A resurfaced video of gospel singer Nathaniel Bassey explaining why he does not charge for church ministrations has reignited discussions on whether gospel artistes should receive payment for their performances.
The video, originally recorded in 2021, shows Nathaniel speaking during a sermon in church. He stated:
“If a church invites me to come and minister, they are doing two things. They are inviting me to minister to God and to His people. Let me just say this before I trend on Twitter—to my own understanding, when you tell me to minister to God, I can’t charge God to minister to Him.
“How much did He charge me for His blood on Calvary? The blood that is the very reason for my ministry. It’s a personal thing for me, and it has worked for me, so why leave what is working?”
The issue of whether gospel artistes should charge for their services has been a topic of debate within religious circles.
While some believe ministry should be a voluntary act of service, others argue that artistes deserve compensation for their time, effort, and financial investments.
Recently, singer Timi Dakolo responded to Pastor Femi Lazarus, who criticised gospel artistes for charging high fees to minister in churches.
The pastor claimed that worship gatherings were becoming commercialised, citing an instance where a gospel artist requested N5 million to sing at his church. His statement sparked widespread debate.
In a detailed response, Dakolo defended gospel musicians, stressing that their craft requires financial investment.
“My dear Christians, a quote/conversation can sound intelligent and deep yet be untrue. Just like everyone else, you deserve the very best things life has to offer. You should be paid what you deserve. Studio sessions, production, and promotion cost a lot.
“You have a family to feed, you have rent to pay. You have more songs to put out. We should stop all these attacks on people’s work. As much as it is spiritual, music is an art. If you can’t pay people, use your choir members and pay the amount you could have given the guest artist.”
Similarly, singer Harrysong questioned why churches oppose paying gospel artists when they compensate pastors and other church workers.
