The folk/lever harp is fine to learn. If you plan to play with a church, though, you will most likely need to play in a variety of keys. You can play a good number of keys on a lever harp, but you will not be able to play them all or transition quickly. You can definitely play chords and Christmas carols and a lot of other music on the lever harp, but you would not be able to play every key that you may be asked to play in. You would also need amplification if you play a lever harp, while you can get away without it on a larger harp. If you are more interested in playing solos or in choosing the songs you accompany, then the lever harp should be fine.

What’s so bloody awful about the pedal harp? It’s a fantastic instrument. Yes, it makes sense to introduce the pedals at the first lesson. They are not such a big deal. As I said elsewhere, decide what kind of music you want to play. Given you have the opportunity to rent and learn pedal harp, why not do it? But if you really identify with a folk harp, get that. The same person can probably teach that, too.

Scales and keys are a part of music, so they are part of learning how to play the harp. Many harpists have poor understanding of music theory (including myself!) because the levers and pedals make it unnecessary to think much about it. It is a part of learning music, and there is really no reason why one ought to put off learning it. Hand position is extremely important and can be difficult to master; I would assume this is even more the case for adult students. Do not let yourself become frustrated or overwhelmed. If you sincerely want to play a folk harp, then that is great, and all you need to do is tell your teacher. I expect that your teacher will be fine with that. If not, then definitely find a new teacher. If, however, you are simply scared of learning the larger pedal harp, which may look more complicated to a brand new harpist, then I suggest you take advantage of your wonderful opportunity to start on a pedal harp.