Monday, March 17, 2014

Should Church Music Ministers be Paid? Part 2

Should Church Music Ministers be Paid?  Part 2


Pros and cons:  paid vs. not paid.

You may find yourself thinking, "Wow, if I could only be paid to pursue this musical calling upon my life!"  Well I would encourage you to reshape your thinking first of all and speak faith.  As in, "I cannot wait until I am being paid to pursue this musical calling God has placed over my life."

But realize the Levites - the music ministers of the old testament - were under much responsibility to the priests and God as well.  Lest we become carried away with thoughts of riches and grandeur, we must be reminded that by being added to a church payroll we may be treated differently than a non-paid minister of music.  Why is this so?  It is so because people tend to expect more from someone who is paid versus a volunteer.  What special requirements were the Levites under that non-Levites - everyday 'saints' or church attendees were not?

I Chronicles 23:28-32 mentions these temple duties:

  • be in charge of the courtyards
  • be in charge of the side rooms
  • purification of all sacred things
  • be in charge of the bread set out on the table
  • be in charge of the flour for the grain offerings
  • be in charge of the unleavened wafers
  • be in charge of the baking and the mixing
  • be in charge of all measurements of quantity and size
  • stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord
  • stand every evening to thank and praise the Lord
  • stand and thank and praise the Lord whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on Sabbaths, New-Moon festivals, and appointed feasts
While the Bible indicates Levites were broken up into groups in order to focus on various duties (described throughout I Chronicles 23, 24, 25, and 26), undoubtedly each Levite was familiar with each task performed in the support of priests.

What is my point in all this?  We must realize that the Levites led a very conservative and disciplined life - and their lives were focused on ministering both to the priests and to the people in the congregation.  Due to their position in the church much was required of them.  Levites could not do as they pleased on a daily basis.  They were committed to the schedule of the church.  Consider that if you choose to pursue part-time or full-time music ministry as a paid servant, you may need to adjust your lifestyle accordingly.  Want to join friends and family on that holiday vacation?  How about attending that great concert next Sunday morning/night?  Do you have the sudden urge to take your children camping or surprise your significant other with a weekend getaway?  Your first call may need to be to your boss (pastor) to ask for permission to plan that activity.  And if that great idea of yours involves a Sunday or a day your church conducts their midweek service, expect your employer (pastor) to say no!  Your pastor is investing time and money into you and he probably needs you in service to minister to the congregation and be a strength to him as well.

If you have children this reality will be even more difficult.  The fact is that by accepting payment for your services, you are placing yourself under even more authority to your church leadership than if you were a volunteer.  Plan on your life becoming busier and sacrificing time during your week and your weekends to serve in whatever level of commitment you have committed yourself to.  I am not attempting to paint a negative picture of paid music ministry - as we now know, it is ordained by God.  And the blessings you receive from being deeply involved with your local congregation are rich and many!  A life of ministry and dedication to the house of the Lord is something to be desired.  I only wish to make you aware that with greater commitment comes greater sacrifice.  Weigh the pros and cons carefully prior to launching into a deeper level of commitment.  And consider if you/your family will be able to commit to part-time or full-time requirements that come with the compensation.  

What should I do if my pastor/deacon board/finance committee do not see the need to compensate me?

So you feel strongly that the Lord is leading you in the direction of paid ministry, and that your church should compensate you.  What now?  First off, begin spending time in focused prayer about the situation.  Money is a sensitive issue in most churches.  Sooner or later you will need to meet with your pastor to discuss your vision for the church's music department and to share your burden.  But prior to speaking with your pastor, set aside a number of weeks or even months to prepare your mind and heart and spirit to receive what he will have to say.  Remember that although you have biblical understanding and precedent for your request, you are still (and always will be) subjected to your pastor - the shepherd God has placed in your life.

Your pastor may or may not understand God's model as explored in part 1 of this blog.  Remaining humble and patient will go a long way here.  Going into the meeting with your pastor, I recommend writing up a simple outline with supporting scriptures.  You may need to take on the role of humble teacher here, as many pastors have never studied this compensation concept from a biblical standpoint.  Present your case in a non-threatening, non-demanding manner and be prepared to leave the meeting without an answer.  If your pastor does not commit to you or even if he disagrees, that is okay.  He/she needs time to consider your petition in prayer and they also may need to review the church finances, and/or meet with members of a finance committee.  If you are rejected outright, accept it with grace and humility.  Then go home and continue praying for God to have His way in the situation.

I experienced this very situation in my young adult life.  After my wife and I spent a season in prayer and fasting, we approached our pastor and explained our burden to devote more time to our music ministry.  We explained how income from the church would potentially enable my wife to resign her secular job and focus on tasks of musical nature.  Most of all, we reasoned, monthly payment from the church would allow her to leave secular work and free up much-needed time to advance our musical goals and vision.  That first meeting closed with a kind but firm "no".  So did the second meeting, three months later.  But during the third appeal I carefully presented the scriptural precedent behind our request.  And guess what?  Jesus honored our prayer, fasting and perseverance and shortly after the third meeting we became paid staff in the music department.  Praise the Lord!

On a side note, the pastor who implements this practice places him/herself in position to receive additional blessings from the Lord.  This is a study in and of itself though and I will not begin that study today.

