Country Church

From 15 May

Rural Church Near Nanjing - May 2011

Clambering off the bus along a highway, just outside the city of Nanjing, we made our way toward the steeple rising above the agricultural land around us.

Nearing the church compound, we were greeted as guests by the choir with singing and the clapping of hands. We were welcomed in by a parish elder and were offered an abundant meal of local specialties - dumplings, duck tongue, and a goose/swan meat dish (the translation on that last one wasn't really that clear).

Where the formality, professionalism, and high-tech efficiency of our Sunday at Haidian Christian Church were reminiscent of what one would find in any number of larger urban or suburban protestant or evangelical congregations in the United States, the songs, the food, the hospitality and generosity offered to us on this Sunday instantly brought to mind my experiences visiting rural preaching points in Tanzania, albeit in a decidedly Chinese key and with decidedly Chinese flavor.

While comparing the Haidian church in Beijing with this semi-rural congregation in Jiangsu province is about as helpful and fair as comparing St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City with St. Ladislaus Catholic Parish in Bevent, WI, attending worship services in both settings was helpful in understanding the diversity found within the CCC. Especially in terms of music, the little bit that we heard in Nanjing, like the song selections we heard at the Bible College in Inner-Mongolia, had a more indigenized and localized sound to it than the primarily Western hymnody that was sung at Haidian Christian Church.

Where worship in Haidian, by necessity given the number of worshippers and services, was a tightly choreographed affair, on this Sunday outside of Nanjing it felt decidedly more laissez-faire: choir practice seemed to blend right into praise and worship singing which, in turn, slowly gave way to more recognizable liturgical practices and worship forms. As in Tanzania, for many in the congregation, I imagine worship and duties at Church on any given Sunday make for an all day affair.

While our host's attention to his watch indicated some form of a schedule, as a guest there was little if any felt urgency - everything seemed to happen in good time. We were ushered from lunch to discussion/watermelon dessert to the sanctuary, just in time for the sermon. In a worship service that stretched over two hours, as guests we were brought in to hear just the Pastor speak.

Part of me wonders if this is indicative of the significance the Sermon holds in this (and other) congregations' worship practices. Is the rest considered a mere prelude leading up to the 'main event' or is it equally substantial? What do people consider the highpoint in worship? In American Lutheran Congregations I'm familiar with, often the Sermon and Communion tend to rank high as ‘most significant.’ Elsewhere it has been the Benediction, with many people seeing receipt of the blessing as crucial to worship. How is it here, and elsewhere in China, and why?