Searching: I’ve been looking for a church that projects relevance to my stage of Christian development. In this quest I have visited and worshiped with many streams of religious persuasion. Assuming this may be an issue for many in the Anchorage area, I offer in this blog brief accounts of my visits. The criteria I use in evaluating my visits are:
• Did the church project friendliness and warmth?
• Did I truly feel welcomed?
• Did I relate to the main teaching and was it delivered effectively?
• Did music merely entertain or did it deepen the worship experience?
Map to churches I have visited.
My email: churchvisits@gmail.com
Chris Thompson, an amateur biblical scholar and student of religions, is a member of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society for Biblical Literature (SBL). He enjoys AAR/SBL where he studies, first hand, with worldwide religious scholars. A management consultant, skilled in all aspects of 360-degree feedback programs and human resource management systems, he practices these skills as Workforce Consulting. He lives in Anchorage.
ON THE WEB
Google map with visited churches
As I visit churches, I'll post their locations on this map.
Coming...Christian Church of Anchorage - 9/3/2008 1:38 pm
Podcasts/Godcasts...The Darker Side Pt. 2 - 8/30/2008 12:33 pm
Christ Community Church…A Somewhat Closed Experience - 8/21/2008 9:55 am
Can a Podcast be a Godcast? Part 1 - 8/16/2008 7:47 pm
Youth Lead Sunday Evening Service…A Pleasant First! - 8/12/2008 4:09 pm
Anchorage City Church…Charismatically Quiet - 8/4/2008 11:02 pm
But what about theology? - 7/30/2008 1:42 pm
Holy Family Cathedral: Warm, Friendly and Catholic - 7/26/2008 9:50 pm
Foreign missionaries to the U.S. or even Alaska, can it be true? - 7/22/2008 2:46 pm
First church I've visited not using musical instruments, but they can sing! - 7/16/2008 10:39 am
Protestantism Declining, Catholicism Steady, and No Religious Affiliation Rising According to Pew Forum Report - 7/10/2008 4:33 pm
Surprised at Abbott Loop Community Church - 6/28/2008 10:52 am
N.T. Wright, a New Testament Scholar Worth Discovering - 6/27/2008 4:56 pm
St. Mary's Episcopal Church...Reserved But Warm - 6/20/2008 8:52 am
Is it Unrealistic for a Visitor to Expect a Warm Welcome? - 6/19/2008 6:14 pm
Rabbit Creek Community Church: Warm and Welcoming - 6/14/2008 4:07 pm
It's About Time...To Post Worship Service Times Prominently on Church Websites - 6/12/2008 9:48 am
Faith...It's Not Just a Religious Term - 6/10/2008 2:57 pm
Five Church Visits Down - Pause for Reflection - 6/4/2008 11:00 pm
ABT - Is Bigger Better? - 5/27/2008 4:20 pm
Huddling with the Congregationals - 5/23/2008 2:00 pm
Changes Coming to ChangePoint? - 5/19/2008 10:24 pm
SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 - 1:38 PM
Invited by a member, I was intrigued by this small community church. Come see why.
AUGUST 30, 2008 - 12:33 PM
While researching my previous post on podcasting, I uncovered podcast concerns Christians may want to consider when using this useful technology.
1. Be aware of pseudo religious podcasts
The iPod Alley listing of over 2,500 Religion & Spirituality podcasts, for example, contains many Pagan podcasts in their top 50 listing. Pagan and Wiccan podcasts total 120 of iPod Alley's listings. Both of these streams of belief are contrary to Christian, Jewish, and Islamic belief structures.
AUGUST 21, 2008 - 9:55 AM
Christ Community Church Sign on 100th AvenueI had been intrigued by a church in the Campbell Lake area on 100th just west of Minnesota. I’d passed it a number of times on my way to a teaching assignment. After investigating I discovered it was Christ Community Church and paid them a visit on August 10.
Cool Arrival
Entering the church I passed through a small knot of members absorbed in busy conversation but too busy to note a visitor and extend a greeting. I picked up a bulletin from a table by the door into the sanctuary and took a seat. Finding I’d picked up two bulletins, I went back to return the extra one only to rediscover I must be invisible as still no one spoke to me. After sitting again, an older member, ambling down the aisle stopped and introduced himself extending a greeting. Another member also came over greeting me before the start of the service.
AUGUST 16, 2008 - 7:47 PM
The iPod and other portable mp3 audio devices have revolutionized the transmission of recorded material. I consider this to be especially significant for the Christian community. Many churches now release recordings of sermons and other talks in Podcast form offering potential visitors or even members, the ability to hear the type and style of message without attending a service.
