Pastor David Ibiyeomie has stirred a massive debate after saying paid church drummers will never get out of poverty. Is it worship or free labor? See the full story and the reactions here.
You spend years learning how to play the keyboard until your fingers are sore. You buy expensive gear with your own money, skip your weekends to attend rehearsals, and carry heavy instruments.
Then on Sunday, you play your heart out, only for the pastor to stand on the altar and tell you to your face that the small salary you collect from the church is the exact reason why your life is backward.
That’s the heavy slap church instrumentalists had to take this week. That’s why Pastor David Ibiyeomie is trending. He spoke with absolutely zero filter in his latest sermon. He went straight after church instrumentalists who expect a salary for playing.
Pastor David Ibiyeomie
According to him, the moment you collect money for playing the drums in the house of God, the divine blessing stops.
During the message, the cleric questioned why anyone should be treating service in the sanctuary like a regular 9-to-5 job. Pastor David Ibiyeomie maintained that worship should be driven by a pure heart and a desire to honor God, not by how much is hitting your bank account at the end of the month.
He even quoted Exodus 23:25, basically telling them to serve for free if they want God to bless their food. In the eyes of the pastor, if you settle for a man-made wage, you are essentially trading a lifetime of divine “overflow” for a small monthly salary.
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He believes those who focus on the “paycheck” side of ministry are actually limiting their own financial growth.
This particular stance from Pastor David Ibiyeomie has split the internet right down the middle. On one side, you have the traditionalists who believe the “old ways” are the best. They argue that the pioneers of the faith served for free and God still blessed them.
But on the other side, the backlash is coming in hot, especially from the musicians themselves. Being a professional drummer in a big Nigerian church is a lot of work. We are talking about hours of sound checks, vigils, and midweek services.
Many are asking: “If the church pays the electricity bill and the contractors who built the altar, why shouldn’t they pay the person keeping the rhythm?”
The reality of the Nigerian creative economy is tough. According to recent reports on the rising cost of living, the price of everything from transport to musical gear has skyrocketed. Expecting a professional musician to spend 20 hours a week at church for free—while they have rent and family bills to pay—is becoming a very hard sell. Pastor David Ibiyeomie
Many people forget that these drummers aren’t just “playing.” They are skilled professionals. Some have degrees in music, while others have spent a decade learning how to play in a way that moves a congregation.
If you look at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data on unemployment, many young Nigerians rely on their creative skills to survive. For some of these drummers, the church is their only source of income. Hearing a big pastor say your salary is a curse just messes with your head. Pastor David Ibiyeomie
Is this a sacrifice, or is it just a job? That’s the question everyone is trying to answer. While we all want to serve God, we also live in a world where “God bless you” doesn’t pay for a bag of rice.
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