If you have any interest in attracting unchurched people to your church - or to the Christian faith, for that matter - you will find this book interesting. Attracting people to a conventional church is a greater challenge than ever - as is the difficulty of keeping them engaged in the process.

Jim and Casper Go to Church tells of the adventure of Jim Henderson and Matt Casper. Each is interesting in his own rite. Jim Henderson has been a megachurch pastor and is the director of a ministry called Off-the-Map, which stimulates spiritual discussions among people from all corners of the faith universe. Jim garnered national attention when he "rented" a soul for $504 on E-Bay after its owner offered an "open mind" to the highest bidder. In this book Jim interacts with another atheist he “rented” to take a nationwide road trip in visiting a dozen of America’s churches, including some well-known (such as Saddleback, Willow Creek and Lakewood) and some little-known. Jim wanted to document the "first impressions" of a non-believer at those places. The book offers an intimate and frank dialogue between an atheist and a believer, helping us to see church anew through the eyes of a skeptic, and tracks the development of an amazing relationship between two men with diametrically opposing views of the world who agree to respect each others’ experience.

Matt Casper is no stranger to the Christian world, having worked for one of the leading Christian outreach ministries, although he was an avowed atheist even then. Engaging and articulate, Matt agreed to the process, knowing that Jim’s intention was not to convert him, but the understand him and his perceptions. Matt gamely entered each of the churches Jim designated for the journey and agreed to describe his experience, akin to being a foreigner entering places unknown. His articulate and insightful reactions within each church visited should captivate your mind and challenge some of your assumptions about what we do, why we do what we do, and how we do things in our churches.

Among the elements you will read in their journey are the following:

• What was, and how compelling was, the call to action?
• How was the Word of God integrated into practical examples of living the faith?
• What prior knowledge and belief did the church assume attenders possessed?
• Was the church more interested in conversation or conversion? In dialogue or debate?
• How accessible was the heart and mind of the ministry?
• What makes a church genuine and authentic in its interaction with people?
• Is the church engaging people or performing for them?
• How realistic is the teaching? Is it the result of proof-texting or contextualization?
• How honest are Christians about the cost of following Christ?
• What is the church’s capacity for listening?
• Is this a body of believers who are more interested in serving or in being served?

  On their journey across America’s churches, Matt Casper saw it all: light shows, fog machines, worship bands, extended offerings, traditions observed. At one point, his incredulity broke through, as he asked, "Is this what Jesus told you guys to do?". If you can handle such blunt challenges, you will find this book a fast, fun, and fulfilling read. Jim and Casper’s articulate, sometimes humorous, and always insightful conversation offers Christians a new view of an environment in which we’ve become overly comfortable: the local church.

  Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will learn much from this fascinating trip to a sample of the outposts of American Christianity. Keep in mind, as Matt points out during this trek to the holy hot spots, it’s not what you know but what you do with what you know that matters.