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Author Topic: Pay Scale for Church Drummer  (Read 23725 times)

Offline Steelpulz

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« Reply #20 on: January 26, 2006, 03:27:46 AM »
Scripture provides that musicians and singers be paid... What is the problem? The musicians were from the tribe of Levi. That trib was the only tribe that did not get an award of Land from the lord. God intended that the Levites should be paid for their temple duties from the tithes and offerings of the people. The sam e applies to church musicians today. If you need back-up scriptures, let me know.
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Offline ApostolicAshley

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #21 on: January 26, 2006, 05:51:10 AM »
I'd kind of like to see the back-up Scriptures, just out of curiosity.

Offline Steelpulz

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« Reply #22 on: January 26, 2006, 02:05:34 PM »
Quote from: ApostolicAshley
I'd kind of like to see the back-up Scriptures, just out of curiosity.


In a way, it is unscriptual NOT to pay musicians. "Biblically musicians (Levites) were recognized and paid for their services: And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the ...congregation. Numbers 18:21 [See also 2 Chronicles 31:2-10, Nehemiah 12:47 and Nehemiah 13.]
Quoted from The African-American Churh Musician's Compensation and Salary Handbookby R.W. Perry II. This is just a staring point in assessing whether musicians should get paid. There are also references in the New Testament, such as I Timothy 5:17-18, which clearly indicate that people in service to the church such as musicians should get paid. even though it looks like "people" are paying the musicians, isn't it really God doing it through his people.?

The Levites were priests, musicians(1 Chronicles 25:1-6) and singers (1Chronicles 6:31). Furthermore, God sanctified the entire tribe of Levi to Himself, and did not permit them to own land (Numbers 3, Deuteronomy 18:1-8, Joshua 13:14 & 13:33) so that it was difficult for them to support themselves. He provided for them through the tithes and offerings at the temples, (Leviticus 2:10 & 7:6, Numbers 18-21, 2 Chronicles 31:2-10, particularly verse 4, Nehemiah 12:47 & 13, particularly verses 5 and 10), just as he provided for the porters and the other priests.

Just as some of the Levites priestly functions are now carried out by Pastors, so are the singing and music ministries being carried out by today’s choirs and musicians. Consequently, it is unscriptural for a church to fail to pay its musicians. Of course anyone may decline payment if they choose to do so.

However, no one should ever be cowed into playing for free by those who say “The Lord will bless you real good you just keep on playing for him (for free)" while they pass the plate. True, the Lord will and does continue to bless. However, he also expects that seed will be planted into our ministries, because that is what we are doing, ministering, and he expects us to be good stewards.

Don't get me wrong, I frequently play for free or for a reduced fee....but I prefer to be the one to make the choice of whether I will play for free or not. I spend too much time in preparation, buying equipment and supplies, practicing, meditating and praying to be taken advantage of.

Anyway. that’s my 2 cents.
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Offline CoryF

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #23 on: January 26, 2006, 02:23:52 PM »
I'm glad this topic was brought up!  :)

Let's take the biblical approach.
In the bible, any prophet or disciple who happened to stop in a particular town was always taken care of by the people. Sometimes even before they were taken care of themselves.  It was not out of the ordinary, as a matter of fact, it was custom.

...Do you have an example?   :D SURE, I'm glad you asked!  :D

1 Kings 17:13
The prophet Elijah was given shelter and was prepared a meal even before the woman prepared a meal for herself.  In fact the woman gave Elijah her very last.

Now another word for an annointed musician is Minstrel.
... and another word for Minstrel is minister.
... and another word for Minister is prophet.


See where this is going?

There is nothing wrong with a minstrel getting paid for what he/she does, especially the particular minstrel is annointed and led by God.

The problem comes in when... a minstrel seeks the money first instead and in place of God, when a musician does not have a pure heart and does not add to the power of the service, when a musician is not annointed nor does he/she seek the annointing,  AND THE MOST POPULAR ONE when he/she only plays and doesn't listen to the message, attend bible study, pray, or is not TRULY saved.

We don't want to confuse the issue at hand.
Church is a ministry but also has a business side to it.
You wonder why so many people fault pastors for having nice things and not having a "real" job        ...because they don't understand that church has a business side to it also.

REMEMBER,
You can worship at the most POWERFUL, ANNOINTED, SANCTIFIED, church in the universe, but if that same church doesn't recognize the business side of the ministry, there would be no water, gas or electricity to run the building.

Offline waydrummer

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #24 on: January 26, 2006, 03:40:58 PM »
I guess its up to the musicians..   If you want to get paid get paid if you don't then fine.  But if you don't want to get paid don't knock someone else like me, for making music my profession.