I’m surprised only 5 of the 13 churches I’ve visited and blogged so far distribute their sermons in this manner. (See below for related iPod/mp3 sermon availability status. If I’ve made errors in this listing, I’ll correct them if brought to my attention.)
AUGUST 12, 2008 - 4:09 PM
Recently I blogged my visit to Church of Christ South Anchorage. Despite favorable or unfavorable visit experiences, it's unusual to be invited back by a visited church. Despite that norm, I did receive an invitation for a return visit, for a Sunday evening service, from Willard Holliday, pastor. I took him up on it.
Not Your Ordinary Presenters
What was so unusual about my return visit was the service was entirely led by youth of this remarkable church. Ranging in age from 11 to 18, they shared in the responsibilities of leading an inspiring service. I counted nine (9) participants leading music, praying, reading scripture, and officiating over the Lord’s Supper.
AUGUST 4, 2008 - 11:02 PM
City Church - Sign on Side of Church - (Main Sign Missing)I’ve long intended to attend Anchorage City Church. I was intrigued during my Abbott Loop visit when Dick Iverson mentioned he needed to finish his sermon as he was due to speak at City Church that day at 12. The City Church main webpage used to descirbe what one might expect during a visit. However, it had been removed prior to my visit. A charismatic church experience was suggested in the previous verbiage on the website. Not having a charismatic background, but prepared to be a witness in worship, I was traveling blind. I arrived at 11:50 A.M. July 27 for the 12 p.m. service.
JULY 30, 2008 - 1:42 PM
Some comments to this blog have expressed concerns that I need to designate my theology and then pick a church based on that theology. As I see it, they are concerned I may visit their church and comment on it when it may be contrary to my theology. So, their point is I should pick a theology and then pursue a church to fit this theology – end of story.
This is more easily said than done and suggests a dogmatic view of religion. If it's that simple, any of us could pursue BeliefNet's "Belief-O-Matic. Answer 20 questions and you will be told what religion you are practicing or should be practicing. Wow!
JULY 26, 2008 - 9:50 PM
Holy Family Cathedral SignageWhile not a stranger to Roman Catholic services, I don’t often attend their services, due in part, to my Protestant background. One of the responses to my blog suggested I visit Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Anchorage. I put this suggestion in the hopper and finally visited the church on July 13. Located downtown at 5th and H, it is a prominent local landmark. There are many rites within the Catholic Church. A call to the church office confirmed Holy Family follows the Roman Rite .
JULY 22, 2008 - 2:46 PM
Did you know that many foreign countries have begun to send missionaries to Europe and the United States? This is due, in part, to some of the same religious shifts documented in my July 10 blog post sparked by the Pew Forum study released earlier this year. Additionally, Anchorage Daily News Columnist Julia O’Malley, in her recent front page article, Believe it or not, Alaska's one of nation's least religious states , uncovered another underlying reason from the same Pew Forum study - that Alaska's church attendance is among the lowest in the U.S.
JULY 16, 2008 - 10:39 AM
S Anchorage Church of Christ SignChurch of Christ South Anchorage was selected for a visit as a result of an article I discovered while researching church music. Churches of Christ, the article noted, did not believe in the use of musical instruments in church services, only using acapella singing. So, July 6 found me entering the church just prior to 11:00 a.m. They were singing the first hymn.
JULY 10, 2008 - 4:33 PM
Protestantism is on the decline, according to the Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey released in February 2008. In fact, since the 1970's, Protestant numbers have dramatically slipped from 65% to 51% of total U.S. Population as measured in 2006 by General Social Surveys.
Challenges for Catholics
Catholics, according to the Pew study, are losing members out the back door, but holding steady overall due to the influx of Catholic immigrants, especially from Latin America. The data further show 10% of American's are now reported as being former Catholics.
JUNE 28, 2008 - 10:52 AM
Abbott Loop Community Church's Sign on the SE Corner of Lk. Otis & AbbottJune 22, 10:50 a.m., dodging raindrops to get to the entrance of Abbott Loop Community Church before getting soaked, I saw someone coming toward me with a handful of umbrellas. He was spraying out "Good Mornings" exuberantly. I thought "praise the Lord". But it was not to be. Whoever he was, he had a great idea, but sailed on past me with a fair young maiden in his sights. I assumed she was a known church member. Thus, a visit rich with surprises quickly began.
