George Quaye has taken a strong stance against recent comments made by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome regarding musicians and their relationship with the church.

Reacting to the Christ Embassy founder’s claim that secular musicians have exploited churches for personal gain, Quaye described the statement as baseless and unfair.

He argued that many musicians feel used by churches, as they are often not compensated for their contributions. “If you speak to a lot of musicians, they will also tell you how the church has used them. People know how the churches generate revenue…

Have you ever seen a gospel concert being sponsored by a church before? It is the alcoholic beverage and condom companies that sponsor such programs. Yet, some churches are the richest institutions in the world,” he stated.

Quaye further criticized churches for failing to provide financial security for musicians while expecting them to remain loyal. He questioned why instrumentalists are not put on a payroll if churches want them to stay.

“Why don’t you put these instrumentalists on a monthly payroll if you don’t want them to leave? Give them good welfare, as some of the non-gospel musicians are taking from the people they work with before you come up and say they have robbed the church… It is a very unfortunate comment,” he remarked.

Addressing the realities musicians face, he pointed out that talent is God-given, and it is unfair to expect musicians to remain in the church without financial support.

“What is our dear pastor talking about? Talent is of God, so if I start giving my talent to the church and I am growing, meanwhile the church is not paying me for the guitar I am playing, and I get a gig somewhere, shouldn’t I go?

“Gospel musicians will also travel to perform in churches, and they don’t even pay them well. What are you saying? That they should continue to starve and die? Or they should become thieves?”

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome had earlier lamented the trend of musicians beginning their careers in the church only to leave when they start making progress.

He described this as exploitation, asserting that many secular artists simply used the church as a stepping stone.

However, Quaye’s response suggests that the issue is more complex, pointing to churches’ failure to adequately support the musicians they rely on.

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