Please Pay Church Musicians And Singers Like The Bible Says

The beautiful music from a mile, sipped through my auricles, transcending the next dimension to reach my dreams. Is this not a perfect way to wake up? I thought I was at a gospel music concert as my slumbery eyes blinked but no! It is Sunday morning and I am in Ghana, a beautiful, peaceful and very religious country with approximately 71% of the population being Christians in a world of about 2.3 billion Christians.

Christendom bursts with talents in all shapes and forms. Musicians,(singers, instrumentalists)for one have been integral, complementary or perhaps an indispensable part of church activity. The music ministry is invaluable and does not have contrasting colours with other ministries such as the pastoral, prophetic and evangelistic.

Firstly, talents are natural endowments and as religious people, we attribute the source to God and believe we owe God accountability for the use.

Talents may come raw and need to go through various processes(phases such as development to be refined) to be most useful and potent.

The "Parable of the Talents", in Matthew 25:14-30 would reinforce this position.

Talents may be a means to livelihood and personal and communal empowerment. This is why is not out of place to have full time, part-time, professional musicians, instrumentalists and singers in the church just as we have full-time pastors in churches. Keeping these people on the payroll, especially the full-time professionals has been long overdue.

This is sanctioned in the Bible and it is rather unfortunate their role is minimized and unrewarded. In the Bible, the temple of the Lord had professional singers and musicians who received daily pay.

1 Chronicles 9:33 says and these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.

And in Nehemiah 11:22b-23 says of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business of the house of God. For it was the King's commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day.

Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Does Doth God take care of oxen? Or says he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plough in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

Neglecting our singers, and instrumentalists exposes them to the secular world The church ends up losing them because they go out of their way to survive. If the secular world can reward and empower them for their God-given gift, why is it sacrilegious for the church to empower them?

This is worse in some big churches. Although they may have the means to support the instrumentalist and musician they ignore them in their bit to trim the expenses of the church.

Some churches also use weird doctrines of all sorts to deny these children of God the fruits of their labour.No disrespect intended but if the Pastor who works in the house of the Lord is paid, why then do we employ double standards when it comes to singers and instrumentalists when the church is resourced to do so?

Some of these men and women are parents and potential ones. How do they survive? We all agree that times are hard, so they should be paid unless they decide to work for free.

Churches should take a moment and ask, how do our singers and instrumentalists live?

By Dumenu Charles Selorm (Trey La)