CHARGING MONEY BY GOSPEL MINISTER : Pst. Ife ADETONA

Your sister has a strong passion for teaching. After her NYSC, she got a teaching job where she was paid 25k. Then, she applied for a banking job where she was offered 205k per month. What would be your advice to her?

Forget about that example. Look at this scenario:

A sister (not your sibling) is a song minister. She was invited to a church to minister. She was to transport herself over a far distance with her crew members. She is not even sure if they would give her an honorarium let alone the transportation of her crew members. But they were the first to contact her before another church did. This other church assured her that they would send her flight ticket upfront. Her crew members can come by road and they will all be lodged in a hotel. There is also a guarantee of a fat honorarium. Please, advise her. Remember the date is clashing with the former church.

I know what is coming to your mind right now. She should not look at the money. She should pray first. What if God didn’t want her there? What if she has a plane crash on her way? What if it is an occultic church? What if souls are waiting for her in the former church?

Thanks for your thoughts. But why is that the first thing that came to your mind? You didn’t think about all that when I talked about the first sister. What if Boko Haram bombed the bank? What if a plane crashed on her head on her way to the bank? What if the building just collapsed? What if water carried her away while in front of the bank?

I find it very hypocritical to attack gospel ministers for charging money. Just try and put yourself in their shoes. EVERY MINISTER WANTS TO MINISTER JUST LIKE EVERY DOCTOR WANTS TO TREAT. And there are stages in the ministry. There are days they were even begging just to be given the chance to minister bearing all the cost. There are stages they don’t mind even if it’s just the transport fare that shows.

They have come to a stage of several demands left right and center. There’s a quality of delivery you also expect from them. There’s a quality of travelling method they can use. You have to pay for all that. There’s a type of hotel they can use. They do personal rehearsals, they have personal development programmes. All of that would cost. Their band members are not called into the ministry so they charge per month or outing! They have a family to feed. If they chose to charge to be able to SORT first among their various invitations, so be it.

Go for those who are still trusting God or go for those who can work within your budget. WHY THE COMPLAIN? Or just SING YOURSELF!