| Author | Message | ||
  einnod23 (einnod23) 1-Arriviste Username: einnod23 Post Number: 6 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 208.27.111.121 |
Sorry to get personal, guys. First off, I want to say that I love God, I love playing for Him and I love playing in the ministry that I am in. I and my fellow musicians have an upcoming meeting with my church to discuss a possible pay raise. I wanted to get an idea of how much some of you are making so that I could make a reasonable demand (and as a result, a reasonable offer). I know that there are some objections to musicians in ministries being compensated. But consider the amount of time taken up between services, praise and worship, outings, anniversaries, conferences, etc. In addition, take into consideration the amount of resources need to maintain one's instrument(s). If anyone has any suggestions to bring, by all means bring it. And keep us in prayer. My apologies again for getting personal. Thank you so much. And God Bless. Peace. | ||
Sudi Kamau (sudi_kamau) 2-Debutant Username: sudi_kamau Post Number: 19 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.117.198.35 |
I play drums for a church. I make $130.00 base for one Sunday service and two rehearsal nights and a $75.00 honorarium for each 8 a.m. service, funeral, or outside appearance that I play. I routinely play the 8 a.m. service, so I usually make $205/wk which works out to about $20/hr for the time I spend. That is relatively high for this area (Cincinnati), but church musician pay is notoriously low in this area. There is a guitar/bass player at the church at which I play who makes the same salary as I do. The minister of music makes something over $400/wk, which is quite a bit less than he could make elsewhere with his skill set. Other keyboardist/choir directors at this church are paid between something like $250 and $350. A lot of keyboardists interviewed for a recent vacancy the church had were asking $500, $600 and more. I think they were going to pay one guy that much for taking over most of the organist duties and running 2 or three choirs, but he cut down his work load and makes less. They were going to give the rest of us raises if they paid him that too. On the other hand, my mother was minister of music at another church for a long time and I don't think she made as much per week as I do. I played drums for a church 5 or 6 years ago, and they paid me something like $35.00. Another thing is that the church I currently play for pays me as an employee rather than a contractor. This is an important tax issue, because I'm not liable for additional employment tax. My contract also stipulates that the church will pay my room and board on any out of town trips I take with them, and they'll pay my expenses to attend certain conventions like the GMWA and Thomas Dorsey conventions. In the two years I've been there, I haven't taken any trips or attended conventions though. I wasn't looking for a church gig when this came up, and I'm not trying to hold them churches for a fortune, but my policy is not to play for churches on a regular basis without being compensated. For me it has to do with respect - people respect what they pay for more than they respect what they don't pay for. I find that churches can be a social setting in which a lot of disrespect goes on, particularly for the musicians. Pastors come at you with a lot of inconsistent ideas and demands based on their personal tastes that they try to gussy up in some spiritual terms. The music ministry gets caught up in turf battles between pastors, trustees and various segments of the membership a surprising amount. I find it easier to deal with the environment if I approach it as a job. I approach the job professionally in terms of music and appropriateness for the function in the same way I do my other gigs. Appropriateness for the function is the operative principle. I try to always keep in mind that I'm serving the function of worship, not a display of the flesh. Some times, I think my being a hireling makes me more mindful of toning down the foolishness than a lot of people who call themselves "doing it purely for the Lord." I don't need the attention, etc. - I get it elsewhere. I made up my mind when I was in a Pentecostal church and didn't do any outside gigs, that I would go back out and work and that I would only do regular church work on a paid basis, or else I'd put my toys away, and find something else to do in the way of service, and let some other noble soul play in church. I haven't looked back. | ||
Sudi Kamau (sudi_kamau) 2-Debutant Username: sudi_kamau Post Number: 20 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.117.198.35 |
Hold the churches, not them. | ||
SisDetroit (sis) 4-Laureate Username: sis Post Number: 99 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.42.211.240 |
Sudi Kamau - Nice post. | ||
einnod23 (einnod23) 1-Arriviste Username: einnod23 Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 208.27.111.121 |
Sudi, Thank you so much for your input. Peace. (Message edited by einnod23 on May 06, 2004) | ||
Nosey (nosey) 4-Laureate Username: nosey Post Number: 90 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.153.113.238 |
einnod23: Good luck with your negotiations. Our musical director needs to go but that's not my call to make. He misses more rehearsals than he attends and then gets upset with us when we don't catch on to his convoluted songs. | ||
Eli (phillysoulman) 5-Doyen Username: phillysoulman Post Number: 256 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.236.52.183 |
This is not about pay, but the band director and main keyboardist at my church is Phillip Pugh who co -wrote Then came You by Dionne Warwick and the Spinners and I'm Doin Fine Now,by New York City, among others. The band is one of the best church bands in Philly. This past Sunday, he asked me to bring my axe. I think I'll oblige. | ||
ralph (ralph) Moderator Username: ralph Post Number: 156 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 209.240.205.61 |
At one time I attended a church where the minister played piano while a lady played organ. the organ was a B-3 but it definitely wasn't being played as one. I noticed the minister was using some big fat bluesy cords. One day after the service I asked him about his training. He told me he was self taught from listening to guys like Fats Dominoe. One thing led to another and I jumped on the B-3 while he played some good old gospel hymns and we rocked. After that day I started playing the organ regularly. The little old lady organist was looking to stop anyway. ( As it turned out she was a rather talented song writer. ) I never took a dime from that church. I just loved playing with this talented guy. some Sundays after the regular service we would invite the congregation to stay on for some good old gospel singing and we would get down for another hour or so. We always had a great time. Circumstances led me away from that church but I would stop in to visit the preacher from time to time and when my father died last Christmas he did the beautiful graveside service. He has always left the door open for me to come and play on any given Sunday and one of these days I'm going to take him up on it. |