And if you put yourself through the paces and experience permanent rejection?  Take a step back and examine yourself.  What are your motives for desiring to be paid?  Do your motives match up to what God wills for your life?  Are you living a sin-free/overcoming lifestyle which allows God's will to be done in you?  If God shows you that you pass the "you" test, you may need to pray for the Lord to open opportunity elsewhere.  Somewhere around the state/country/world you live in is a pastor praying for God to send them a dedicated, passionate music minister to bless their congregation.  God is in the business of introducing godly desire to His intended destiny!

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Should Church Music Ministers be Paid? Part 1

Should Church Music Ministers be Paid?  Part 1

Greetings from blogland!  Our discussion today combines the biblical with the practical; ancient customs and scriptures versus twenty-first century application.  I know of pastors who follow this blog and if you are a pastor reading this, please proceed with an open mind.  I understand opinions on this subject vary dramatically and I believe I am able to be objective as I write this as I have lived on both sides of the fence: paid and not paid.  I am certainly not asserting that my opinion is the final word on this topic:  I am only presenting my findings after much research and experience.  Having said that, let us delve into the question at hand to learn what the Bible says regarding compensation for music ministers.

Who in the Bible was compensated for church music ministry?

The tribe of Levi!  We commonly refer to them as the Levites.  This tribe of Israel was hand-picked by God.  The Levites are our biblical model for this topic and the Bible has a lot to say about their significance.

Aaron was the individual chosen by God to act as the head of the Levites.  Aaron was a Levite (Exodus 4:14) and we read of his ordination in Leviticus 8:1-12.  Aaron's sons and extended family would multiply and serve as ministers of everything found in the church, including music.  (Numbers 18:1-6).  God was teaching his people how to worship him.  To do so, he needed ministers to oversee the operations of the tabernacle.  These men were called priests and Levites, and they could only be members of the tribe of Levi.

In I Chronicles 6:31-47 we have documentation of David appointing temple musicians.  Verse 31 and 32 clearly tell us:  "These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.  They ministered with music before the tabernacle".  (NIV)  The men named in verses 33 through 46 were all Levites.  I Chronicles chapter 23 names the men David appointed (all Levites) and we learn in verse 5 he appointed (four thousand) musicians.  Wow!  And I Chronicles 15:16-28 tells us David appointed signers and musicians to join him in leading the procession of the ark of the covenant.  Now that we have established that the Levites were the chosen people to minister in music let us discover how they were paid.

How were the Levites compensated?

Okay, this is the fun part.  Show me the money!  Numbers 18:21-24 answers the question  of the blog - yes the biblical model as prescribed by God does order music ministers to be paid.  The original model in the old testament has music ministers paid from the offerings collected of the Israelites.

Not only did a Levite's compensation come from offerings, they were also provided housing!  In fact whole cities (48 cities in all) and suburbs were designated by God to be set aside just for Levites.  God provides the details to Moses in Numbers 35:1-8.

Additional supporting scriptures

Lest I only reference old testament scriptures let's take a look into the new testament also.  In Luke 10:7 Jesus says "...the labourer is worthy of his hire."  Jesus told his disciples to accept hospitality graciously because their work entitled them to it.  Ministers in the church deserve to be supported, and our responsibility is to make sure they have what they need.  There are several ways to encourage those who serve God in his church.  The church should support ministers emotionally, by showing appreciation, and through financial support.

In I Corinthians 9:4-10 and verse 13 Paul discusses the compensation of Christian workers by the church.  The church has the responsibility to care for its pastors, teachers, and other leaders.

Who gets paid?

The answer to this question as it relates to your local congregation is varied.  First we must realize the Levites had the support of an entire nation and therefore they enjoyed an enormous 'bank' from which to withdraw from.  In our current-day world of Christianity in which Christians are very segregated due to many denominations, your pastor's 'bank' or resources from which to compensate you with may be severely limited.  In the day of the Levite musicians and singers, the entire nation of Israel was of one group or 'denomination'; thus the land was unified in its compensation to the Levites.

Add to this the fact that most leadership in Christian denominations today (on a country-wide level) do not implement organized compensation for their pastors, let alone music ministers.  This is very unfortunate and a topic of discussion in and of itself.  In fact the reason God instituted the model of compensation in the manner He did shows us the importance He placed on music; God gave instructions to Israel regarding payment for music ministers and priests together and in the same breath.

Nevertheless in our churches today a local congregation may only be able to afford to pay one individual - usually the head coordinator/director of the music department.  Larger congregations with more resources may choose to pay multiple people - singers and/or musicians both.  This seems to follow reason:  more resources provide more options to leaders and financial decision makers of a church.  And after all other costs need to be addressed besides just clergy and the music ministry.  As it is natural for a dedicated church musician to understand the biblical precedent for compensation and so desire it, many vocalists and musicians find their way to large congregations that are able to more freely offer payment for services rendered.  Note to people who criticize singers and musicians who may relocate to one of these larger congregations: this does not necessarily mean the music minister has "sold out" or given in to the love of money.

Remember, as established earlier in this discussion, the seek such support (from the church) is rooted in biblical precepts.

In Part 2 we will discuss two more vital questions pertaining to this discussion.  Stay tuned!