Slide was well-received by critics at the time. Tony Cummings, writing for Cross Rhythms, said that "[the] Choir's albums are of a consistent quality whatever the current line up and this could turn out to be their best," and added that, "the visionary title track and the billowing 'Restore My Soul' [...] are intelligent alternatives to the cliché strewn vistas of much CCM." The Choir also received a number of end-of-year accolades from a variety of Christian publications – most notably, CCM Magazine, where the Choir was chosen by readers as the best alternative rock band for a second year in a row. Retrospectively, the album's positive assessment has only grown. Barry Alfonso, writing in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music, stated that Circle Slide "surrounded such expressions of faith as 'Merciful Eyes' and 'Restore My Soul' with a spacey sort of pop/rock that was definitely ahead of its time." John Joseph Thompson in his book Raised by Wolves: The Story of Christian Rock & Roll agreed, saying that with Circle Slide, the Choir "simply soared." Mark Allan Powell's assessment of Circle Slide in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music was more scholarly, writing that "the album opens with a seven and-a-half minute opus that doesn't sound very happy, but actually expresses a hopeful philosophy of life." He added that "the song is immediately offset by the next tune, 'If I Had a Yard,' which reveals that the band members' check-to-check existence does not yet afford them suburban circumstances that allow room for a swingset (or a circle slide)." Powell pointed out that this conflict was informed by the band's Episcopalian leanings, which reflect "an appreciation for existentialist realism and an understanding of dialectical tensions." Mark Allender, writing for AllMusic, called Circle Slide the band's "strongest effort" with "lyrics that are stronger than ever," and summed up, saying, "the only thing wrong with this recording is that there is simply not enough of it. Clocking in at under 40 minutes, the music leaves the listener hungry for more." Accolades CCM Magazine No. 1 Favorite Rock/Alternative Artist or Band No. 2 Rock/Alternative Album Campus Life Album of the Year Harvest Rock Syndicate Artist of the Year Alternative Album of the Year Song of the Year ("Restore My Soul") Notebored Magazine No. 3 Album of the Year Alternative Artist of the Year Legacy Circle Slide was the inspiration for the name