Mystery Worshipper: Seoirse
Church:
Gateway Christian Centre, Liverpool
Location: England
Date of visit: Sunday, 27 July 2025, 10:30am
The building
A pretty unassuming building on a street corner at the end of a row of shops. There’s an entrance hall, a main space and a crèche, cry room and toilets next door. The stage was at the front, and there was a trestle table at the back for post-service refreshments.
The church
Gateway took over from a church – Grace Family Church – that had previously been there for many years, at least since the mid-1990s. It was unclear what overlap there was between one congregation and the other, though the pastor told me that the pastor of Grace and his wife now attended Gateway. The congregation had an average age of 35, with a few families and some young children, as well as some people of middle age and post-retirement. It was largely white, with several black families also attending. Almost everyone seemed to be native Scousers.
The neighborhood
The church is between Aigburth and St Michael’s, two pleasant residential suburbs of south Liverpool. As mentioned above, the building was at the end of a row of local shops, and was opposite a public library. It was also a short walk away from Sefton Park, a beautiful public park just outside Liverpool city centre.
The cast
The pastor gave the sermon. His wife gave announcements following opening worship led by a six-strong band. The worship leader led prayer. It being a Pentecostal service, there were also a fair few ad-libs from members of the congregation.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday service.How full was the building?
There were 84 chairs (two sets of 42), and by about 10 minutes into proceedings they were three-quarters full.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
I was greeted on entry by several people, including two ushers who showed me to my seat. The pastor and his wife both separately came and introduced themselves, asked where I was from and what brought me there, and wished me well.
Was your pew comfortable?
It was a standard church-hall chair with a decent amount of cushioning. The chairs had stickers with QR codes on the back (of which more later). 6/10 for my rear end.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
There was a decent amount of chatting, exchanging greetings and trying to calm fussy babies.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘All right, guys, let’s get started!’
What books did the congregation use during the service?
The words of the songs were projected above the stage. The pastor quoted the Bible in his sermon, though I couldn't work out which translation he was using.
What musical instruments were played?
The band consisted of two vocalists, a worship leader on an acoustic guitar, an electric guitarist, a bassist, and the obligatory drummer trapped behind plexiglass like a goldfish at the dentist.
Did anything distract you?
The building was a bit dark and gloomy - and smelt of a combination of damp and B.O.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
As Pentecostal as it gets for a Sunday morning. There was an extended (45 minute) period of worship with contemporary songs. People were singing in tongues. At one point we were invited to get out of our seats and come and stand in front of the stage. Prayer ministry was offered at the end. The church was pretty unsubtly in the line of Bethel, Hillsong and other New Apostolic Reformation and charismatic churches.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
48 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
6 — The pastor sat at a small, high table on the stage (sort of like what you’d sit at if you were waiting for a table to become free at a busy restaurant), but also moved about and came down off the stage at several points. He meandered a bit, joked and chatted to the congregation and called several people out by name – including me. A phrase he used several times (in reference to the Bible) was ‘I didn't write it, I just believe it’.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
The sermon came at the end of an apparently four-week long series on grace and was based primarily on 1 Peter 4:10-11. God gives us the grace to serve one another, and all acts of service – from being on the worship team to getting the coffee – are received equally in God’s eyes. Service should be done quietly, without wishing to be seen by others, and a large part of our service to the church will be in financial giving.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
The time of worship at the start was quite nice. I will admit to occasionally enjoying the odd bit of hands-in-the-air praise. The band was passionate and had a great deal of talent, and were a credit to themselves.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The church is very much in the charismatic/New Apostolic Reformation tradition, meaning there was a strong emphasis on financial giving. The pastor openly and proudly admitted to being a prosperity preacher (he asked, rhetorically, which parent would not want to see their children prosper... theological responses from the Gospels on a postcard, please). For a small and recently-planted church, financial and voluntary support from the congregation is vital to keep the lights on. But Liverpool is a city where huge numbers of people are struggling to get by day to day, and I was rubbed the wrong way by notions that their financial needs would grow in the stewardship of this pastor.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I didn't have much of a chance to look lost. Before and after the service, several people came up to me and introduced themselves. They were a very friendly bunch.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
Costco instant in a paper cup. Among the least appealing I’ve ever had at a church service, but I will forgive them since they are a recent plant. There were two large urns of boiling water that I needed help to work out how to use. Since the pastor had recently celebrated his birthday, there was cake. I had a bit of Swiss roll.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
4 — This isn't my tradition, though the church is handily located for where I’m living at the moment. I don’t think I’d find much to keep me coming, though it would be interesting to see how the church plant goes.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
The worship team did – the sermon did not.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
The pastor a) remembering my name (impressive), b) calling me out during the sermon (slightly unnerving for an Episcopalian), and c) saying he felt like he’d known me his whole life (erm...). Also, a very cute little boy with a toy guitar joining in during the worship.