Mystery Worshipper Initiative to Reveal Real Church Life in London

Introduced by the Ship of Fool magazine, the first ever mass Mystery Worshipper Sunday will take place in London on 20th April. Known as "Mystery Worshipper", more than 50 volunteers are commissioned to walk into churches in central and greater London in a bid to investigate church life from the most objective angle of an outsider.

The event is sponsored by the National Christian Resources Exhibition. It is the brainchild of the Editor of Christian webzine Ship of Fool Simon Jenkins, who borrowed the idea from Mystery Shopper.

Just as the market researchers are sent out by corporations like Asda and Tesco to check their own stores, Mystery Worshippers will join a church that they have never been to before secretly and experience the worship service. Then they will file a report based on a wide range of aspects, for example, the comfort of pews, warmth of welcome, length of sermon, style of music and even whether the after-service coffee has been fairly traded.

The initiative Mystery Worshipper has proved so popular since its launch in April 1998. The 1,000th Mystery Worshipper report is expected to be published on Palm Sunday (20th March). This year’s first ever Mystery Worshipper Sunday on 24th April has been touted as a day that all churches will be on their toes.

Editor Jenkins said that many churches have taken the criticism in the report of Mystery Worshipper very well and have tried their very best to improve.

This time all the reports will be published simultaneously two weeks after the Mystery Worshipper Sunday. An award presentation ceremony is going to be held on the opening day of the National Christian Resources Exhibition on Tuesday 10th May at the Sandown Park Exhibition Centre, Surrey. The following will be awarded:

- Best overall church
- Best sermon
- Warmest welcome
- Best use of music
- Best service against the odds (for small, inner-city congregations)
- Best fair trade-conscious church
- Best church magazine

Ship of Fools is well-known for its creativity in exploring a fresh presentation of church. Last year, it created the world’s first online virtual 3D church - the Church of Fools - as an experiment for building a 21st century congregation in cyberspace. It proved to be very successful with an average of between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors a day.

To take part as one of the army of Mystery Worshippers, please go to shipoffools.com.