'Church Hunters' Makes Fun of Christians Shopping for Churches (Video)
Comedian John Crist is parodying the way many young people shop for churches today with two new "Church Hunters" episodes that many Christians find sad but true.
Taking a cue from HGTV's "House Hunters," "Church Hunters" follows a young couple in their search for a new church in the new city they moved to. And they want to make sure everything meets their exact needs.
"We like serious yet funny, commanding on stage yet relatable," says Nick as he describes the type of preacher he wants.
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"The humor of Andy Stanley with the body of Steven Furtick," Molly, Nick's girlfriend, adds. Molly attended a satellite campus and found it hard to connect emotionally with a video screen.
And the couple want the sermon to sound more "like a TED talk with a Bible verse."
"In terms of worship, I think we're looking for a Jesus culture type feel," Nick says. "Like Bethel minus the spontaneous stuff. I connect in worship more when the leader is attractive. Personally, I'm a Kari Jobe guy."
The first church they visit — Creekside First Baptist — is a traditional but "pretty current" church. "Just this year, the pastor started untucking his shirts," host Cory Clark tells the couple, noting the pastor is past the "Osteen suit phase" but not yet "full Giglio."
The couple reject the traditional church, saying they don't like: the name First Baptist (they prefer names like Thrive or Relevant), the inability to tweet the pastor's main point because it's more than 140 characters, and the "traditional vibe." Plus, they drink.
The second church they visit is a modern megachurch with a 6,000-seat sanctuary. The draw? It identifies as "interdenom-nondenominational," celebrities attend the church, and the pastor preaches from "the Tumblr Bible" translation.
Satirizing how people tend to make it all about themselves when choosing churches, the second episode shows Nick imagining himself in the worship band and on the jumbotron.
"You know how many Instagram likes you'll get?" Molly says.
And even though the megachurch offers five different service times from morning to evening, it still doesn't fit the couple's schedule who prefer a 2:00 p.m. service.
Also to their disliking is the number of worship songs that are sung during services (five is too many) and the fact that the pastor did not "immediately respond" when Nick emailed him.
In the end, the couple rejects the megachurch as well.
Watch the latest episode, released Monday, below.
