About ten years ago our church was planning a Praise and Worship Conference.  We invited a speaker who is well known and gifted to minister in the area of praise and worship.  We were excited when he accepted our invitation but when we received a contract, we were taken aback.  This was a first for us.  The contract literally sat on my desk for a few days because our pastor was trying to decide what he wanted to do.  We didn’t know how to take it.  Eventually, we agreed to the terms and signed the contract.

There was nothing outrageous in the contract, it just caught us by surprise.  At the time we had grown to a membership of about 500 and were accustomed to inviting a speaker and giving him (or her) an honorarium that we deemed appropriate.

About a year later our pastor was invited to a small rural church in another state.  We purchased our plane tickets, were taken to a motel and prepared for the three day revival that Pastor was asked to preach.  At the end of the three days, Pastor was presented with a very small honorarium and the church said they didn’t realize they had to reimburse his plane fare.  They did  provide dinner each evening, but no arrangements or per diem was made available for breakfast and lunch.  Obviously if we were staying at a motel, there was no restaurant on site.

At the time, as his personal assistant, I traveled with Pastor when he had speaking engagements.  My job was to take care of pastor, the business end of things and our ministry products.  Even though my expenses were generally paid by the host church, I didn’t mention my expenses.  Nor did I say anything about the honorarium and meals.  I did, however, talk with them about Pastor’s air fare, which they paid.

After this incident, we understood why some ministers require a contract.  While we still don’t require a contract, we make sure it is understood that Pastor’s air fare, hotel and meals should be provided by the host church.  We leave the honorarium up to the host church.  Sometimes it is small, sometimes it is very generous.  It averages out.

If your ministry has never received a contract from a minister or psalmist there are a few basic things that might be included:

• Travel – This part of the contract will specify travel preferences.  It may require the host church to make the travel arrangements or specify how to reimburse the flight.  If traveling by automobile, the contract may give a travel fee.  It may also require travel reimbursement for a ministry assistant who travels with the guest.
• Local Transportation – The contract may give some particulars about being picked up from the airport and hotel.  It may request a certain size or type of vehicle.
• Hotel – A certain type of hotel may be requested either by way of hotel rating ( 3, 4 or 5 star) or a specific hotel may be requested.  Some contracts may simply say a “full service hotel.”
• Honorarium – Some contracts give a range and some give a specific amount the speaker/singer expects to be paid and when they want to receive the payment.
• Ministry Products – If your guest brings ministry products to sell, they may request a certain space and someone to help with the products.  The contract may also point out that sales from products will not be deducted from the requested honorarium.

Most of the contracts we receive are reasonable.  Occasionally we receive one that is not; it is up to the ministry to accept the contract or not.  If we think the contract is unreasonable and we still want the person to minister for us, we will try to negotiate the part(s) of the contract with which we disagree.  If we can’t come to an agreement, we gracefully back out and don’t sign the contract.

Basically, the purpose of the contract is to ensure that the guest receives fair compensation for their ministry and they are comfortable during their trip and their stay with the host ministry.

Related Reading:

How to Host a Guest Speaker

Go the Extra Mile for Ministry Guests

10 Ways to Make Out of Town Speakers Feel Welcome at Your Church

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As Guest Services Manager for our church, I have lost track of the number of guests for whom I have made arrangements.  It is what I most enjoy and look forward to planning each event.

Guidelines for Hosting Your Guest Speaker or Singer

Parking

• For local guests, reserve a parking space near the entrance.
• Let your guest know that a space has been reserved and where it is located; ask the make and model of the car they drive.
• Notify your parking ministry to reserve the space and advise them of the make and model of their car.

Assistance

• What time will they arrive at your church?
• Will your guest be traveling alone or with a spouse or assistant?
• Someone from your church should meet the guest at the parking space and escort them into the building.
• If your guest is traveling with a spouse or assistant, determine seating arrangements before they arrive.
• Arrange for someone from your ministry to assist the guest and their spouse or assistant (many ministries have armor bearers and ministry assistants who are trained to do this).

Meals

• For an early service consider having a fruit tray, juice and coffee available for your guests.
• If your church has multiple services, consider serving breakfast.
• Prior to your guests arrival, check with their office to find out what they drink before, during and after speaking/singing
• If you will serve meals, find out if your guest(s) have any food allergies and/or preferences

Honorariums

• Determine the amount of honorarium you plan to give and prepare the check ahead of time.  You can always increase the honorarium if you like.  Some churches rewrite the check, some take a love offering and give it directly to the guest.
• Include a thank you letter with the check.
• If you are unsure how much you should pay your speaker, check around and find out what is customary.
• Some speakers have a set honorarium, always ask before you extend the invitation.

Out of Town Guests

All of the above applies to hosting out of town guests.  In addition to the above there are travel arrangements.

Air Travel

• Air travel arrangements can either be made by the guest and reimbursed by the host or by the host.  If the host makes the arrangements, contact will have to be made with the guests’ office to see if they prefer a particular airline, seating preference, date of flight and time of day the guest wishes to travel.  Send electronic tickets to the guests.
• Keep in touch with your guests office to see if there are any last minute changes
• Cell phone contact numbers should be supplied to the guests and their office, in case of emergencies before or during travel.
• Supply your guest with the name and cell phone number of the driver who will pick them up from the airport.
• Your guest should be picked up in a full size, four door sedan that has plenty of trunk space.  The car should be clean and the driver should be familiar with the city’s highways and surface roads.
• Ideally, send two people to pick up your guest.  One to stay with the car and one to meet your guest inside the airport with a sign that has the church’s name.
• Whoever meets the guest should carry their luggage to the car.  If you use a sky cap, the church’s representative should tip the sky cap.
• Your drivers should be cordial and ask about the flight but take their lead from the guest to determine if they wish to talk.
• If time permits, check to see if your guest is hungry and would like to eat.  If you have done your homework and asked about their food preferences, then you will know what restaurants to suggest.  The church’s representative should pick up the tab and tip.

Hotel Arrangements

• Reserve a room for your guest at a nice hotel, preferably a full service hotel.  Some guests may request particular hotels.
• Avoid motels with outside entrance.
• Check with your guest’s office to determine room preferences.
• If you don’t have billing arrangement with the hotel, someone from the church staff should go to the hotel ahead of time and take care of billing arrangements.
• The day of arrival, a staff member should check out the room prior to the guest’s arrival and place a hospitality basket and itinerary in the room for the guest.
• Hospitality baskets should have snacks, a few bottles of water, juice and fruit.  If your church is having a T-shirt night, supply the basket maker with a T-shirt for your guest.
• Before leaving the hotel, check with your guest to see if they need anything else.

Itineraries

• Supply your guest with a pocket folder that has a copy of your program, information about the church, an itinerary that includes times they will be picked up for service, and contact numbers.

Ministry Products

• If your guest brings ministry products set up a table in a high traffic table
• Provide a cash bag with change in case they need it
• Provide someone to help set up and assist with sales

Important Notes

• People who are assigned to drive or assist your guests should be mature and understand confidentiality.
• If your guest is a woman, a female should be assigned to airport and hotel pickup.
• When picking up your guests from the hotel, call them from the hotel house phone to let the guest know that you have arrived.  Do not go to their room.
• Hotel accommodations should be confidential.  Church staff and drivers are the only people who need that information.
• Develop a Hospitality Form to send your guests.  This form should ask for travel and hotel preferences; food allergies and food preferences; beverage preferences before, during and after speaking; whether or not your guest will bring ministry products . . .

These are just a few guidelines to get you started.  Make changes as necessary to fit your ministry.

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