Whats you thought on the pay for Musicians

[DR.Marietta Brown]

Do you think Musicians are paid to much for there services. Do you think they should be held accountable to a local Pastors.

[Pastor Lorenzo Edwards]

Yes most of them do ask for to much. I pastor a small church and right now we can not afford to pay for one. Most nusician I have sat dowm with want any where from
$300 to $600 a week.
One even told me $1,200. Iam in California. Maybe it is just out here.
I preach without a salary.
But getting a musician now days will cost churches a lot more than what some pastors are getting.paid.

[Reginald Griffin]

Pastor, these kinds of discussions remind me of single folk looking for mates. The good churches find themselves with musicans in it only for the money and will exploit them at every opportunity. The good musicians find themselves working in situations that border abuse and expoitation as well. I think the critical question becomes how do we match good musicians with good churches.

[DR.Marietta Brown]

We agree with you.Most Pastors that have young Churchs preach for nothing or if they get a salary they have to give it back when the Church finances are low. Do you feel thats why so many of our Musicians are self destructing because they will not submit to a local CHurch and a local Pastor,? instead they run around playing with who pays them the most money . They want bring there talent and ability to the house of God and help to build the house of God up and wait for the Lord to bless and raise them up like the Lord does for the Pastors that pioneer Churchs.

[Pastor LaSalle Smith, Sr.]

I don't think musicians are paid excessively for their services. The salary for services in different cities varies. Examine if you will what the position of a musician (good) requires:

1. Purchase Music - (CD's, Videos, sheet music, etc.
2. Expend a considerable amount of time learning the music in order to teach same
3. Expend valuable time in teaching song parts to choir members (some who obviously don't possess the gift)
4. Dealing with the various personalities of choir /praise team members
5. Expend a number of hours meeting with the Pastor, as well as choir members
6. Expend a considerable amount of time at the computer legally downloading music and viewing You-Tube musical sites
7. Providing music for worship services and other programs
8. Drive time (mileage) to and from churches and other locations

[Pastor E.W. DennarD II]

i agree pastor smith...you hit it dead on!

[Uniqueevan]

Sis. Jones, you are so right. When we truly love the Lord, and have our minds on giving our service to him, we can serve faithfully and diligently, without focusing so much on the money and can/will be satisfied with what our local churches and give us for our services. When we are sincere and faithful we can gain that respect more easier. God will exalt and God will sufficiently reward when we are faithful.
I have personally seen this happen in our local church. When you lose what you have and it takes a while to get another musician who is anointed, skilled, and serious about the music ministry you learn to appreciate the person and their abilities the more. Music can make or break a service, so we need more willing anointed musicians in our churches. We also need musicians who are not jealous/self-centered, and don't mind helping less skilled musicians within the local church body develop their skills as well.

[Apostle W.L. Smith]

pastors do that and a lot more and don't get nothing sometimes no sumiting to the local church won't pay tithes think they can get by with anything we tape music and God blesses us,

[Pastor Lorenzo Edwards]

What it has come down to is business. They are not playing for the Lord they are playing for the money. Being dedicated to one church now is really un heard of with the younger musicians.They play at one church than go to another collecting their checks on the way.
They run in clicks now not with churches. I do not sell my gift of preaching. If they give me a love offering I will except it but I will not demand it. Musicians demand it. No Pay No play.
I have 3 kids that I am raising to play. Churches must raise their on mucians if they want them to be dedicated to the church. Telling a church that I play for a certain about of money is business.
Not praise.But as African American people they know that is what draws the people and they take advantage of that.

[Uniqueevan]

I completely agree 100%. And you can tell which ones are anointed and not just skilled. I hear more skilled ones than anointed ones. It really vexes my soul when this happens but I have not control over it other than to just pray.

[DR.Marietta Brown]

Very true Rev Luckett. We are truly praying for the Musicians the Lord have for our Church. They will have a love and respect for God, the Word of God and myself as a Pastor and they will be grounded and rooted and submitted to our Local Church.

[Minister Paul Youngblood]

To Pastor Luckett......you know that musicians are not endentured servants...if you are not having a service that requires that they be present....what difference is it to you if they play at another service somewhere else.....even if they are a member of your church????..I mean,if a another Pastor called you to do something at their church,and if you don't have a scheduled outing for your church,and YOU are not a member of the church of the Pastor....you wouldn't go????and the reason that you don't get a lot of musicians to become members is because of that mind-set......that is the "Me Tarzan..You Jane"mentality that is prevalant among many Pastors....in almost 40 years of being in Music Ministry,my experience has been that it is,and has been a way of networking and helping other churches also,I get calls like that and it doesn't seem to be a problem.....unless you make it one.

[Minister Paul Youngblood]

Minister...if I actually had the answer...we probaly would be discussing some other topic.All I can relate to you is what some.......NOT ALL....but some of the reasons that these things happen.And understand that I whole-heartedly agree that they should......but the problem is that many don't.Some of the reasons are of such nature,that many times the reasons might not make sense to us,but they are what they are.Many times they have been involved in bad suitations at other churches,so they have the stigma that every church that they go to could lead to the replay of a past suitation,so they adopt a kind of hands-off,cynical approach to dealing with churches,where they are there to do a...job.Now they are correct when they say or believe that it is a job,but they are incorrect by only looking at it as only a job.They should take into account the fact that they need the very same things that every other member needs concerning their spiritual welfare,and spiritual growth.But because of the current state of affairs involving relationships between Pastors and musicians,I am telling you we need to do something to help repair the bridges of communication and understanding between two of the most visible positions in the Church.I will tell you that we need to get people taught.......I mean..let's stop having so many workshops that concentrate on music......and have workshops that focus on building good,strong,inter-personal skills when it comes to dealing with Pastors,and the administrative aspects of your role as a Minister of Music working along with the Pastor,how to respect,and follow leadership........and vice-versa,Pastors need to taught how to relate to,and how to deal with the ever changing landscape of Music Ministry in their prospective churches.There is much to be learned from both sides,and until we meet and discuss,and come into agreement,musicians are going to continue to only look at what they do as "employment"as opposed to "empowerment"-Be Blessed