tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30031469.post1404501475855334563..comments2023-07-27T23:56:30.906+08:00Comments on Behind the Scenes of Worship: Paying Your Church MusiciansJunjiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13772599769450509807noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30031469.post-24577641419540358552018-05-09T04:04:46.732+08:002018-05-09T04:04:46.732+08:00Dear Carolyn,
It angers me to know there are such...Dear Carolyn,<br /><br />It angers me to know there are such people who come to the house of God to take from God's people. Such a person could get away with it only by convincing others he is so special and irreplaceable, and that they should feel honoured that he was there to play music for them. The very thought disgusts me. <br /><br />At my home church I have served as a volunteer (without pay), been taken off the worship team because they were unsure I was in the right frame of mind to serve; or they doubted my character, restored to serving on the team again when they felt time had proven me fit to serve. For now. If in the future any doubts arise in the minds of the pastoral staff or the church leadership again, I fully expect to be asked to step down again for a season, and that is exactly how things ought to be. <br /><br />I am sure you know what you ought to do about that person, but let me share this from my experience. When a church worship team tolerates people who give that much trouble to the ministry, good people will NOT join the ministry. Why would they, if the problem-people are so firmly entrenched? Seek God in prayer about this; but I firmly believe the sooner you get rid of such a person, the sooner you will find good people joining your worship ministry. <br /><br />Let me know how things go for you and your church? :)Junjiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13772599769450509807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30031469.post-86237871276819846942018-05-06T20:00:50.170+08:002018-05-06T20:00:50.170+08:00Our church membership is very small, approximatley...Our church membership is very small, approximatley 25 members, most of them seniors on limited income or with disabilities. We can barely pay rent( we rent a space). Our musician who is a self taught guitarist and can only play certain songs, has been getting $800.00- $1,000 a month for the past 13 years. We could not then and can't now afford it. He cannot teach music and although had a youth choir and an adult choir, taught everybody basically the same songs. The youth have all left. They wanted different music.When we went out, he wanted extra money and would charge people gas money. This man had a good paying job,with health benefits and I felt was robbing not only God but the other minimum wage members of the church, My husband as pastor and myself as co-pastor were working and trying to meet all bills and I feel this person was just using the church for greed. My husband the pastor, never received a salary and until about three years ago never received anything. He only takes$75.00 a Sunday. I feel this is just greed and as trustees we have allowed this man to rob God's houseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07723274335715472920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30031469.post-18906371442954686282011-01-24T10:05:50.471+08:002011-01-24T10:05:50.471+08:00Hi, Rosemary!
I wish that all that didn't hap...Hi, Rosemary!<br /><br />I wish that all that didn't happen to you. God can turn all these things for our good, but even then I would not wish those experiences on anybody. <br /><br />I'm glad to know you are out of that environment and in a healthier church setting. Do let me know how things go for you at your new church! :)Junjiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13772599769450509807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30031469.post-40326493360331977342011-01-23T01:27:43.402+08:002011-01-23T01:27:43.402+08:00Wow this brings up some bad memories. My husband ...Wow this brings up some bad memories. My husband and I left a church seven months ago after doing all the music ministry with them for three years as leaders with two other volunteers. I was doing all the arrangements for two different Sunday services. A contemporary and a traditional. I was spending 25 plus hours a week on this, had a heart attack and was under extreme micromanagement criticism from the pastor who was a very insensitive, frustrated musician who could not play at our level at all but wanted everything his way. One volunteer was an unskilled guitar player who refused to practice and the wife of the pastor who was a singer with no musical knowledge. She was nice but wanted to pick music half the time and always picked weird stuff that I would have to learn....then arrange on the fly = stress. Basically a nightmare, but I wanted to serve the Lord so much I did it. I was very frustrated though because right after getting out of the hospital for a stress induced heart attack no person there would even help me carry in heavy equipment then my husband came down with MS and could not go on at all. I decided to leave the church because I knew they would not leave me alone to lick my wounds. That was hard but I am now going to a very small church and am just basically an instrumentalist on the team. It is hard because I am the only one on the team the knows anything about music but it is usually fun although a little frustrating at times because they seem to resent most suggestions. I play piano (not there because they have a keyboardist already) and winds. I used to hate the thought of paid worship leaders but now I have a different view. A little support in moving my equipment and cost for equipment would have made a difference and allowed me feel at least a little support but I would have not taken money in this situation because of attitudes in leadership there. The leadership would take off to music conferences I was too poor to go to and leave us behind to just do the grind. I did feel a little resentment when I had to hear the wonderful vacation they had and how the worship was so great there...sigh.Rosemary Bridgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00314290829992871615noreply@blogger.com