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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?

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.

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.

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.

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?)

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 operate in a similar fashion although our amounts are different since we are a larger church.

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.

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 thisI 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 oneI 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.

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.