'Mystery worshippers' observe churches for company

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - When Ric Winters goes to church on Sunday, he's never a familiar face in the crowd.

He drives into town, often traveling for more than an hour, always wearing his Sunday besta suit, at the very least a coat. He'll stop at a business nearby, maybe a McDonald's or a gas station, and he'll ask employees to point him in the direction of the church, whichever one it may be this week. Do they know where it is? Have they even heard of it?

When he drives up, he notes the church's signage. Are worship times clear and easy to read? Does he know where he should park?

He walks in the church, promptly five minutes before the service begins, and notes the greeter's reception of him. Did they make good eye contact? Were they sincere in their hello?

He sits in a back pew, by himself or with his wife, and observes the music, the atmosphere, the congregation. Are they friendly toward him, a total stranger among them? Is the sermon interesting? Relevant? Well-prepared? Did he feel inspired or like taking a nap?

He then goes home, and with the experience fresh in mind, he completes a survey and sends a photo of the program off to the company paying for him to do this.

Winters has been a "mystery worshiper" for Missouri-based company Faith Perceptions since February of this year. Melanie Smollen, Faith Perceptions' project manager, launched the company about four years ago. The company is hired by churches to bring in mystery guests, who record their first impressions in surveys. Those surveys are translated into data demonstrating what a church may be lacking, and then Melanie works with them to improve in those areas.

What churches really need, she said, is to get inside the minds of the visitors who choose not to return after a first visit.

"We know why people come in when they stay, because we get to ask them," Smollen told the Kokomo Tribune for a story Sunday. "But what we don't know is why people come and don't come back, and we need to know that."

"(Churches) are not-for-profit, but they're supposed to be selling the greatest thing in the world. If they're not connecting with people when they walk in the door, they're not able to do that."

Nearly 5,000 people have been drawn in by the "Get paid to go to church" headline appearing in their local Craigslist listings or in their newspapers. Smollen said the organization primarily seeks out "un-churched" individuals; people who don't have a church they attend on a regular basis. But they do let some regular church-goers participate in studies, as well as people who have never been to church or people who don't have any sort of faith. They submit an application, and once they've been approved, they can sign up to attend services, fill out a survey, and get paid $45 dollars. If a church isn't within a 20-or-so mile range, Faith Perceptions will compensate additional cash for gas.

Though it sounds easy enough, Winters said he's not just sitting pretty. By the time guests have exited a church, they'll have taken mental notes on 16 categories — seating, music, sermon, friendliness, whether random people in the community can point guests to the church, thoroughness of a church's website, whether a mystery guest would ultimately return. The secret guest's notes are invaluable in helping a church realize that its music just isn't connecting to a certain age group, or that its welcoming committee just isn't that welcoming.

"Typically, it's not lack of wanting to be friendly," she said. "Churches can be awkward in that they don't know what to do. There's no malicious intent behind it; they're just clueless. That's why they need some help."

The company has worked with more than 200 churches so far, 66 of which are in Indiana. A ministry will typically choose one of three packages, in which different numbers of mystery worshippers will attend services over a set amount of time. In most instances, only a few members of church leadership are aware of the mystery visits, in hopes of getting the most accurate portrayal of "church as usual," Smollen said.

Steve Clouse, associate director for church development of Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, said the organization has used Faith Perceptions to build some of its member churches. He said some of these churches are going through a redevelopment process.

"Our churches have a mission for reaching people with the message of Jesus," he said. "We are discovering that our churches have barriers, impediments, things that get in the way of us making disciples. We're trying to help our churches remove any obstacle that keeps them from accomplishing our mission. Faith Perceptions helps us identify some of those obstacles, like poor signage or confusing directions or inadequate literature announcements."

Once the visits are complete and the data is tallied, Smollen will give a church concrete suggestions for improvement. Then, they can use the service again to see if those changes have rendered any result. As