church rater #3 March 29th, 2009

The Church
What Church did you visit?
VFCC chapel

What city or town is this Church located?
Outside of Philidelphia.

What date and service did you attend?









Evaluating
How would you rate this church?


Please provide ratings based on your own experience. Yes, I realize this is subjective and your '1′ might be someone else's '5′. That's ok. It's your rating and I really want your opinion.
Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: _____4______ Friendliness _____4________ Singing ______5______ Preaching ____3_____

First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find? Yes, it was part of the Valley Forge campus.
Was it difficult to find parking?No, we walked.
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently? No.
What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?
That it was a nice place that focused on music and learning about God.
Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway? No, but I was there as part of breakaway.
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?
The worship team was very into God and into the spirit, but a lot of teenagers there were not.
Were you able to understand why they do what they do? Yes, I could.

Do they seem sincere? Very much so.

What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service) It went through smoothly, not much trouble with that, which is could, because it went unnoticed.


Bulletin and communications:

Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?
I did not receive one, I don't believe they use bulletins.
If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? Maybe simply to have some communication, but since it was a retreat there was information everywhere.

Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)? I didn't think there were announcements.


Children's Ministry

Does this church appear kid-friendly? No, it was a college chapel.

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? Modern, but with a hint of toning back the modern because of the retreat, I think.

Did you enjoy any of it?Yes, very much.

Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? Yes, but since there were so many teenagers and rowdy folk, it was tough.

How was it different from what you are used to? More people, and a few things like focus were missing for the audience.

Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? Not as much as other places, but I can see myself there.

What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? They were well spoken, intriguing.

As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? They are very AG there, but I didn't hear any praying in tongues, which for me, would've been nice.


The Speaker's Presentation

Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? Likable, yes.

Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why? Probably not, I see a lot of smoke and not a lot of plan, which I like to see the smoke, but I need to the plans too.
Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending?
Yes, to all but condescending.
Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk?
Not really.
What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?
I just don't enjoy his (Reggie Dabbs) Style of preaching.
Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Boring(probably only my point of view, he does a great job at getting the kids involved with his sermon), Relevant, Gloomy, Energetic, Credible, Slow, Sad, Upbeat, Humorous, Life-changing, funny,


The Message

What was the main idea of the message? God's view of us.

What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking? Salvation with God

Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention? No, but it was because I've heard that type of sermon before.

Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way? A negative way may be that he embelished a few of his stories for more relevance.

What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?
No offense, but I feel like someone who is preaching to others about Godly living should have a healthier body, and he did not. I also understand that no one is perfect, but it bothers me.
Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught?
In the end, probably not.
Do you understand God or people better because of it?
no, I wouldn't say so.
Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself?
Yes, it made me want to preach.