According to Salvation Army policy for Bands and Songsters, we are not allowed to let someone play in our music forces unless they are saved. I've seen this policy in action cause a positive response from a person. I've also seen it "bent" and seen a similar positive response. For instance:
Person "A" comes to a corps and plays a cornet. They like the band and want to become a part of it. Officer "A" says: "You can't play until you're saved." So person "A" takes the challenge and comes to the corps regularly, seeks after God and finally gets saved. Then they join the band. Hurrah!
Person "B" comes to a corps and plays a cornet. They like the band and want to become a part of it. Officer "B" says: "We welcome your talents into our group." So person "B" joins in, is regularly surrounded by good witness, becomes interested in God and eventually gets saved. Hurrah!
Which one is better? What should our policy be in these circumstances? I have a good idea (which you might hear about in a later post), but what do you think?
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7 comments:
Well, point "A" could either get them coming back(and getting saved), or leaving upset that the church has so many rules. Point "B" could either get them in the band right away(and getting saved), or realizing that the band(no band in particular!)may not be the hub of spirituality that they need - pushing them farther away from being saved.
I don't know where we should be...I stepped out of my Corps band this year!
i've stepped out of my corps band for the year as well.....seems to be a lot of that going on.
I think........that there is far too much elitisim in banding. period. on way too many levels.my knee jerk reaction would be to do away with the rule. If a person is coming to the church, a proven way to get them to stay is to give them a job...a responsibility. why does the band have to be so "holy" that it can't be a draw and a responsibility. that's what's wrong with banding....the exclusivity of it.
*ok, my rant is over now*
Yes Christin, there is a lot of leaving going on...there is noone under the age of 24 in my Corps band(but that's another issue!) - I think however, that having people come to church(and continue coming)and throwing(I realize you didn't use that word)them into a job is part of the problem with the Army these days. Whenever someone new, with any sort of talent comes in we drop programs into their laps and discipleship is thrown out the window!
Maybe, when it comes to the band, a person could come to practices and surround themselves with the "good witness" there. They can still seek after God and get saved, while enjoying time playing. There will never be an easy answer to this one!
i think that if we went with b, it would cause our band members to "walk the walk" more if they thought of band os an outreach. i think it would be a good outreach, but people would have to purposely go for souls. i could see it happening where in person b's case, they join the band, and see how the band members live and realize it's not that big a deal to live right. so...i think it'd be cool to invite anyone to join and then use it as an outreach...yknow, to have a reason to have a band.
OK, let me add another twist into the mix: what if we were talking about a "Praise & Worship Team" instead of the band. Should the people leading worship be saved?
Remember, this is supposed to be the same case with the band. They are "leading worship" too.
Ok so this question actually comes with a story attached. Of course as you know Old Orchard has quite a good Senior Band. We play pretty well and the music that we play blesses the hearts of those in our Congregation. But there is one person who just plays because he has a bunch of conceit in his heart and only plays to show how good he is. He says he only comes because his parents make him come. He's also a Senior soldier and that also bugs me to no end. He leads a double life and I know this because I went to High School with him and he is living in the ways of this world which God tells us not to do in Romans 12:2. So I say that they should be saved to be able to play in the band because the witness that he's getting with us is going in one ear and out the other. I also say you MUST be a Christian to be a Senior Soldier. I know that I have broken some of the promises I made when I was enrolled, but I've already been forgiven and it's in the past. I don't need to dwell on what God's already saved me from. God needs to definitely be present in one's life before they can even think of leading others in worship. It's not a performance. It's a Spiritual act of worship with the talent God has given us which he can easily take away if he feels it's right.
~Shannon~
I love this question! I come from a very different perspective on this since I fell into the category of letter "B". I certainly was not saved when I started playing in bands at the corps (though not the senior band- so that's a point worth noting). I had been playing in high school for a long time so it was an awesome point of contact for me since it gave me a sense of community as well as offered me a way to reach God in a language I already knew: Music! Having low self-esteem, being part of the music forces at the corps helped me to grow (and stick around!) in a way that might not have happened otherwise. And maybe that's not the purpose of banding, but it did bring glory to God!
I'm also kind of a special case because I play the saxophone. People feel differently about this since it's not *technically* (ha ha!) a brass instrument. Anyway, the Bandmasters inclusion of me in the band (even after I was saved asking me to play in the senior band) made all the difference in the world to me!! I see it as a way God used him to bless me. And praise God he uses my instrument to bless others!!
How many teenagers do we get coming to the corps who already know an instrument that's not brass?? It's something I spend quite a bit of time thinking about.
I treasure the opportunity to worship God through my saxophone with a community of bandsmen! I am so thankful for it!
So I don't think that answers your question, But it's got me thinking!!
Blessings,
Krista
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