Stealing Money from the Church

I took my first music ministry position at a local church at age 19. My life was quite full then (and it has always been so since), and the only way I was going to be able to do the job effectively was to drop something from my overstuffed schedule. I gave up my Sunday evening shift at the Carryout. Money was tight, so I asked the pastor if I could be paid $75 per week (roughly my Carryout pay) in exchange for the work.

9 months after resigning, I started leading at River Valley (now Impact) and was offered a weekly paycheck. I refused it. I had a full-time job that was effectively paying the bills, and I felt that I'd be stealing from the church if I took pay. I didn't need anything, unlike the previous gig when $75/week kept me from going under. I asked the church if they'd pay my music expenses in lieu of a salary, and they agreed. I turned down the salary again when it was offered for 2005.

Going into 2006, my pastor essentially said he was going to force me to accept pay, as the church was moving into a new building and was planning on offering multiple services on Sundays. Looking ahead to see the increasing workload and knowing that Toby's arrival was near, I accepted. I'll be the first to admit, the money comes in handy, although I still struggle with it some.

How come my church is willing to pay me to lead the music while those who teach Sunday School aren't compensated? Why am I paid while the Nursery Director is a volunteer? Is it because the music is more important than the kids? I sure hope not... Is it because I put in more time and effort into the music than the folks who work with the children? I doubt it... Is it because I have unique skills that make me difficult to replace? No more so than the teachers and caregivers do with the kiddies.

If it's true that each part of the body of Christ is essential to the health of the church, then why aren't the hands that hold the babies treated the same as the hands that play the guitar? Why aren't the voices that teach the students compensated the same as the voice that leads the congregation in song? (I'm not suggesting that all folks who serve a ministry should be paid, nor am I suggesting that no one who serves should be paid.)

I continue to be uncomfortable with being compensated for doing something I've always done for free. I guess I better be a good steward of the funds I'm trusted with.

An aside: today was Impact's 2nd Sunday with 2 services (9:30 and 11:00). It has already proven to be a significant increase in workload. I feel like I'm constantly planning and scheduling and practicing and singing. The callouses on my fingers are building back up, and my voice is getter stronger again. I wasn't expecting the increase in work to be so much, so fast, but the payoff comes when noontime rolls around. We get to look back on the morning and see two high-quality services, knowing that we're working hard to glorify God and offer the westside an extra hour to come and worship.