Should your church pay its musicians?

Regardless of y our church size, a common conversation that comes up with musicians and creatives alike is ‘should these positions be paid OR should they be voluntary?’ Spoiler alert, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. I do think, however, that it’s worth wrestling with your leadership and choosing a model that works for your church based on the expectations that you of those team members.

Let the record show… I have friends in churches who have transitioned from paying their musicians to volunteer-only roles AND I have friends in churches who gone from volunteer-only culture to paying key roles or their whole team. In both instances, they felt that transition was the right thing to do in their culture and they saw both wins and losses.

PROS and CONS…

Before you have the conversation with your team, take a look at some of the pro’s and con’s that we’ve listed to paying your church’s musicians…

PRO #1…

Shows your musicians that you honour the reality of time, energy and resources that go into excellent musicianship.

In most environments, a relatively heavy set of expectations is placed on the musicians that serve on a weekly or consistent basis. These expectations included financial, energy and time commitments that are commonly more than you would ask of people serving in other areas of ministry. For example, most church musicians are expected to own professional level gear and use it every time they serve. Additionally, they are expected to invest in their craft, practice the music and arrangements individually, attend a mid-week rehearsal and then come early for call times and serve through each service. When you offer any kind of compensation, your church can become a place where musicians and creatives want to be because they feel appreciated and understood.

CON #1…

Can create a ‘gig’ mentality within your team.

The best worship in the local church isn’t always led by the most talented musicians. People who intimately know and embody the values and vision of the church — the heartbeat so to say — are 10/10 times going to successfully lead that church in true and authentic worship. A ‘gigging mentality’ in musicians means that while they are regularly in attendance they don’t have ownership over the culture of your church. Effectively, they show up when they’re scheduled. The local church is a place for believers to bring their gifts for the purpose of worshipping the Lord and edifying the body of Christ, equipping believers who call that church home to walk in the ways of Jesus and reach their spheres of influence for the Kingdom of God. If members of your team being paid is placing the authenticity of your church’s worship culture in jeopardy it may be time to reconsider the heart posture behind the compensation.

PRO #2…

Consistency becomes easier to achieve.

It’s worth noting here: we’re not saying that your musical quality or worship leaders’ stage presence will automatically go up because of a stipend. Yes, you may notice musicians migrate to your church from other areas because they see the honour that is being to musicianship and professionalism but you’re probably going to notice that ‘gigging mentality’ that we just talked about seep in.

Here’s the thought… Because you are freeing up time and energy for your musicians in covering some of their expenses or contributing to their weekly income you can now uphold the expectation that they are weekly prepared for each set. You may be able to set and keep expectations around gear usage, presentation and ability more as well. Leaders know that the currency of culture is trust and that as you develop your worship culture a consistent, truth worthy expression goes a long way in leading and growing your church.

CON #2…

Limited resources mean not everyone can be paid.

Truly unlimited resources are things of lead pastors’ dreams. Every church operates with a finite budget. Perhaps you’re in a place where you can pay your musicians but you definitely couldn’t have this conversation with any other departments and, guess what, the production team just came knocking.

Paying some positions while choosing to keep other positions as volunteer-based may leave some teams feeling devalued or under appreciated. Drawing the line between who does and who doesn’t — and navigating those conversations — can be a leadership headache waiting to happen. While you may see pros abundant in your musicians, you may find yourself losing disgruntled team members from other departments.

PRO #3…

Prioritizing time for preparation and practice.

Scenario… You finish a whole month’s worth of scheduling; Sunday mornings, worship nights, youth service, young adults… It’s all done! You send out the emails and head out for lunch. 1 hour later, you come back to a myriad of emails all with one word in common… Decline. Decline. Decline. You open a few up to see if there are any logical reasons given for this disgrace… Number one answer? ‘I’m busy.’

Truth is, people are busy. Most of the people who are serving on your teams with excellence and passion are also spouses, parents, working full-time with a side hustle and invested elsewhere in your community. What’s the old adage? If you want something done, ask someone who’s busy. With the demand of pursuing excellence in their craft, practicing arrangements, attending rehearsals and call times and playing at multiple services through the week or weekend, paying your musicians says, ‘I get it, you’re busy, but I honour your decision to be a part of this community and make this a part-time job in the number of hours that you give to it each week.’

CON #3…

Money is a poor, primary motivator.

Money, money, money… If there’s one thing we’ve learned from popular narratives it’s that it’s actually a very poor primary motivator. While you may get musicians to become a part of your community, a small weekly cheque or a per-service stipend won’t automatically equal them becoming passionate about the vision and mission of your church. There’s always going to be a bigger pay cheque, bigger stage, bigger opportunity somewhere else; making pay a core motivator for why someone is on your team may result in a revolving door of musicians who hop from church-to-church in search of their next 8-month stint.

Ultimately the question is this…

What are you doing to honour the people in serve in your community?

Most churches can’t afford to pay their musicians on a weekly basis… Inversely, most churches could be doing more to honour the people that selflessly give hours each week to advancing the mission of Jesus through that local expression. How are you celebrating them? How are you acknowledging their sacrifice? How are you investing in, resourcing and equipping them in their gifting and calling? It’s not a question of how much should the pay cheque be… It’s a question about what value we place on people and their time and energy.