Kudos to all Churches paying their musicians based on agreements made. I salute musicians who also have intentions of using their skill in church for free not because they succombed to emotional blackmail from Pastors but because it is their choice.
In the Bible, the people assigned to work in the Temple of God were the Levites. (Numbers 18:6) In the first book of Chronicles, the division of labour in the church is seen. Altogether there were 38,000 Levites. 24,000 of them were to supervise the work of building the Lord’s Temple. 6000 were made court officers and judges. 4000 were gatekeepers, and 4000 included musicians. David made special musical instruments for them. They were tasked to use them to praise the Lord. (1 Chronicles 23:1-5)
Were they paid? Hell Yes. In Numbers 18:21, God stated clearly, "Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting." Who are the Levites in Church today? People who work in the Modern Day church. Ushers, MUSICIANS, and leaders such as deacons, bishops, and priests. Because the churches in modern times have become business entities, we now have Church accountants, secretaries, managers, and even marketers.
Unfortunately, most church leaders think it is okay for all these modern-day Levites to be paid but leaving out musicians. In a lately trending video, a pastor who I believe needs proper legal and theological education claimed church musicians taking any form of payment are thieves and cousins of Satan (whatever that means).
Music is the full-time job of some church members. You are not expecting him to get bread from a bakery for free because he is a musician for God. Pastors must respect our hustle. If you are a pastor and you are true to yourself, read Numbers 18:20 and stop being a cheat. If a musician demands pay for his skill, you have to pay else you can seek musicians who will be willing to do it for free. Any pastor who will torture a musician emotionally because he or she demanded payment is no better than the devil. We have watched pastors extort money from their members to better their own lives: building luxurious houses and riding in flashy cars. Yet they can not even pay the fees of a musician in their church.
My advice to musicians, do not let any religious leader disrespect your job as a musician. If you are okay with transportation allowance or playing for free, no problem. But if you demand payment, and such leaders are not in agreement, leave. The musicianship is a trade and not just a hobby. Do not be cheated.
Kudos to all Churches paying their musicians based on agreements made. I salute musicians who also have intentions of using their skill in church for free not because they succumbed to emotional blackmail from Pastors but because it is their choice. I leave you all with a short powerful message from Sonnie Badu:
A merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To Us All.
