find a preacher resources – for preachers / speakers
Visiting preacher etiquette
Being invited to preach the Word of God is a great privilege and responsibility. If God has gifted you in teaching and given you the opportunities to serve Him and His people you will want to make sure that nothing takes away from service that you are offering. In ‘Visiting Preacher Etiquette’ we outline a few pointers to help you know what may be expected of you as the visiting preacher or speaker.
Booking
Once you have agreed a date and time you will need to find out a little more information. Many churches will send you information to help you in your preparation. However, it may well be worth asking a few initial questions to get a general idea of what will be expected. These may include questions like:
• Can I have a contact number please?
• Is there a particular passage they would like you to speak on?
• What’s the general age range of the congregation?
• Will you be expected to include a Children’s talk?
• Which version of Bible does the church prefer?
• What hymn or song book does the church use?
• Will the service include the Lord’s Supper?
• Is there a set pattern to their order of service?
Remember to thank the person who booked you. Ensuring a continual supply of good preachers can often be a time-consuming task.
Confirmation
Some churches will write to you and confirm the booking, others will be happy to leave it on the strength of the phone call. But as the time of your engagement draws closer, you should expect to receive a letter or email with the information that you will require. If you have heard nothing since the initial booking and you only have a week or so to go, it is advisable to make contact and check that everything is okay, taking the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have.
The week before
Whether the church has a musician to accompany the singing, or relies on pre-recorded music, they will usually want to know the hymns that you have chosen midweek before the Sunday you are preaching. You will find it helpful to build up a library of hymn and song books so that you can choose from the book that the church you are preaching at uses.
On the day
It’s a good idea to leave plenty of time for travelling to your appointment. There is nothing worse than arriving at a preaching engagement flustered because of unexpected road works or traffic. It always makes good sense to aim to arrive about half and hour before the service is due to start. This will give you time to introduce yourself, familiarise yourself with any current events in the life of the church and sort out any unforeseen problems. Arriving early will also avoid the unnecessary stress of the church leaders when they begin to worry that you are not going to show.
Don’t forget to take your Bible and preaching notes!
Post service
Different churches have different customs. Some will expect the preacher to stand at the door to speak to people as they leave. Some churches will serve tea after the service and may will appreciate it if the preacher is able to join them in this fellowship. Whatever the custom, it is always good if you can spend some time talking to those whom you have just ministered to.
Lastly, remember to thank the church for inviting you to minister to them. As we said at the beginning, it’s a privilege to serve God and his people in this way.
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