The Hiring of a Church Musician Vol 2 (From a Musicians Perspective)

It seems that the latter part of 2011 heading into 2012 was a changing of seasons for a lot of musicians including myself. When those changes happen we find ourselves in a sort of wilderness as to where God is taking us. Some of us know where we are going because God has already hooked it up before we left the last assignment. However there are those of us who had to exit the premises because it was time to go and staying at that assignment would be detrimental for us and the church. Of course some of us were let go for various other reasons as well. I think it is important to take some time to reflect on your last assignment before taking another position in a church. Reflect on what went right and wrong. Reflect on what you can tolerate and no longer tolerate in the next assignment. If you didn't know, the older you get the more intolerable you get when it comes to certain characteristics of a church job but in the end you love it because it is what God has called you to do.  SO HERE WE GO. 

 The word gets out that you are free and available and here comes the Pastors, Bishops,  Deacons, heads of search committees, music committees, loddy, doddy and everybody calling you inquiring about your availability to come and help with their ministries.  You find yourself in a sea of newness eagerly anticipating the interviews and opportunities that you are now exposed to and often consider the interviews without doing some investigative work first. Here are some suggestions as to what you should consider BEFORE you walk in the door to interview.

1. Who was there before you? You should always try and find out who was there before you and, if possible, talk to that person to get an idea of their perspective of the ministry. There is always to sides to every story so its important to get both sides (The Musicians and The Churches). I recently resigned from a church and the new Minister of Music called me before he took the job and we discussed the pro's and con's of the ministry there so that he would know what he was getting himself into. Pastor's do it all of the time. They call each other and have conversations about you (the musician) before they even talk to you so you should do the same.

2. What kind of Pastor does the church have?  You REALLY need to know what kind of personality the Pastor has before you walk in the door. You absolutely need to know if the persons a very hands-on Pastor or not because if they are, they most likely will be controlling every thing you do. You should ask the previous person who held the job and, if accessible, other Pastors as well about the Pastor you are interviewing with. You will be surprised as to the insight you would receive.

3. What is the financial position of the church? You need to know if the church is bad with their finances for OBVIOUS reasons. lol 

Now!! If you are satisfied with the answers to these questions then you can go into the interview with the next set of questions.

1. Ask the Pastor or leadership, What is your vision or what is the vision of the church? You want to make sure that you can fulfill the needs of the church and its Pastor so get a clear understanding as to where they are trying to go. You need to know if their vision lines up with your spiritual beliefs. WARNING- Keep in mind that visions do change throughout the course of your potential employment that's why its important to know the personality of the Pastor.

2. What is the position entail?  Ask plenty of questions to make sure you get the most accurate answers about what they are asking you to do. KEEP IN MIND that the leadership doesn't always know how to explain there needs so its important that you help them by restating to them your understanding of what they said to you. 

3. What is the pay?  Please understand that, more than likely, whatever you walk in the door with that's what its going to be for a long time or for good. Most churches make promises that they cannot keep to musicians regarding pay raises again for various reasons.

4. What are the benefits? Now you know that most of our churches DO NOT offer benefits to musicians for various reasons but it doesn't hurt to ask. "You have not because you ask not"

5. PAID VACATIONS?  Everybody needs a vacation. You wanna know if the church is willing to supplement that and for how long each year.

6. What is the Music Ministry budget? You defiantly want to know how much they value the music ministry. Value=Money. Anything a church places value on, they will invest money into.

7. Music workshops? Many musicians really deprive themselves by not asking or sometimes demanding that the church pay for there future development as a "Minstrel in the house of the Lord". Pastors have no problem, if the church can afford it, charging the church for their educational development. You should do the same. You should be able to attend local and/or national workshops so that you can be exposed to new music, new experiences and new approaches to music ministry. 

These are some basic questions that everyone, who takes a leadership role in the music ministry, should ask before considering the position. You as the musician know what you can deal with and what you can't. Just know that you are a human beings and not herded cattle and never take a job JUST BECAUSE OF THE MONEY because it will backfire on you. Churches who pay a lot demand a lot. Lastly and most importantly, pray about every potential situation and let the Lord lead you as you go through the various interview processes.  

Peace,

Phillip Carter