Worship musicians: Do you get paid?

I'm not a pro, just a hobbyist. Making music for God is just what I LOVE to do.

 

Most of us don't, the average church size in America is maybe 100 donating members. When you get to medium/large churches there might be a couple of paid musicians on staff supported by volunteers. Then up to the megachurches with a touring band to promote their recordings along with those staying at the home church with other leaders/frontmen being working pros

 

I get paid. As much as I love the music I won't do it if I weren't getting paid.

 

Yes, I will not play for free at all and that goes for churches as well.

 

I get paid on a 1099. 1000ish member congregation. Musicians don't have to be members.
1.5 hour rehearsal during the week, 2.5 hours days of service.

 

I haven't done that kind of work in fifteen years, but when I did I got paid. I played for two large, well-funded churches that wanted top quality bands, so they looked outside of the church for musicians. One church involved recording and television broadcasts. They brought in lots of money from this, and I observed that the pastor and people at the top of the church drove expensive cars and wore expensive suits. The musicians were not the only ones getting paid well. I was a full-time musician at the time earning my living exclusively from music.

If it were a small, struggling church that I was a member of, I wouldn't feel right about getting paid, but that was not the case.

 

Nope. Not paid.

 

I play once or twice a month--we get the songs emailed to us during the week & we run through them once or twice before the service--same day.
So you have to be quick to learn things & adaptable.
But no pay--and that's okay.
I'm doing it as an act of worship & service.
And I love it.
We do pay the worship leader a small amount as he does do more work & has more demand on his time.

 

Never been paid, but my life is too busy right now and I'm dropping off of the rotation. I don't know if that would be different if I was getting money for playing at church, but it would at least be another factor to consider.

 

When I was, I never got paid.

 

I don't get paid, I am okay with that. I just love playing music with my friends.

 

i never got paid-I did it for the joy of playing with a greater purpose.

 

I've always volunteered, so no payment required and none expected.

 

I did and got paid. I did the gig for almost 9 years. Resigned this spring

 

I play 1 or 2 Sundays a month. Great talent on our team and it is a joy to play with them.
The best teams are when the band is made up of weekend warriors and the tunes just cook. Pay .....I figure God doesn't charge me for what he provides to me, so why should I charge for what I provide.
May God bless and keep you all and remember the reason for the season.
Duke