While I agree wholeheartedly with what has been written before--and still experience most of it--let me offer three slightly different perspectives:
1. In many cases, the individuals in question (other musicians, minister of music, sound board technician, etc.) are in those positions because
a. the Church can't find someone else more qualified
b. the Church can't find someone willing to do the job at the salary being offered
c. there is favoritism, nepotism or "tenure" in play
2. As musicians we have standards. Standards for our level of musicianship, standards for how much we practice, standards for how we feel the music should sound on Sunday morning. So do others. Their standards may be higher or lower than ours, but they have them. In that regard, "half doing" is subjective. The challenge is to find a group of individuals whose standards are more or less the same, and hopefully those same folk are of the right Spirit to actively participate in a Music Ministry. (See #1)
3. Very often the Music Ministry is no different that other Church ministries in terms of disorganization, lack of communication, and folks being on different pages. Attend an Usher Board meeting and you will probably hear more of less the same issues (some people don't wear the right uniform or don't take up collection properly or don't come to usher practice or...you get the idea)
I come home from rehearsals and wife will ask me, "How did rehearsal go?" My response is usually, "Sunday is going to be a train wreck.", and then I go into all the things that didn't go the way I think they should have gone. But the key word in all of this is "I". None of this is about me. It is all about Christ and lifting up His name in praise. There's no way that I can ever know if He is pleased with what
we do on Sunday morning, but I can check myself and my attitude and have a pretty good idea of if He is pleased with what
I do on Sunday morning. Yes, all those things that bug us are going to happen, and if we leave our church and go to another, the same things will likely happen there too. And yes, we should strive to be the best we can be as part of a ministry and enourage others to give their best as well. But when it is all sang and played, we can only control what we do and how we present ourselves in that ministry.
Continue to come here and vent, family, because then you know that you are not alone. We are a wonderful support group one for another. Pray without ceasing, for the ministry, for the individuals in the ministry, for the congregation, for the pastor and officers. Continue to maintain your standards, for others are watching and learning from you.
Finally, wash your hands and pray before you play. God will take care of the rest.