I just finished reading Jim & Casper Go to Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, and it became an instant favorite. It features two guys touring and rating churches across the Unites States. What makes it especially interesting is that one of them is a former pastor (Jim) and the other one is an atheist (Casper).
It is a great read for making you think. It is a reminder that how you perceive your ministry may not be the same as how those you minister to perceive it. It makes you consider why you do what you do and question if there is a better way to do your ministry. In the foreword, George Barna opens the book saying,
Few religious leaders or churches have any idea what it’s like for an outsider to try to break into the holy huddle. Most churched people have been so immersed in the church world that they have completely lost touch with what it is like to come through the church door and try to fit into a place that has very distinct habits, language, goals, events, titles, architecture, traditions, expectations, and measurements.
I was particularly intrigued by Matt Casper’s perspective (that of a musician and an atheist). Here are a few highlights from his insight:
On slick worship music -
[Jim: "On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate the music?"]
Two stars. That’s all I can do for you here.
For presentation and professionalism, they get a 4 or a 5, but the music is too contrived, too slick, too professional, really.
[Jim: "But that's a good thing, no? That should attract people, right?"]
Maybe people who like American Idol. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I see the entertainment value, but when it comes to music, I like it pure. Too much polish and you lose the heartfelt power, you lose the soul of the music, and you’re not going to move anyone.
On fancy staging -
These guys are actually helping people, and the diversity of the attendees seems to be representative of the urban area where they are located.
I can relate to this part of the church, but I don’t understand why they need to do the big show. Why don’t they just help people and call it good? Why the fog machine, camera crane, multiple screens, PowerPoint, and the lights, lights, lights?
I think the light show and all that, for me anyway, does less to attract and connect me than to disconnect me.
On song lyrics -
[What bothered me is] the massive disconnect between the words on the PowerPoint projection and the stuff I saw in the church.
On good deeds -
To someone like me who doesn’t believe there is a literal God that we’re going to meet someday up in the sky, a God that can’t be proven otherwise… well, to me, proof of good deeds.. count more than anything. That’s evidence that you are following what anybody can read in the Bible.
Even though I don’t believe in God, I see evidence of the idea of God being a good thing…
On the modern church -
What does the way Christianity is practiced today have anything to do with the handful of words and deeds uttered by a man who walked the earth two thousand years ago?
These are just a few of the many thoughts Casper transparently shares throughout the book as he and Jim visit churches like Saddleback Church, Mosaic Church, Willow Creek Community Church, Mars Hill Church, Lakewood Church, and The Potter’s House. So what’s the point of the book? Jim Henderson concludes with this:
Unless we’re willing to remove the handles from the front doors of our churches and publicly say to outsiders, “We don’t care what you think,” the church must become more reflective and repentant about how outsiders perceive us.
Become self-aware.
