only thing that struck me as different. Overall though, i didn't really notice anything other than how cool it was to see multiple denominations come together.

Were you able to understand why they do what they do? yes, it was similar to what i do with the exceptions noted above.

Do they seem sincere? most yes, others not

What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service)
i thought it flowed well, i felt engaged and excited throughout and the ending didn't seem like it dragged on like really good services often do. i appreciated that.

Bulletin and communications:

Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?
i didn't get one. I don't know if there was one.

If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? i would probably make sure everyone got a bulletin.

Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)
i don't remember any announcements...Rachel's blog says something about a slide announcement....didn't notice that. i think i looked at the slides and saw some ministry announcements but i don't remember any so i must have not been interested.


Children's Ministry

Does this church appear kid-friendly? very much so

Did you bring any children with you to the service? no

If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you?


Music and Prayer

How would you describe the music? a little bit old school for my taste and not a energetic as i like but still very good. I still found myself wanting to participate.

Did you enjoy any of it?
yes. i enjoyed worshiping with everyone.

Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? yes. I definitely did. I was blown away by the fac that God had made so many denominations able to work together.

How was it different from what you are used to? it was quieter in general with the vocalist spread out across the stage. also the drummer was in a booth. The music was also a little different than what i am used to. older songs.

Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? no

What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? they were planned as connectors between songs. some of them were genuine and very good but the ones during worship felt very planned.

As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? they probably have the same view of God and people as me. all of the longer prayers were offered by swedes. they really just seemed to veiw God as praise worthy and they wanted to connect people with a loving God.


The Speaker's Presentation

Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? yes both

Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why? yes. they seem like people with interesting stories and very interesting vies on life

Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending? engaged, sincere, professional and humble

Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk? yes. I need to ask for forgiveness and forgive people more readily.

What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?
i really have no suggestions. It was incredible and i was very impressed with Johannes. more than i have been in the past

Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Enjoyable, Thought-provoking,Relevant, Energetic, Credible, Sad, Humorous, Useful, Life-changing, funny,


The Message

What was the main idea of the message? forgiveness

What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking? forgive people and accept forgiveness

Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention? yes, i felt very engaged

Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way? the stories from his life that he told made the message hit home and really made the message realistically applicable

What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?
i honestly was blown away by the presentation and cant think of one without really trying. maybe...no i really don't know

Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught? yes, i will never forget the story about the man that burned his sister

Do you understand God or people better because of it? i understand forgiveness better and i understand how important it is to forgive. I was again reminded of God's grace for me and how he will forgive everyone no matter what. I also better understand the concept of asking for forgiveness.

Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ? yes, but it made me feel like i need to get way better.