JUNE 27, 2008 - 4:56 PM
As a follow-up to my story on St. Mary's Episcopal Church, I want to introduce readers of every religious persuasion to N.T. Wright, a biblical scholar of depth who makes the bible so much more understandable. He is the Church of England's (British counterpart of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.) Bishop of Durham.
N.T. Wright, Noted Biblical Scholar, Lecturer, and Bishop of Durham, England
One of World's Top Biblical Scholars
JUNE 20, 2008 - 8:52 AM
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Sign on Tudor Rd Announces Church EntranceYears ago, I attended a wedding at beautifully-sited St. Mary's Episcopal Church located on the small rise on the SW corner of the intersection of Lake Otis Blvd. and Tudor Road. The picture windows behind the modern alter/communion table look out over the Chugach Range, providing one of the most beautiful scenes a church can offer (think clear sunny days for the full effect here). I vowed to return to experience a worship service. Years later on Sunday, June 15, I entered this church to worship at the 10 a.m. service in fulfillment of my vow.
JUNE 19, 2008 - 6:14 PM
When blogging, you open yourself up to the world. Some recent blog comments and communications stated strong personal biases against my evaluation of churches using my posted criteria.
What About My Welcome
One commenter noted that my "...search should be for truth – the ONE truth – not a warm and fuzzy welcome." But, that's not what my visit criteria states on the right side of this webpage. The commenter further went on to state "Jesus’s walk on the earth had nothing to do with warm greetings, music quality, or his ‘personal walk’."
JUNE 14, 2008 - 4:07 PM
Rabbit Creek Community Church SignA recent story about Rabbit Creek Community Church in the Anchorage Daily News, Church expansion sends city to court, piqued my curiosity. Consequently I moved my visit to this church forward on my visit schedule. I'm very glad I did!
Wow! What a Welcome!
Without a doubt this is the friendliest church I've visited so far in Anchorage. During my visit on June 8, I was warmly and genuinely greeted four times before I reached my seat. Within minutes of being seated I was greeted again by a man who, making his way to his seat forward, was shaking hands in greeting as he moved forward. I really was impressed by the sincerity of each greeting.
JUNE 12, 2008 - 9:48 AM
In previous posts I've noted the importance of determining the church service time options for the church you intend to visit. The yellow pages are not a great option due to schedule changes, e.g. summer worship schedules, and once-a-year updating. This leaves each churches website as the next best option for finding this information.
My findings
I took an indepth look at the websites for the six church visits posted so far and found a mixed bag. I urge every church webmaster or web designer to make prominent posting of church worship times a first priority in design and updating. I've listed my findings below. I took the liberty of scoring website performance for church service time availability by church. By clicking on the bolded church name, you will also be taken to each website to see for yourself.
JUNE 10, 2008 - 2:57 PM
This simple sign on Wisconsin Ave. identifies Faith Christian Community's complex.In West Anchorage on Wisconsin just north of Lake Hood, there is an unassuming building going deep into the lot. The only identification is a simple sign with Faith Christian Community displayed. Close to that sign is another with the times of worship noted. On March 16 I turned my car into the parking lot for the 11 a.m. service. There is ample parking here, although I was quite a way back in the rear parking lot.
JUNE 4, 2008 - 11:00 PM
Comments have been surprising
After posting five church visit writeups, I thought a blog post for reflection was appropriate. Overall, there has been a positive reaction to this blog. A number of readers have shared that the blog helps them in their search for a church, and what they might expect when they attend a new one. 
Aurora Play by Chris ThompsonI've been pleasantly surprised by the overall balanced tone of many of the comments to my posts and the comments of others. It seems as though there are genuine Christian attitudes out there. Unfortuantely a few commenters have used the blog as an attack vehicle. However, I think it underscores some of the dysfunctionality I experience in the churches I visit. It's there and it's real, but on a relatively small scale.
MAY 27, 2008 - 4:20 PM
ABT's bright attention-getting sign on Northern Lights announces many types of events and services.No mistake about it... it was mega-church time when I visited the Anchorage Baptist Temple on April 27, 2008. Everything is BIG and reminded me of a movie set. Huge church auditorium, bright lights, TV camera’s, large screen monitors, set-like displays, lots of color and many people.
My welcome
Three people greeted me before I reached my seat, but it felt like I was being greeted as though it were a job without much passion. I was just one of thousands and had no connection. Part of this may be due to the huge crush of people attending the one 11 a.m. Sunday morning worship service.
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