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To my pastor friends - How do you pay guest speakers?

 
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Post To my pastor friends - How do you pay guest speakers? brotherjames
How do you handle the amounts given to a guest speaker? Actually, I mean do you take an offering and give all that comes in to the speaker? Do you have a minimum and if less than that comes in do you supplement the amount to bring it up to the minimum? DO you pay your speakers expenses (hotel, meals, car or airplane) out of the given amount or do you pay the expenses above and beyond any honorarium? What if a lot more comes in than you expected, do you give it all to them or do you keep some back?

Just wondering. Several of my former students who travel as evangelists have complained to me about how they are being compensated by the churches where they speak and minister.
Acts-celerater
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1/10/18 1:40 pm


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Post Da Sheik
We have a typical amount we will pay a guest speaker on a Sunday morning. The congregation knows this. In the rare instances we take up special offerings for an individual or a group, we certainly never withhold that from them. In my mind, that would be tantamount to misappropriation of funds.

We seldom have anyone coming in from far away. But when we do, we take care of their food & lodging aside from their monetary remuneration. I don’t envy the ministry of the traveling evangelist. Revival meetings are scarce, and pastors are hesitant to bring in guys who aren’t pastors.
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1/10/18 3:22 pm


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Post Re: To my pastor friends - How do you pay guest speakers? Old Time Country Preacher
brotherjames wrote:
Several of my former students who travel as evangelists have complained to me about how they are being compensated by the churches where they speak and minister.



Maybe they're expectin a WOF offerin in a non-WOF church.

Seriously, heres OTCP's method:

1. Opportunity is given in each service to give as unto the Lord.

2. It is NEVER stated from the pulpit or in private that "everything given will go to the speaker" or "everything given is for this event."

3. The speaker is given a predetermined amount.

4. If accommodations (lodging/travel/meals) is needed, the church takes care a that above an beyond what we give the speaker.

5. If more comes in than what we spent out, nothing is given back cause nothin was received solely for the event. The remaining portion simply stays in the church treasury to cover stuff like utilities, toilet paper, Kleenex, piano tunin, carpet cleanin, etc. You know, all the stuff that has to be done to make the event happen.
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1/10/18 3:29 pm


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Post Da Sheik
We are not a huge church but we are not a small church either. Over the years we have had some get upset (usually singing groups ) because we don’t allow them to take up separate offerings. We have a set amount and then allow them to set up their product table(s). If someone individually wants to bless them above and beyond that, I have no issue.

I do think it’s important to communicate this well in advance of the service(s) so that expectations are within reason.
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1/10/18 3:42 pm


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Post Just curious brotherjames
1) why wouldn't you take up a separate offering for a group or speaker?

2) Why wouldn't you say you are going to give all the proceeds to the speaker,
(I understand you might want to old back some funds for expenses related to the speaker - hotel - food- transportation - but is that the only reason?)

Since this is an anonymous forum, what are your predetermined amounts? I understand size of churches are determining factor but assume you were pastoring a church of 150-200 and say 100-150 and 200-300. What would you think would be appropriate for an evangelist or missionary if they came and did 1 or 2 services for you? Just trying to see what's the going rate for my students. I think we give a lot more than average here and trying to get a feel for why their offerings seem so low.
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1/10/18 6:11 pm


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Post Quiet Wyatt
I have always given above what comes in as offerings whenever we have guest speakers come. Taking the Golden Rule as my guide, we pay the visiting minister’s room, meals and traveling expenses PLUS the love offering. I always announce that everything given in the offering will go to our honored guest speaker. I see any increased utility or cleaning costs we may incur as part of our congregational investment in the revival meeting.

We typically give $250-$400 for a Sunday AM service, $350-$600 for a Sunday AM and PM, and $1000-$1500 for a three- or four-day revival that includes a Sunday morning and evening service. For singing groups, I generally take a love offering and let them promote their product from the platform. We have given as much as $600 for one concert, but we don’t do a lot of concerts. We are a small but generous church of about 50 people.
[Insert Acts Pun Here]
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1/10/18 7:26 pm


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Post Thanks for sharing Wyatt brotherjames
We operate in a similar fashion although our amounts are different since we are a larger church.

