Hiring Outside Musicians

I personally believe this is not wise. Bringing lost into the local assembly is a mistake. Paying lost to entertain the local assembly is an even bigger one.

I'm not against inviting saints of God to preach in revival meetings or to sing or to play music. I beleive they should be reimbursed for their time in the form of a love offering to cover travel, living, and food expenses. But they should come willingly for Christ and not for the money.

Bringing lost in to entertain the assembly for money is like turning the church into a worldly entertainment club. Music should be for the praise of Christ and the edification of the saints.

The local assembly is established for the saints of God. It charges them up and gets them ready to go out into the world and preach the gospel. It was never established to bring the lost into the assembly.

 

And for the records, I was on your side. I guess we're two peas in a pod when it comes to the lost

I've said it before and I'll say it again, when the church starts closing itself to the lost, then the church is not longer a church, but a country club.

You're kidding aren't you???

The lost are welcome in my congregation. Are they not welcome in yours? Christ came for the ill, not the well.

 

and being open to sinners in no way implies that we bring them up front and have the "perform" for our services......

 

I think in that case, TS, I would not hire that one person. It's always been the policy, when I've seen it, that the person must stay until the end of the worship service, and that the person hired must support the ministry.

There are some exceptions. My cousin's church has 2 services. There's a blurb in the bulletin that read "ministers and musicians are excused at this time to fulfill other duties". At that time during the secnd service, the musicians are free to leave (it's always during a non-disruptive time). Since the musicians are there from 7am on, and the second service doesn't get out until 12:30 or so, it certainly doesn't seem unreasonable to dismiss them early.

 

No. I am not. The local assembly was created for the edification of the saints- to charge them up and get them ready to send them out into the world to preach the gospel to the lost. It was not designed to bring the lost in. When you bring the lost into the church, the ways of the world will creep in too- and your church will turn into the one described in 2 Timothy 4:3. When you bring lost in to entertain the assembly, that's a problem.

My view might sound as if I don't care about the lost. But that's not true. I really have a burden for the lost. But the local assembly was not established for them. It was established by Christ for the saints.

I wouldn't ever turn away a lost person from hearing preaching. I'm just saying when you invite the lost in (like this thread is talking about), you will encounter problems. I'm just saying that the primary purpose of the local assembly should not be to bring the lost in. It should be to prepare the saints to go out.

 

Feel free to do it your way, I'll continue to do it mine. I'll welcome the lost to my church, and will never turn anyone away, lost, saved, or prodigal.

 

I have never understood the attitude that musicians should not be paid. They need living expenses just like everyone else.

I have no problem with hiring outside musicians, but I do think they should be Christians.

When I was young, I wanted to be a full time worker in a church, but I had to pay my own way and there were no paid jobs back then except pastor. Since I was a woman, I could not be a pastor. Everything else was done by volunteers.

Fortunately, today, there are full time paid positions that women can do in the church.

 

No. I am not. The local assembly was created for the edification of the saints- to charge them up and get them ready to send them out into the world to preach the gospel to the lost. It was not designed to bring the lost in. When you bring the lost into the church, the ways of the world will creep in too- and your church will turn into the one described in 2 Timothy 4:3. When you bring lost in to entertain the assembly, that's a problem.

My view might sound as if I don't care about the lost. But that's not true. I really have a burden for the lost. But the local assembly was not established for them. It was established by Christ for the saints.

I wouldn't ever turn away a lost person from hearing preaching. I'm just saying when you invite the lost in (like this thread is talking about), you will encounter problems. I'm just saying that the primary purpose of the local assembly should not be to bring the lost in. It should be to prepare the saints to go out. </font>[/QUOTE]I agree, and I also have a burden for the lost.

I thought that was what the churh was for, to edify the saints.

 

Bapmom wrote,

Amen! No sinners should be allowed to minister in any church in any capacity. And for a lesbian flaunting her sin to be allowed to minister through music is an absolutely outrageous abomination!

 

So Johnv does not feel alone, I will repost what I wrote on page 1 ...

 

Is the music entertainment for the congregation or is the music to praise and worship God? It seems that the latter should be true, and if it is, then only those who profess Christ should be allowed to play.

God is the audience here, and to have non-believers playing the music or singing to Him is ridiculous. This is not the way to witness, imo, and I think it's insulting to God.

I think it's fine to hire outside musicians as long as they are professed believers in Christ.

I'm with Texas Sky on this one -- I would certainly complain to the pastor and leadership if a lesbian and/or satanist was going to play music in my church that is supposed to honor God. This goes for any nonbeliever.

 

So only music played by believers is glorifying to God??? I guess the rocks and the rest of creation better stay quiet.

Can anyone point to a passage where God can only be glorified through music sung or played by believers?

All truth is God's truth.

By the way, we would not allow a Satanist or open lesbian to play. That is an extreme example.

 

The rocks and the rest of creation ARE believers in God.........it is only humans that have rejected God.


When a church puts forward people as singers and/or players they are placing those people in the position to "speak for" the church. The visitors, and new attenders, will see those people as leaders in the church. This is how people are. They assume, for the most part, that those people we choose to represent us as singers and players within our services are in the least faithful members in good standing with the church congregation.

Let me ask, would you have an unsaved preacher preach in the pulpit? All truth is God's truth, as you rightly said. So what difference does it make if a preacher is saved or not? Why not hire a great orator to expound to us the Scriptures, even though we know he is not a saved man?

It is the same with music. Music is a form of "forthtelling". It has its own way of "preaching" its own sermon. While the message would not change just because of the person singing it, it would be the same as purposely hiring an unsaved preacher.

 

As far as I know, the fallen angels are not singing praises to the Lord.

How can an unsaved person genuinely sing to the Lord whom they have not yet believed or confessed? God's word tells us that the lost are in darkness; they are blinded from the truth.

God admonished people in the OT for their outward show and lip service and for not worshiping him from their inner being. He was very angry about this. Outward singing, no matter how beautiful, means nothing to God without faith. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," Heb. 11.6

 

There would bo no one left to minister.

Now, if you said "no lost person shound be allowed..." you'd make a little more sense.

I'm clearly in good company

 

There are countless musical opportunities other than "singing". TS in the OP mentioned a handbell choir. If a handbell choir is made up of 6-12 people, and one of them was someone who had not yet accepted Christ, but is likely to in the future, and if the other persons in the choir can attest to that person not being of any bad influence, then by all means, let that person play the bells with the choir.

And that fact tha TS even knows what a handbell choir is demonstrates great wisdom

 

There are countless musical opportunities other than "singing". TS in the OP mentioned a handbell choir. If a handbell choir is made up of 6-12 people, and one of them was someone who had not yet accepted Christ, but is likely to in the future, and if the other persons in the choir can attest to that person not being of any bad influence, then by all means, let that person play the bells with the choir.
</font>[/QUOTE]Well, I guess I disagree, John. I think even members of the handbell choir should be required to be members of the church and in order to that, they need to be professed believers.

 

There is no way to know if someone is going to accept Christ is there? Even if they have been listening and even agreeing with the gospel?