Aaron Ivey talks about different methods of compensating musicians that lead in worship on Sundays. There are ways to compensate musicians that are more valuable than anything money could ever buy.
Here are a few of the main points:
"You’ve gotta believe this – money is not the best compensation for artists. Money is not the best compensation for artists.
Okay, those words are chosen carefully. Money is not the BEST compensation for artists. So, I know there are like two camps, right? Two different philosophies: we pay our musicians or we don’t pay our musicians, and here’s why we don’t pay our musicians and here’s why we do pay our musicians. The point is true in both. Money is not the best compensation if you’re paying them, and if you’re not paying them, don’t feel guilty because money is not the best compensation.
As we’re thinking about serving our artists in our city and serving our artists in our church, we have to – wherever you’re at on the line – you have to compensate them with things that money could never ever buy. That’s true compensation. That’s true hospitality and love and community: compensating them with things that money could never ever buy.
So if you’re over here, and you’re like, “We pay our musicians, and that’s what we do,” know this: that is not nearly enough. You could never compensate them enough money to get true buy-in and build great community and have them on mission for the Lord.
If you don’t pay your musicians, don’t beat yourself or feel like you would have better musicians if you could afford to pay them. No, compensate them in all the ways that money and finances could never ever compensate them in.
What could money not buy?
Money cannot buy true friendship. It can’t. People try, but it just can’t.
Money cannot buy significant purpose and mission in life. You can’t pay for that, man.
Money cannot buy inspiration, being inspired. You might get little pockets of it. You pay this amount of dollars to go see a band or this movie. You might be inspired, but long-term inspiration – money can’t buy that.
Money cannot buy a place in the mission of God. Like that’s what you and I get to offer people. Man, here is your place in the mission of God. That’s compensation that’s so much richer than money.
Money cannot ever buy being shepherded and pastored by a person that loves them. Never.
So either side that you’re on, compensate them in the things that money can’t ever afford.”