Offline SabianKnight

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #25 on: January 26, 2006, 04:05:32 PM »
First off, I hope the drummer that asked the initial question whom had never played in a church got what she needed as far as a direct answer/direction to the salary amount.
We have taken over here topic and got all emotional and philisophical and strayed from aiding here decision.

This is however a good dialogue that should be addressed IN THE CHURCHES TO THE PASTORS IN PRIVATE MEETINGS AT FIRST.

Not paying your musicians and not having great equipment for the church is quite out of order and disrespectful to the intention of the praise team/band/choir concept because it is a less than best offering/presentation to God. Have nice pews, nice carpet, nice giant projection screens but a crappy CHEAP kit for the drummer and crappy cymbals and he can bring his own but he better be here when we want him IS JACKED UP. So which Cain and which is Able?

The drums are a part of the churches music ministry. The position of drummer is a set position these days... the individual is interchangable. So the church is accountable for their own kit. cymbals, and maintaince of heads as well as should have some good sticks on hand at all times for a guest drummer. The gear should not be cheaper than the MOTIF keyboard because both are for offering praises unto the Lord. Having cappy gear and treating the drummer like a second class citizen is making him/her unequally choked. They should not be forced to be in discomfort while giving of themselves and their God given gift to the ministry. Especially since the Bibles says praise Him with loud cymbals.... not a MOTIF. this double standard that the church has and the irresponsible stewardship of way too many church drummers makes it unfair for musicians that seek to WORK in the KINGDOM.

I am so sick of ready stuff on here about how drummers are scared to  or uncomfortable about talking to their Pastors and church administrations about what IS Just. This means that they are walking in fear of man. That is something that is being conditioned/taught in churches by the actions and inactions of the leaders and should be stopped.

I believe that you should be free to serve from your heart. God does reward that, I am a living witness. However, He gave us free-will and other folk especially in the church don't  have the right to take that away by putting the musicians in a compromised position.

uuggghhhh
Try not to become a person of success but rather a person of VALUE. - T. Harv Eker

Offline Steelpulz

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SabianKnight
« Reply #26 on: January 27, 2006, 07:49:17 PM »
I agree with your last post wholeheartedly. In quite a few of the churches I've played for (not all of them) the drummer was also paid as a 2nd class citizen. I'm not a drummer, (a bassist) but that's wrong.

As ministers (that's what church musicians are or should be) we should be able to approach the leadership of the church with these issues.
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Offline sugabear

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #27 on: January 27, 2006, 11:31:10 PM »
Steelpulz, you spoke my mind with your initial post. I didn't want to chime in though, because we've turned the thread into something else. But, I really feel where you're coming from. I did a little bit of study on the Levites and had the same revelation. I, myself, attend a very popular thriving ministry here in Tampa, FL (I won't mention the name, but do I really need to :roll: ). This ministry takes total advantage of their music department and it's rediculous. This church has just recently purchased a piece of huge property in Central Florida and is negotiating to purchase another huge property, so I no the funds are there. The choir recorded a cd about 2-3 years ago and the cd is nice. Do you know that leadership had the nerve to tell them that they had to raise their own funds to release the album? Come on now, we need to step it up. First of all none of the singers were paid to do this album and now you tell them that their hard work is going to fall to the ground unless they come up with the necessary money? I don't think that's fair. When your musicians are spending 21 hours a week (trust me, I've counted) ministering to the people of God and you as leadership expect them to be at your every beckoning for free.....? That is not fair. The church needs to wake up and realize the only ones that will finance the Kingdom are the Kingdom Dwellers. It's not coming from anywhere else. Acceptance of this kind of behavior leads to mediocrity, and if we're suppose to be the head and not the tail, we need to change our mentality about how we deal with God's ministering tools (brothers, sisters, SAINTS). Oh, I forgot to say that I've never been paid for playing for churches and that's fine with me. But, the older I get and the more serious I take my gift I wouldn't mind being blessed. Remember to: muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the corn.
My goal as a musician is to be better than myself.
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Offline min_amw

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #28 on: January 28, 2006, 03:12:28 PM »
To answer the original question, James 1:5 says:"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." This is a wisdom issue. Ask God to place that amount on your heart. Yell back!
Love God. Live Long.

Offline mrwhite

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Pay Scale for Church Drummer
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2006, 11:31:59 AM »
Quote from: mrwhite
hey, y'all don't get off the subject.  make sure that drummergirls question gets answered.  she asked how much to ask for, NOT whether she should ask to be paid or not.  Shes expecting to get paid, most likely because the church is offering to pay her to play.  I know this subject has been a two sided issue with many of y'all here, but the question is directed towards those who ARE getting paid  :wink:


This is a reiteration  :wink:  :wink:
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