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Church visit

June 02, 2023 07:16PM
Months ago I could not remember what site had the church observations. It is Confero
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June 03, 2023 12:51AM
No. It's an MSC that only does church visits. The name escapes me.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
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June 03, 2023 01:28AM
@big_sky_thunder wrote:

Months ago I could not remember what site had the church observations. It is Confero

Yes they did have some church shops in their lineup at one point. I don't know if they still do though.
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June 03, 2023 04:10AM
Faith Perceptions is the one I recall
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June 04, 2023 04:45PM
yes, but with little advance timing, it was 1 day notice for June 3
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June 04, 2023 06:44PM
Faith Perceptions either closed or was taken over. Confero was doing church shops several months ago.
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June 05, 2023 02:27AM
I remember confero doing the upsell at the amusement parks during the summer months. Maybe they are looking for an "upsell" at churches now too :-P

That was a joke just in case anyone wondered. I personally am in favor of churches being shopped, not because I am looking to do one...but most churches won't know why/how someone feels about their experience. Those that like it, obviously return. Those that don't like it, don't come back and the church does not know why. I'm not saying the church needs to change the doctrine to make it more enjoyable...but if someone comes and is ignored by the congregants...that is not a loving/welcoming church.

I attend a church (about 400 people) that the pastor walks around the entire auditorium before church and approaches as many as he can and greets them. I've been to other churches where the pastor(s) cannot be bothered with interacting with the people. I get it's impossible for mega-church pastors to go and greet 1,000 plus people, but there are assistant pastors that could go out and be welcoming.

Anyways...the point is.... how is a church to know how well they are doing if they don't do something like this?
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June 05, 2023 01:16PM
Big Daddy.

I really agree with everything you said about being welcomed.

But did you know that at most baptist churches the pastor gets paid for the size of the congregation?

I've gone to what would be a nice considered a non-denominational church and loved the preacher but also felt pressure to join once I acknowledged I was a new visitor.
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June 10, 2023 01:22AM
As a member of the faith of the denomination that Confero shops or used to shop, It just seems odd that they are shopping those churches. There's a set flow of the service that happens at every single church in that denomination and doesn't allow for a ton of variation. I haven't taken one of these because they aren't available near me but I would love to do one. Just for the heck of trying to figure out what on Earth they're looking for! I go to mass every Sunday and enjoy going to different churches anyway.

I did a couple of shops for Faith Perceptions years ago before they went ceased to exist. They weren't bad and in some cases I thoroughly enjoyed the congregation and the pastor.
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June 10, 2023 07:05PM
I've seen it on Presto.

Confero.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2023 07:06PM by Niner.
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June 10, 2023 08:25PM
The one I did involved a guest priest from a missionary organization (who was being 'shopped' on his ability to portray the organization's mission).
@foodluvr wrote:

As a member of the faith of the denomination that Confero shops or used to shop, It just seems odd that they are shopping those churches. There's a set flow of the service that happens at every single church in that denomination and doesn't allow for a ton of variation. I haven't taken one of these because they aren't available near me but I would love to do one. Just for the heck of trying to figure out what on Earth they're looking for! I go to mass every Sunday and enjoy going to different churches anyway.

I did a couple of shops for Faith Perceptions years ago before they went ceased to exist. They weren't bad and in some cases I thoroughly enjoyed the congregation and the pastor.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
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June 12, 2023 08:50PM
@KathyG wrote:

The one I did involved a guest priest from a missionary organization (who was being 'shopped' on his ability to portray the organization's mission).
@foodluvr wrote:

^^^^^^^^^^^
It's these. They have a missionary visit different parishes and you evaluate things like if they spoke clearly, things they said about their mission, etc. That's why they appear at sporadic/random parishes around the diocese.
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June 13, 2023 06:11PM
It wa. I found the $5 reimbursement for an offering funny. Who only gives God $5? You’re going to the bad place
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June 13, 2023 06:12PM
Oh and how cheap Msc have been they probably wanted a photo of you putting in.
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June 13, 2023 06:53PM
There was a shop where you were supposed to mark the bill with something, which I imagine was for the sake of auditing and making sure someone wasn't skimming off the collection plate.

Also, I used to live in a fairly low income area and things got really bad for some families with covid. some people could only contribute $5, but they would be willing to contribute their time, no shame to people who can't give a lot to a church.

