More than community

Church is a community, so church life is a form of community life. But what kind of community should church be? After all, a music appreciation society is a community, but so is an orchestra. Which is most like church?

More than community

I would argue that they are both like church. A music appreciation society is safe, the people are generally like-minded, it doesn't matter too much if you miss a meeting now and again, and it's passive. It's a passive community because it's about listening. It can be fun to do this as part of a group, and there's companionship in enjoying the music together and discussing it afterwards. All of this sounds a lot like the traditional forms of church that are widespread in western nations in the early 21st century.

But perhaps church life should be rather more like an orchestra or a band. If a player fails to turn up, the music will not sound right. The individual players depend very much on one another. Performing in public can be a bit scary; what if you make a bad mistake and let everyone else down? There's the constant need to learn new pieces so that the band has an up-to-date repertoire; that's hard work. Also, practice and performance are not free-for-alls; you must agree to play the same piece together - an orchestra is not a place for lone spirits, prima donnas or show-offs! You will all need to follow the one conductor, and you will need to work together and encourage one another.

This active community sounds quite unlike the traditional forms of church that we are familiar with in the West. But might it sound rather like the early church? Might it sound like the Chinese underground church? What do you think?

Do you want to be part of an appreciation society? Or are you willing to make music rather than just listen to it? There will be more camaraderie in an orchestra than there will ever be in an appreciation society.