We don't have a choir, out of the 35 people who attend regularly, five of them sing well. Five try to sing and another five day the words.

( This way is not working,it's barely tolerable )


Another church here in tiny
Pays non professional singers $20.00 each and they have five volunteers .

And the parishioners fall in with them.

A church up in the big city has a dozen singers that get $125.00 each for singing with another dozen better than average volunteers.


Some say that the better the choir , fewer parishioners sing along.

I don't sing as I know my limitations.
But if I had a good choir I think I might join in.

We go to a moderately large church, the main service has a regular music group, usually 2-3 vocal, a guitas & bass, drums & piano. Not the subsidized band of a mehachurch, but not a traditional church choir.

The students area, they have a similar setup, but usually a few of the kids get on stage to sing with the group.

As far as I know, I don't think any are paid.

In my opinion, if you have to pay anyone to be a part of the church choir,something is wrong. You should make a joyful noise to the Lord, no matter what they sound like. You are not there to make money but to learn about the gospel, Jesus/God and how to witness to others.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
In my opinion, if you have to pay anyone to be a part of the church choir,something is wrong. You should make a joyful noise to the Lord, no matter what they sound like. You are not there to make money but to learn about the gospel, Jesus/God and how to witness to others.

Yup.
While it may not sound great to you or others, that is not the point nor should it ever be the point.

The Lord loves it because it is real no matter how it may sound to you.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
In my opinion, if you have to pay anyone to be a part of the church choir,something is wrong. You should make a joyful noise to the Lord, no matter what they sound like. You are not there to make money but to learn about the gospel, Jesus/God and how to witness to others.

This.

Has the pastor asked the group of 5 good singers to start a choir? Five good singers is three more than you need in a small congregation. As a group they could lead the congregation in worshipful singing during the service.

Or maybe the 5 would be willing to start small by doing special music for the church service? This doesn't have to mean hours of practice each week on special pieces of music. Just open the hymnal, pick a song, pick the harmonies, and run through it 3 or 4 times 30 minutes before the service.

These suggestions come from my experiences in singing and playing in Praise bands in medium to very small churches. I even volunteered to lead the music every Sunday for over a year when one of the small churches we attended couldn't afford a paid Music Director. I knew who the good singers were and often asked for their help.

At the end of the day, worship music is a participatory sport and everyone needs to play. Think about asking the better players to prayerfully consider taking the opportunity to use their God-given talents to lead the congregation in song.

I'll be praying for them and your church, bendable.

Yes, I have never heard of paying someone to sing in the church choir.
It’s all about the joyful noise. My mom has been a member of the church choir since she was a teen, no matter what church, she always joins the choir.

Four church's in two counties are seeking pastors, have been for over 15 months.

The rural areas populations are less than half of what they used to be.

This churches average parishioners age 56 y.o.

A good choir attracts additional parishioners.

The money for singers does not come from the general fund.

It was willed many many years ago, by a well to do member.

The people at this church are not practicing, they just wing it. And it's not good. By any stretch.

I've been a church choir director for going on 40 years. You don't need great singers to have a great choir, but you do need good singers that are willing to put in the time to practice until they get it right. Without that, to quote bendable, "they just wing it. And it's not good. By any stretch."
Rod

Just turn the organ up so loud it drowns all the bad singers out.

Seriously our church has a choir and the organ player with many great singers in attendance also singing. They have the organ turned up way to loud as its very hard on my ears.

I could not imagine paying anyone to sing though. I would rather hear church members sing bad than hear paid people sing.

I totally agree with those above who decry having paid performers doing a “performance” in a church service. Most often, they perform praise songs the congregation doesn’t know (usually something they wrote themselves), so no one sings along. We’re currently church shopping and that’s what we see most often in churches that would otherwise be attractive to us.
We’re coming from an unusual Baptist Church in San Diego that has a choir AND orchestra (mostly brass band and woodwinds, largely from the local Marine Band) for the first service, and a praise band for the second service. In the first service the choir sings The Old Hymns which I love and which are theologically deep and sound; and an anthem. I sing in that choir. But even in the second “contemporary” service hymns are sung along with praise songs that are known to the congregation, and they heartily sing along.

It’s going to be impossible, I’m afraid, for me to replace that in the Folsom/El Dorado Hills area east of Sacramento.

My church provides a scholarship for college-aged music majors to participate in the choir. This is beneficial because it helps the college singers AND it gives me 2-3 singers who will help lead the others, especially when I have new anthems that some singers will struggle to sight-read.

Since these are future music educators and choral conductors, it also allows me to mentor them and give them some conducting experience along the way, in an export to mold the next generation of choral directors.

quote:

Originally posted by Maestro:
My church provides a scholarship for college-aged music majors to participate in the choir. This is beneficial because it helps the college singers AND it gives me 2-3 singers who will help lead the others, especially when I have new anthems that some singers will struggle to sight-read.

Since these are future music educators and choral conductors, it also allows me to mentor them and give them some conducting experience along the way, in an export to mold the next generation of choral directors.

Okay now that’s cool!

“Next generation of choral directors” sounds like a dream come true. Bravo!

Your worship is not a performance... sing your worship out to the Lord like his word tells us to.

I attend a megachurch (about 6,000 total in 4 sunday morning services) and am on the rotation playing drums once a month or so. Most of the people playing in those services are not paid unless they are actually on staff. A few who do more than just play get a small amount. (I don't get paid nor do I want to.)

I could see paying musicians (you only need a couple of them and they can make a big difference) but I don't see paying singers or choir members. You only need one singer and if everybody else is no good or won't practice, they don't need to be on the stage leading. Not because of low talent, but because of a poor heart.

Also, it sounds like a few churches could join forces in your area.

My perspective is that if I hear good music , I want to sing and I want to actually be present in the church.

If 12 people want to butcher the music, I can watch the service on you tube.

I worship with a group that attempts to follow the practices set forth in New Testament Scripture. See 1 Corinthians 14:26. A pretty good detailed look at the early Church practices through the eyes of the New Testament writers can be seen here : https://thebridgeonline.net/se...church-meeting-like/
The early Church, the Body of Christ, depended on participation from everyone . That meant the members needed to study the Word, Pray and lead songs , etc. There was no one person who was responsible to preach every Sunday or lead songs or sing in a special music choir. They felt they each were led by the Holy Spirit. It seemed that because of the members’ Love and adoration of Jesus, they all participated. We do. Including children and old folks.
Here is a summary from an online source. ‘In the New Testament, early Christians didn't have formal "worship services" as we understand them today, but rather gathered in homes for various activities. These gatherings were focused on building up one another, sharing meals, praying, reading and teaching Scripture, and celebrating the Lord's Supper. They also engaged in practices like singing, sharing resources, and offering support. ‘
So all of the above to say I don’t see a chorus as a necessary part of true worship. However, a choir or special music can truly minister to the spirit and soul of the listener. I am a choral director and I have more than 45 years of experience in leading choirs.