Church Rater #2

The Church
What Church did you visit?
Foursquare Church in Gettysburg

What city or town is this Church located?
Gettysburg, PA

What date and service did you attend?
March 15th 11:15 service
Evaluating
How would you rate this church?
Great experience and excellent hospitality. I felt very welcome and i found the service interesting. I was taking a lot of notes until m laptop died


Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: 4 Friendliness 5 Singing 3 Preaching 5
First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find?
not at all, i honestly found there parking lot kind of by accident. If i would not have called and gotten landmark based directions i would have been done. I even called Daniel and Charity to make sure they didn't get lost.

Was it difficult to find parking?
not really. I had to park kind of far away but there was basically one parking lot and that was that. I think i found a spot my first time around. I was early.
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently?
I would try to make it clear if there was any small groups going on during service.I saw signs for stuff but i wasn't sure if these signs were just always up and used for other nights or if i was supposed to utilize them and go to a group that fit my interest. I saw a sign for youth and a sign for men. The sanctuary was easy to find and i don't remember if there was a sign. Better marking of the main entrance would have been nice. I only assumed based on where i saw the greeter and where i saw people coming in and out of.

What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?

It seemed laid back and small. It didn't really communicate anything that i remember. It didn't look like a church but i knew it was one. I assumed they were kind of like us at freedom valley and i can expect to meet the same type of people. The building didn't cause any assumptions. The size of the building indicated to me that it was a small church.

Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway?
yes

If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?
It was cool. I felt like he was really interested to know me but i thought he excitement died down after he realized i was a one time visitor. However, i felt very welcome and comfortable because everyone was ready to answer questions

Can you share their names?
mark

Did you know them before the visit?
talked to him on the phone on my way over


General observations:

As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? It was a lot like Freedom Valley. People just seemed to be there to hang out and learn more about God. Everyone felt very relaxed. Nothing really stuck out as their religious thing. It felt like a service i have been to before. People were greeting each other and enjoying fellowship. It was cool, welcoming and comnfortable.

Were you able to understand why they do what they do?
yes, it was just a small protestant evangelical church. Felt very normal for me

Do they seem sincere? from what i saw yes. everybody was into what they were doing and it didn't feel fake. I was sitting near the front though
What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service)
I thought it flowed well. Like i have said, i never felt awkward. It had a chilled out feel as if they weren't too worried about strict scheduling. It flowed very naturally and was full of down to earth communication by the pastor
Bulletin and communications:

Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?
no, all of it was helpful

If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? nothing really comes to mind. I guess i would use less colors in the bulletin or print in ink the this weeks homework section. I thought the bulletin was good though. I wish it would have had more descriptions of what was going on though

Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)
yes. the pastor went through them. I remember being interested in a men's breakfast

Children's Ministry

Does this church appear kid-friendly? i didnt notice either way

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? good, not as energetic as i like but pretty fun and sincere. I didn't know a couple songs
Did you enjoy any of it?
yes except for the songs i didnt know

Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? yes. I did. Especially during shout to the lord. I love that song and i really worshiped and connected with God

How was it different from what you are used to? It was quieter and had an electronic drumset. It was much more chill than what i am used to.

Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? sometimes

What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? they were sincere and free form. I really thought they were cool and honest prayers to God

As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? They deeply care about people and their relationship with God. They ask for a deep connection of the people to God. they have a similar view of God as i do. They probably encourage sincere prayers and honest communion with God. They veiw God as a loving father that gives grace and deserves true worship.


The Speaker's Presentation

Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? yes
Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why? yes. he seemed nice and like he was well educated and able to engage in interesting conversation. I feel like i could learn a lot about God and life from him. Also, i think he could recommend some good books.

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

Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk? yes. I found myself thinking again about the concept of bringing sacrifice into worship. I liked the comparison between the fellowship offering and worship. I also thought about the idea of worshiping in every little thing i do
What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?
maybe tell more stories or give more examples of how you worship with your life. Give examples of times he has used his life to worship.

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

i used my old church rater because i cant find the original...so this above section is as good as i can do.


The Message

What was the main idea of the message? worship

What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking? worship God in everything i do and understand that all parts of my life are acts of worship

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

Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way? The talk about worship was very interesting and the quotes from books were thought provoking. Some of his jokes about his laziness were nearly offensive. He talked of how he goes home after church and doesnt help his wife with anything and how she does all of it on Sunday afternoons

What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?
as i said: more stories more examples. A little bit more concise teaching. He taught on a lot of stuff and i am not sure i remember most of it. You HAVE to take notes.
Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught? yes, i always want to worship with all of my life

Do you understand God or people better because of it? i now understand that he idea of fellowship offering has been carried over in the way of worship...does my worship look like a sacrifice for fellowship? I love learning about the similarities between how God worked with Israelites and how he works with us

Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ? yes, i want to be educated and be able to apply books and scripture and old testament types that way.