May a chazan exclude someone from his tefillah?

If a chazan refuses to be motzei a specific member of the congregation in his tefillah due to feelings of animosity, he forfeits his right to be chazan and cannot be motzei anyone. The appointment to serve as shaliach tzibur hinges on a willingness to serve the entire tzibur. In addition, a chazan who is not willing to be motzei everyone has a moral defect which causes his tefillah to be flawed and incomplete.

ס"ק נז; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 64

Can a person refuse an aliyah?

A ba’al korei, too, should not bear any animosity towards people in the shul. If he does, the gabbai should not call the person that the ba’al korei dislikes for an aliyah when the tochacha is being read. It is possible that the ba’al korei could intend for the curses to fall upon the oleh, which would be dangerous. The Achronim disagree about whether a person in this situation should refuse the aliyah if he is called. If he is concerned that he may be called, he should walk out of shul before the aliyah is given out. It has become accepted for the ba’al korei to receive the aliyah of the tochacha.

סעיף יז וס"ק נח; הוספה מסימן תכח, ס"ק יז

When should a child not serve as chazan after a parent’s death?

In the year following a parent’s death, one should serve as chazan to elevate the neshamah of the deceased. Serving as chazan is an even greater elevation than saying Kaddish. If, however, the son does not pronounce the words properly or davens in a hurried fashion, it is better for him not to be the chazan. An improper tefillah is not an elevation and can even be detrimental to the parent’s soul.

סעיף כ וס"ק נט ו־ס; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 70

• A person who has not been appointed as a shul’s steady chazan should not approach the amud to lead the tefillah without being asked.

• According to the strict halacha, any individual in a community can protest the appointment of a proposed chazan, Rov, ba’al korei or other public leader.

• There was a time when certain opinions held that a ger could not serve as chazan. They explained that gerim would not be able to say the words Elokei avoseinu, since their fathers were not Jewish. The Rishonim rejected this view, since Avrohom Avinu was known as the father of a multitude of nations. 

• How important is it for a community to have a Rov?

• Are city taxes income based?

• Is a paid chazan better than a volunteer?