Finances bringing us apart. PLEASE HELP!

[chosenone]

I don't think that those in worship groups of churches should expect payment surely. Any more than people who have other gifts and abilities they use in the church do.

What about the leaders who write the songs, arrange the vocals and instruments, have to interface with the pastor and board and oversee purchase of equipment (in some cases that includes all the sound equipment)?

Few churches here could afford to pay the worship group leaders. IF equipment is needed and agreed by the church, then yes, they do need to pay for that. One of our worship guys does write songs in his spare time. However there are so many songs about now, that we have an amazing choice already.

Yikes . . . so a musician has to afford spending thousands of hours of his own time becoming an able musician, but nobody has to afford to pay him?

  Not in a worship group setting in a church no. My church has quite a few musicians who sing or play in the worship groups, and none of them get paid. They all have full time jobs.  They see it as their minsitry for Jesus, just as those who have other ministries do.
My son is in the worship group in his own church and he would never dream of money for it. Otherwise why not pay all the other people who use their talents in the church. Maybe one person has trained for many years to be an accountant and he does the churches accounts in his spare time. Or a lady who has trained for many years to be a qualified counsellor, and uses her training to help those in the church who need such help. Where do we draw the line?   Its hard enough here finding the money to pay the pastor, and maybe a secretary who works many hours for the church, without having to find money for all those who give time and talents in other ways.

Huh, I didn't realize those different parties were donating their work (I'm pretty sure churches I've known don't do that).

Really? I have never known a musician be paid for being in a worship group in any church I have been to. As I said its uaually only the pastor/vicar and maybe a part time secretary or possible a childrens/youth worker who get paid here. Our churches tend to be far smaller, and everyone just does their bit for nothing.