K
Actually I know a of a pastor who did just this. He disguised himself and sat outside the church door and was largely ignored. The congregation was obviously shocked when they recognized their pastor and more than embarrassed at the sermon they got that morning.
When I was in ministry we use to sing a song and the gist of it was "in the shadow of the church steeple, people are dying." That song always brought a lot of tears to people's eyes. I'm not judging people here, but from my travels most of the church has a very small view when it comes to reaching out beyond the church doors. I would always get annoyed at churches who wanted to have an "outdoor service" and they would have it in the parking lot of their church. smh We sang in public parks, we sang in grocery parking lots where allowed, and sometimes just on the street. I recall we sang at one of the Salvation Army churches in downtown Toronto, in Canada. The pastor, well major, who had asked us there warned us that there might be drug addicts, prostitutes, pimps there that night. My sister and I were fairly young, just out of our teens, we didn't know what to expect. The room filled and people had coffee and sat for the service. I can tell you I never ministered before a more attentive or respectful group of people. No one moved or said anything until the call to the alter where many came and were prayed with. I will never forget that night or those people for as long as I live.
I grew up in a ministry situation. First my parents and then my sister and I joined them. But my parents were always inviting people home. One year they asked a single mom to spend all Christmas with us. Her husband had left her for another woman. She had four children. She was new to the church and my parents didn't want her alone on Christmas. So they brought them to our house and made room for everyone to sleep. They even bought gifts for the kids and we were not well to do people. Today those kids are adults and they think the world of my parents. They are all in church with kids of their own. But the story doesn't end there. Many years later we did a service and the father of those children attended the service with his wife and they both got saved! The kids had a reunion with their dad who was now a believer and did his best to make amends before he died several yrs later.
So I say all that not to brag on my family because it's certainly not anything of our power, but God's. It's just a testimony and a reminder that people are dying every day in the shadow of some church steeple somewhere. And we all need to be more aware of those that need the Lord outside the church doors. I believe if Jesus came back today to "visit" the last place you'd find him is in a church, or on Christian tv shows. He'd be walking among the lost and the homeless. I think the Salvation Army does the best work reaching the lost, as I witness in my travels. I'll post the song below, always made me think every time we performed it. In the shadow of the steeple someone needs Jesus, it's our job to find them and help them on that journey.
Shadow of the Steeple
Sunday morning sunshine, bathing the land.
Sunday morning people, with Bibles in their hand.
He wonders why, they pass him by
And walk around him, on the street.
To shade the light, that replaced the night,
He cups his hands to see.
In the Shadow of the Steeple, Somone's crying
Does anybody care, can't you hear him crying
In the Shadow of the Steeple, Someone's Crying.
The preacher talks, about the needs
In a distant land.
He says folks, are dying over there
We need to lend a hand.
Its getting late, let's pass the plate,
Just do the best you can.
Then the congregation rises, for their final, A-men
In the Shadow of the Steeple, Somone's crying
Does anybody care, can't you hear him crying
In the Shadow of the Steeple, Someone's Crying.
The cold Blue Steel, He clutches Fast.
And he points it the place,
Where the shadow of the steeple,
Is resting on his face
He feels the sting, the bells ring
As he stumbles, and goes down
But folks, just shake their heads,
As they walk away, from the figure on the ground
And in the shadow of the steeple, someone's dying,
Does anybody care, cant you hear him crying
In the shadow of the Steeple, someones dying
And in the Shadow's of our Steeples. souls are dying
Does anybody care. cant you hear them crying
Souls are out there dying, we need to listen for their crying.
Need to reach out to the people, out their underneath our steeple's,
Dont let the shadow of your Steeple, find someone dying.
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I would be excited to have found a fellow oyster! 
