Throughout ministry, having a guest speaker is a common occurrence. And from experience, many ministries don’t handle communicating with a guest speaker well. They get the big pieces right by attempting to schedule ahead, and they “pay” the speaker appropriately. However, there are a lot of topics that commonly get overlooked because when they schedule a guest speaker, they already know the church, routine, and main people in charge of different aspects.
After being a guest speaker for a few years, the topics listed below became the focus of conversations because of the benefit it offered me as a speaker and how it eased many concerns about what I was to encounter.
Now that I often schedule speakers, I have found that when I communicate this information to them via email or text, the experience for both sides improves.
When to send the communication?
First, we need to discuss when we should send the information. A general rule is seven to ten days before the event. I send this information either by text or email, depending on which contact point I have available. As both a speaker and one who schedules, I have discovered that giving people (including myself) more than ten days will cause items to be forgotten, or the message will be lost in email.
As a bonus, if sending an email, I will typically put “Guest Speaking at (Ministry and event) on (insert date)” in the subject line. This way, it is easier for the guest speaker to find when searching their emails.
Guest Speaker Topics
When I send this information, I tend to keep it bulletpointed, as you see below. Also, I want to encourage you to keep it simple and not overly wordy or with too flowery language. If there are questions or concerns, please work those issues out through a phone call.
- Tie (Dress Code)
What is the dress code, officially or unofficially, of your church? In other words, does your church or event prefer the speaker to dress a certain way? For me, it came to a basic question: “Do you want me to wear a tie or not?”
- Recent Series
Is the church/ministry at the beginning of a series? Are you looking for a guest speaker to bolster an idea or major theme? Or are you finishing a series, and the guest speaker is a well-timed break?
- Bible Version
Is there a preferred Bible version for the church or ministry event? Notice that this is a different question than what you personally use or prefer. In two different instances, the person scheduling me told me one thing, and the church did not hold the same view. As a guest speaker, I was under-prepared in both instances and was then scrambling before the service to make adjustments.
- Point Person
Who is the point person for the day of the event or service? The guest speaker will need their name, position (if available), and phone number. Even if that is you as the scheduler, please include this. Don’t assume that the guest speaker will know.
- A/V
What, if any, audio-visual equipment is available to use? What specific programs does the ministry have available? (For example, PowerPoint, Keynote, or ProPresenter.) Who is the AV point person that will be there that day? Is there a microphone? Is that microphone a handheld or a lapel? What, if any, special requests does the guest speaker need?
I want to give you an example of the last question from someone who schedules guests. I had a guest speaker who wanted to sing a song, which I was excited about. However, on that day, he brought a cassette tape. This exchange happened in 2022, and I had nothing in the building that could play a cassette or connect to our system.
- Times
Most of the “times” have already been discussed. I typically use this section as a reminder because not every church/ministry is the same.
- What time would should the guest speaker arrive?
- When is the Audio-visual Check (if available)?
- If you would like the speaker to attend something extra (Sunday school class, lunch, or a prayer meeting), when and where does it meet?
- Order of Service
Regardless of printing a bulletin or everyone “knowing” what happens next, PLEASE communicate the typical order of service for that day.
Not Included in the Guest Communication
You will notice a few things that are not included. For example, money, directions, or the number of times they speak. Why, you may ask? Those topics should have been discussed/negotiated already several weeks prior.
One caveat is if your church is in the process of pastoral search, and you have multiple different speakers coming for multiple weeks, please adjust and flex the information to your needs. You may need to be ready to give all the information, including a discussion of money (if any), directions, past sermons/topics already presented, and the seven topics listed above.
Take Away:
I hope this list helps you think through your next guest speaking appointment, regardless of whether you are the speaker or the one scheduling for your church/ministry.
Added Bonus: Below is an image of the typical email I send.
If you would like to contact Pastor Mark to come and speak or have further questions, please use the contact page.
Mark Rogers
Pastor Mark is the primary author and content creator of pastormarkrogers.com. Additionally, he serves as Pastor of Lighthouse Sylva. You can find out more by clicking the About Page.
