Should I stay with a congregation that pays its song leader?
Question:
I attend a small church of Christ. We have no elders or deacons. We pay a man to lead singing, which obviously is wrong. What should I do? Will this cause him to lose his salvation? Will I lose mine if I continue to worship there? He is the only one among the men capable of leading singing.
Answer:
The Bible speaks of paying preachers (I Corinthians 9:14), elders (I Timothy 5:17), and teachers (Galatians 6:6); though it could be argued in the latter case that the teachers in mind are the preachers and elders. The problem, as you noted, is that there is no authority for paying someone to lead singing, lead prayers, or serve the Lord's Supper. Without such authority, the congregation is going beyond the bounds of what God allowed (I Corinthians 4:6).
Since we are told, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15), ask the men in as kind and gentle of a way as you can upon what passage do they conclude that it is permissible to pay a man to lead singing. If they are unable to explain their actions from God's word, then ask them why they are doing something without authority (Colossians 3:17). Based on their answers, you might have to decide to find a more faithful congregation with whom to worship.
The problem with remaining with a group that does not respect the authority of God is that eventually, it will begin to color your own view of how things ought to be (I Corinthians 15:33).
