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The topic for the article this month will be, "making financial arrangements." It is very difficult to talk about finances, but this is very important to the livelihood of the ministry. While it is a ministry it is also a business. The churches are operated like a business and so should our ministries.

The first thing to remember when you are asked to hold a concert in a church or auditorium is that you was hired to sing. It's the same if the church should hire a plumber or electrician to do some work. They expect to be paid and that means to cover expense and make a small profit and so should you. God's word tells us, "…for the laborer is worthy of his hire…" Luke 10:7. I'm not quiet sure were the idea came from that Christians should work for free.

You should never feel guilty for expecting to be paid when you were hired to do a job. When we go for free or a small love offering that will not even buy dinner on the way home, it is making it very difficult for everyone. It is time that we set a standard and become professional about how we handle the financial part of our ministries. The churches need to realize that when they hire singers to come to their church they must be willing to pay for those services. But because we have been willing to go for little or nothing they have become accustom to giving us a pat on the back and a thank you. It is up to us to change that kind of mentality.

First, you need to know what the expense for your travel will be by the mile. You can get that information by checking some of your past trips and totaling up your expenses and dividing it by the mileage. When you have that
information you can find out how far it is to a booking and multiply the mileage by the expense per mile for travel and then add a percentage of profit and that will be your flat fee. Or you can say expenses plus a love offering if you are sure that the offering will be substantial enough to meet your need.

All of the larger churches will want to know what the charge will be and you will be able to give them an answer with this formula. Even if you have to call them back after you have checked the mileage and calculated the information. When you call back, if they say they can't afford your price then it is up to you to negotiate a fee. You may want to ask them what they can afford. If you have another engagement near by and will be in the area
anyway you may be able to go for the price they can afford. It is up to you. And if you feel God wants you to go for what they can afford then it's still up to you. But don't feel bad if you have to say, " I'm sorry pastor
but our expense factor is to great to be able to accommodate your request. If we can every be of service to you in the future please call us again." If the church knows what it will take to get you to come, many times they
will get out and raise the money and then call you back.

It will take a while for churches to realize that they are going to have to start taking care of groups that they bring in to sing. If we all stick together it will happen. But we have to be willing to take some criticism at first to make progress.

I am reading Nick Bruno's book, "The Gospel Music Truth." There is a wealth of knowledge in this small book. I have learned a great deal from it and want to encourage you to get a hold of one of them. You can order it on his web site, http://www.nickbruno.com . Be sure to tell him I told you about the book. He will want to know.

If you are going to be vacationing near Nashville, TN, stop off and take a vocal lesson. I would love to work with you. Give me a call at (615) 886-7082 or email me for information at . Also, be sure
to order your ENTERTAINER'S SECRET Throat Relief Spray.

And as always, keep singing His praises!

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