@Ashop wrote:

Oh and how cheap Msc have been they probably wanted a photo of you putting in.
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June 13, 2023 06:56PM
I've seen them and they wanted feedback on if newcomers were greeted, welcomed, etc. Like how hbigdaddy said, the ones who liked it, they will likely return, but someone who went and had no interaction with a regular churchgoer or the pastor, or anyone to welcome them, they may never go back.

@foodluvr wrote:

As a member of the faith of the denomination that Confero shops or used to shop, It just seems odd that they are shopping those churches. There's a set flow of the service that happens at every single church in that denomination and doesn't allow for a ton of variation. I haven't taken one of these because they aren't available near me but I would love to do one. Just for the heck of trying to figure out what on Earth they're looking for! I go to mass every Sunday and enjoy going to different churches anyway.

I did a couple of shops for Faith Perceptions years ago before they went ceased to exist. They weren't bad and in some cases I thoroughly enjoyed the congregation and the pastor.
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June 13, 2023 11:18PM
If I am visiting a strange church, I am NOT going to give my full tithe. And no church should ever shame someone for the amount of money they put in the plate. Because this is a problem with nosey parishoners, the church I used to attend in CA gives every attendee an envelope to put their donation in. You can fill out the info on the outside of the enveloped to get you tax info tracked, or leave it blank to remain anonymous.

It says clearly in the bible that only you should know how much you give. Matthew 6:1-4 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, or then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the Hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you.
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June 14, 2023 03:01AM
Exactly, what @Morledzep quoted from the scriptures.
And Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law, thus "nailing it to the torture stake," (Col. 2:14,15) so even tithing a particular amount is no longer required. No place of worship should expect or dictate what you should give, nor ask for your tax return to determine what you should give.
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June 14, 2023 03:36AM
The Confero shops are not to assess the church itself. Its to assess a visiting priest who is fundraising for a specific mission. Think more of an evaluation of a sales pitch.

@joanna81 wrote:

I've seen them and they wanted feedback on if newcomers were greeted, welcomed, etc. Like how hbigdaddy said, the ones who liked it, they will likely return, but someone who went and had no interaction with a regular churchgoer or the pastor, or anyone to welcome them, they may never go back.

@foodluvr wrote:

As a member of the faith of the denomination that Confero shops or used to shop, It just seems odd that they are shopping those churches. There's a set flow of the service that happens at every single church in that denomination and doesn't allow for a ton of variation. I haven't taken one of these because they aren't available near me but I would love to do one. Just for the heck of trying to figure out what on Earth they're looking for! I go to mass every Sunday and enjoy going to different churches anyway.

I did a couple of shops for Faith Perceptions years ago before they went ceased to exist. They weren't bad and in some cases I thoroughly enjoyed the congregation and the pastor.
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June 14, 2023 06:01AM
My response was mostly to Ashop being judgemental over a $5 donation.
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June 14, 2023 01:54PM
Good to know, I have seen some in my area and would actually visit some different churches to see if they felt like a good fit for me. And at least in this format, the sales pitch wouldn't be a hard sell like a timeshare. lol

@Cassiespark wrote:

The Confero shops are not to assess the church itself. Its to assess a visiting priest who is fundraising for a specific mission. Think more of an evaluation of a sales pitch.

@joanna81 wrote:

I've seen them and they wanted feedback on if newcomers were greeted, welcomed, etc. Like how hbigdaddy said, the ones who liked it, they will likely return, but someone who went and had no interaction with a regular churchgoer or the pastor, or anyone to welcome them, they may never go back.

@foodluvr wrote:

As a member of the faith of the denomination that Confero shops or used to shop, It just seems odd that they are shopping those churches. There's a set flow of the service that happens at every single church in that denomination and doesn't allow for a ton of variation. I haven't taken one of these because they aren't available near me but I would love to do one. Just for the heck of trying to figure out what on Earth they're looking for! I go to mass every Sunday and enjoy going to different churches anyway.

I did a couple of shops for Faith Perceptions years ago before they went ceased to exist. They weren't bad and in some cases I thoroughly enjoyed the congregation and the pastor.
Reply
June 14, 2023 03:19PM
I came looking for an explanation of these shops; couldn't imagine *why* a church would be shopped (I've been shopping 20+ years and had never seen these until this week). I appreciate the explanations given.
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