To Pay or Not to Pay? - User Opinions
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I feel cheated
I have been playing bass and lead guitar for my church for 17 years. Often, I feel cheated when I hear other musicians talking about how much they are paid to play.
Submitted by: Denise Bond
Location: Tn
Date Added: 2006-07-03
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"A workman is worthy of his wages"
If the Bible tells us to pay those who work for us, why should there be any question? We don't think twice about paying ministers, administrative staff or janitors. Why should professional musicians be cheated out of a fair and honest wage? As a professional musician, I can tell you it sends a very un-Christian message not to pay. It looks cheap and greedy. Why should any church weaken the faith of a musician to save a few bucks?Certainly there are volunteers who sing in the choir, etc. However, every church needs some people who are well trained to help lead the volunteers. Many people think "it's just singing - why should we pay them?" They don't know just how much work it is to make it look easy. Furthermore, let's look at the expenses of a musician. I have a college degree that cost $20,000. I spend at least $500 each year on sheet music. My voice teacher charges $150 each hour for a weekly voice lesson. I practise about two hours each day - that's time I could be working elsewhere. A professinal musician invests much more into her music than a volunteer who comes to one or two weekly rehearsals. While we deeply love and appeciate the volunteers, they depend on our musical training to keep them on pitch and in rhythm. A church musician makes so very little. Why cheat him out of a few dollars to at least cover expenses.? Musicians have to pay rent like everybody else.
Submitted by: Sally
Date Added: 2005-02-09
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Here's The Deal?
I think if you can pay'em, do it.It is biblical to pay musicians. Of course you want skilled players who have a
heart to worship and are serious about God,and since some of these play for a living,you may have to pay them to get them.Some may not need the money and play the meetings for free by their choice.God actually opened the door for an unsaved trumpet player to play in the band and that's what led hime to the Lord...his name is Phil Driscoll....So there ya go! You gotta hear from God in these matters in all cases.
Submitted by: Greg Babineaux
Location: Houston,TX
Date Added: 2004-12-29
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To Pay or Not to Pay
I've played bass and sung in churches for over twenty years. Only ONE church I ever played in paid me with regularity (A Southern Baptist church). Mostly, I attend Assembly of God and similar churches, up to and including full-blown Charismatic types, and these seem notoriously opposed to paying their musicians.
Hauling gear around and maintaining it costs money. Strings cost money, instrument repairs and replacements cost money, often rather large amounts.
At very least, a church should put its musicians on 'expense status' where they can get what they need for their gear when they need it and not have to worry about their own personal budgets if, say, their amplifier keels over and dies, or a guitar is accidentally kicked off the stand and broken; that kind of thing.
Then again, there's the time spent in rehearsals when a musician might be earning time-and-a-half at his regular job instead, or the costs of driving across town to get to rehearsals, or any of a myriad of other things.
As one lady here put it (paraphrased) 'worship is a giving thing, why should they get paid?' Well, that ain't all that's involved in what you're seeing on thbe platform on Sunday morning. A LOT of preparation time goes into it that you DON'T see, except in the quality of the music provided by the dedicated people performing it. We don't just walk in, unprepared, and play under the unction and utterance of the Holy Spirit. We have to LEARN all those songs, and work on them until they are capable of providing a seamless background for YOUR worship experience; one with no distracting mistakes or wrong notes, etc. This takes time and effort that's invisible to you. If you doubt this, you should attend one of your church's music rehearsals and see exactly what does go into it. Perhaps you'll gain a better appreciation for the final output on Sunday morning.
Submitted by: Dave Hughes
Location: Richmond, Texas
Date Added: 2004-12-06
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Worship is about giving
First of all God bless everyone. I persoanlly think that worship participants should not get paid. Worship is about giving, you adore the Lord but when you are getting paid the true motive is put aside. Its like the only reason you are worshiping is because its your job. I think that anybody who truly loves music and above all God would actually pay to get the honor of worshipping Him. Its a privilege to be up there. Besides all God blesses those that He seek Him and not those who seek what they can get from Him. Im not against helping wih the gas or transportation, or music lessons but when its a certain pay I just think the whole worship idea is lost. When you are not getting paid you are giving Him sacrifices of love He will see your availability to give him praise and if the reason you want to get paid is because you are in need, just trust in Him and He will be your provider.
your sister in CHRIST
MAribel
Submitted by: Maribel Coronel
Location: Princeton, Tx
Date Added: 2002-10-10
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Keep it fair!
My worst experience concering paying/not paying musicians was in a church where they were less than honest with the musicians, particularly those who were members of the church and always there. We decided as a band (at our pastor/worship leader's prompting) to forego paying musicians because the church could not afford it. Naturally, we lost some of those who were simply there for the money. Later, more musicians were brought in, and were paid, but the ones who served all along were still part of the "unpaid" team . . . not a very fair system, and worst, the leadership lied about it. So, pay or not, but be honest and keep it fair!As for sound guys, I know one keyboardist/vocalist who appreciates them -- ME!!!!! You guys rock, and deserve much more credit than you generally get!
Submitted by: Lisa
Location: Houston, TX
Date Added: 2002-10-01
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Guitar Player, Author, Instructor
Being a professional musician, this is a touchy subject with me. I played in my local church for many years without being paid and it really bothered me. They paid people to dump the trash, sweep the floors, pull the weeds, clean the toilets and so on. These are jobs that anyone in the congregation could volunteer to do, however to be a really effective church musician it takes a lot of skill, experience and equipment. You must almost be a studio musician. You're given new charts or lead sheets weekly, so sightreading reading is needed, and you must create the perfect parts that blends with all the other instruments and vocalist. The point is, I feel all things considered this more worthy of a paycheck than janitorial or gardening duties. And no matter how good the band and vocalists are, a bad sound technician can make it all sound lousy. Not just anyone can do sound! I now play on a as needed basis at churches that pay me. The pay can be donated back to the church if you choose.
A disappointing phrase I frequently hear from guitar students when I ask them if they play anywhwere is "Only in church", as if that were not important. Playing for the King is the most important place you will ever play. Anyone playing in church should be continually working to improve their skills. Your performance should be a testimony unto the Lord and should greatly glorify Him whether you are paid or not!
I agree with Steve's criteria for musicians, however I have also heard of good musicians being recruited from bars and paid to play in church who were subseqently saved.
Submitted by: Rich Severson
Location: Coarsegold, CA
Date Added: 2002-10-01
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Pay To play?
I'm a musician. I am often asked to fill in at churches for their musicians very often. When i was first asked how much i charge to play, I said that I didn't charge. I soon found myself traveling far and i had to start asking for a fee. This really bothered me to ask for this. Getting paid to worship? At first i asked for whatever they could pay. Sometimes the pay was not able to cover my travel expences. I now have a fee for just the expences and what ever they can pay extra , no matter the amount is ok with me.
andy
Submitted by: Andrew Rios
Location: West Covina Calif.
Date Added: 2002-09-25
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| Total: 12 Opinions Displaying: 1 - 8 |
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