“Ministry Over Money”, Nathaniel Bassey Explains Why He Doesn’t Charge To Minister

Amid the ongoing debate about whether gospel ministers should charge fees for guest ministrations at churches,renowned gospel singer Nathaniel Bassey has shared his reasons for not charging.

Speaking during a recent sermon in church, he said;

“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 in twitter, to my own understanding is 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 controversy surrounding gospel artists charging fees for performances at church events has intensified, following Apostle Lazarus’s viral criticism.The pastor expresssed his disapproval of commercialising ministry, citing an instance where a singer demanded ₦5 million to perform for his congregation. This statement ignited a heated debate within the gospel and gospel music communities.

In response, singer Timi Dakolo penned a detailed post defending gospel musicians. He emphasised the substantial financial investment required to sustain their craft, urging christians to acknowledge that music, beyond its spiritual significance, is also a profession that warrants fair compensation.

“My dear Christains, a quote/comversation can sound intelligent and deep yet untrue. Just like everyone else. You deserve the very best things life has to offer. You should be paid what you deserve. Studio session, 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 attack 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. I doubt the second part.”