Each year, I have opportunity to visit a small number of churches on a given Sunday morning as I am generally serving at my own church. In this case, I found myself in Las Vegas after completing a recent vacation period of camping with family just north and east of the metropolitan area.

I enjoy being a clandestine church shopper and observing, while still showing due humility and deference to the institution, the mechanics, hospitality, and style that each offers. Sometimes the service is dynamic checking all the boxes; sometimes it can feel lifeless, staid, or sadly uninspired.

These observations are not so dissimilar from our collective consumer mentality. We are programmed to be served and want, sometimes demand, great customer services and products. We may carry this outlook with us as we enter a place of holiness, sacredness, and worship. In fact, it is now common to see reviews and ratings for churches as a part of the website search process. Imagine that; we decide if the people and product meet our needs and report back to the community at large. Strange indeed.

Setting this aside for a moment, something happens for me between the website search for a good fit and the actual attending of the church I settle upon namely, will I follow through and go and, if not, why not? Several reasons seem evident.

First, even as a pastor of many years, I still have the initial discomfort in attending a church I am, at best, only website familiar. Perhaps it is human nature to have one’s guard up, to wish to remain anonymous, or to not want attention drawn to oneself. This is especially true in smaller churches. Maybe you can identify, too.

Second, every church is nuanced in its liturgy. Some churches are quite formal while an ever-increasing number focus on a casual atmosphere. Most churches have elements in common such as music, prayer, and teaching, but, again, the styles vary enough to cause us to know that we are outsiders looking in.

Third, and in contrast to my point regarding anonymity, I do want some friendliness and hospitality. After all, if I am attending a given church, I am there to be a part of a larger group who, presumably, share my spiritual bent. I desire to be among kin otherwise “I am a rock; I am island” as Paul Simon once sang. It is a tricky balance.

Finally, I must overcome the temptation to mentally evaluate like the online reviewers. As I am wont to notice my surroundings, I read bulletins and boards with fervor, notice items in disrepair, and observe the general atmosphere with a keen eye. This alone makes my spiritual endeavor subordinate to consumerism and not a wise practice.

C.S. Lewis remarked, “The perfect church service, would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.” True enough.

Kent Simmons is the pastor of Canyon Community Church in Kingman, AZ.