Any one else?
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1/10/18 8:10 pm


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Post Da Sheik
I think the answers are all relative to the size of the church. Some of these singing groups weary me with their constant solicitation. In some of the smaller churches I’ve pastored, groups wanted a predetermined amount. Now that I pastor a larger church, some of these same groups mysteriously want to come for an offering. Laughing Acts Enthusiast
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1/11/18 1:54 pm


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Post I understand brotherjames
I have pretty much ceased bringing in singing groups. But, looking at it from the group/speaker's point of view - there are certain costs associated with ministry or life for that matter. If you only have 52 weeks a year to minister and you need x amount to live you could understand wanting a minimum amount in order to make it viable to go out and minister. I prefer people not putting a minimum and just coming as the Lord leads but the fact is there are a lot of cheap pastors out there. Wyatt's philosophy is mine, I treat people the way I'd like to be treated and beyond. I have been getting stories like this from some of my students and others in the traveling ministry:

"the pastor took an offering for me and said he'd give it all to me but he said I would have to wait until his bookkeeper could write me a check so he would mail it to me. I never got it. I called him about it and he apologized and said he would send it but I never got a check. I called again and got the same story and the same result. I quit calling." or this

I preached at a church with over 100 in attendance for two services am and pm. No one took me to lunch and they took up an offering in each service although they didn't mention if it was for me. I got an envelope as I was leaving. We had great services, several salvations and a great move of God especially in the pm meeting. When I got to my car and looked in the envelope there was $50 cash. or this one

"I preached for Sunday am service to a church of about 200. They gave me a total of $500 but I traveled from Florida to NC and spent 1 night in a hotel plus my gas and car mileage."

Our church is large but we're not a mega church. I never give less than all expenses including airfare, hotel and we usually take care of meals while a speaker is with us, car expenses whatever. For 1 Sunday am service we take an offering for the speaker and tell the people it all goes to them (we eat the expenses as part of our responsibility). If less than $1500 comes in we take it up to 2000, if more than 2000 comes in we give the whole amount. For multiple services we give whatever comes in as long as it is at least 2500. If a speaker comes in for a Wed. night we give at least $500 or whatever comes in the offering if it is more with us eating the expenses (usually small as they are often local for mid-week) we give $250 for youth speakers on mid-week sometimes more.

I don't understand inviting a speaker or group to your church and not taking care of them well. If you can't afford to do that, don't invite them or let them know you have limited funds ahead of time. Invite local people (from within a 2 hr drive ) if that's the case. If you don't want to let the speaker take the offering (and I have been burned on that one) at least encourage your people to give abundantly and prepare them ahead of time to be prepared to come giving and offering. When we were small we spaced out our invitations to about 2 or 3 per year and saved up money in order to give them a decent offering. I don't get the attitude with some people about this subject.
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1/11/18 2:18 pm


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Post Quiet Wyatt
One that blew me away a couple of years ago was a worship leader/song writer whose ministry has blessed me very much for over 20 years. He had his booking agent/secretary call me after I had responded on Facebook how we would love to have him minister if he ever happened to be in our area. (He lives 600 miles away from us). I could be mistaken, but I can only assume they could see on my Facebook profile that the town where I live and pastor has only 2000 population, and the nearest towns to us are 20 and 25 miles away in opposite directions, and even those are only about two or three times our population. There just arent a whole lot of people who live out here in SE NM.

Anyway, she told me they needed $4000 for a weekend of ministry (three services) in addition to room, traveling costs and meals. When I told them I had no doubt his ministry was worth that, but that the amount requested was about half our monthly budget, she then asked if we could split the costs with a nearby church. I said I would try to see. I then asked if we could rent the high school auditorium for him for the Saturday night concert, and charge $10 for admission. She replied that he doesn’t allow admission to be charged at his concerts. I thanked her and said I was sorry but I just couldn’t see how we could afford him. She then responded by asking could we afford $3000.
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1/11/18 2:55 pm


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