As with every piece of our event, we want to take time to reflect on the purpose before diving into the preparation.

Why do you want a speaker for your event? What is your goal for what they share or teach?

• Do you want women to receive a scripture-based teaching that will encourage them to follow Christ faithfully?
• Do you want your speaker to walk your women verse-by-verse through a specific passage?
• Do you want a testimony and a gospel presentation?
• Maybe you’re looking for a speaker to provide training and tools on Bible study or evangelism.

Before you start searching, you need to determine what you are looking for.

How to Select and Book the Best Speaker for Your Women’s Event

Before we get too far, let me remove a little bit of pressure. You do not need to hire an outside speaker for your event. You may be blessed with many talented speakers in your church, or you may even sense that the Lord has already placed a message on your heart to share.

Either way, I hope you’ll read through this post so you’ll be prepared the next time you need to book a speaker.

5 Benefits of Using a Gifted Teacher in Your Church

1. They are familiar with the teachings of your church and denomination.
2. They know the audience, and many of your women will already feel connected to her.
3. You’re providing an opportunity for women to use and refine their gifts.
4. She’ll be available for follow-up after the event for questions and possibly mentoring or discipleship.
5. It may be more budget-friendly.

While you should still pay your in-house speakers, you may not need to pay for travel expenses, such as airfare and hotel rooms.

Thought if one of your women is the key speaker at your retreat, please give them a single room if they desire one so they can pray, practice, and prep without bothering a roommate.

At our church, we use a mix of in-house and outside speakers. Our retreat usually features an outside speaker.

5 Reasons to Use an Outside Speaker

1. They’ll have the training and experience that could take your event from average to excellent.
2. Sometimes your women need to hear a fresh message from a fresh face.
3. An outside speaker adds value to an event. Well-known speakers may be more likely to draw in guests and visitors.
4. You’re not stuck speaking yourself or recruiting (often begging) other women to speak.
5. You’ve got a contract and a serious commitment.

How do you find an outside speaker?

Pray and ask God to guide your speaker search.

Build a list of potential speakers.

• Ask your Pastor.
• Ask the members of your women’s ministry team.
• Ask your women – chances are they’ve attended events elsewhere and heard great speakers.
• Ask other leaders you know and trust. (A recommendation from another women’s ministry leader is most valuable when they hold similar beliefs and convictions.)
• Contact your local and state denominational office. They often have a list of speakers for your state/area.
• “Google” Christian women speakers + “your area or state.”

Eliminate those speakers who do not offer topics in line with your theme or focus for the event. Yes, you should prayerfully decide what your women need before starting your search.

What should you look for in a speaker?

I asked the leaders in the Women’s Ministry Toolbox Facebook group to weigh in on what’s important to them. They had some great additions to the list I had started.

You’ll want to find out if your speaker will:

1. Align theologically with your church. If your church is complementarian (women and men are equal in value, but serve in different roles in the church), please don’t bring in a speaker who is egalitarian as it could cause division down the road. Look at what their church practices, but also who she promotes.
2. Faithfully exposit the Word of God. Do they have the knowledge and training to accurately explain scripture?
3. Serve your team and women well. Are they known for being available during and after your event to talk with your women? Some downtime in the greenroom is okay, but it’s not okay for your speaker or speakers to only show up on the stage.
4. Be reliable and responsive. Do they respond to emails in a timely manner and shows up on time?
5. Know the topic and is relatable to the audience. Are they willing to stay within the timeline and subject area?

What should you do once you’ve found a potential speaker or speakers?

1. Send them an email to see if they are available. If your event date is non-negotiable, eliminate those names.
2. Set up a time to talk on the phone or via video. Get to know them. Ask really good questions. I have a list of questions you may want to use. You’ll find them in the Speaker Selection Guide here.
3. Eliminate any speakers that you know are not the right fit based on their interview.
4. Contact at least two references for those speakers still on your list.
5. Ask to see a video. Most seasoned speakers film themselves teaching. You want to make sure they connect well with the audience, can be easily understood, and are interesting.
6. Make your selection and negotiate the contract.

What should you pay your speaker?

Settling on a speaker fee may be the hardest part of this process.

• Some speakers you contact will be able to give you a quote based on the number of days and number of sessions of your event.
• Some speakers have set fees, others have ranges.
• Some change fees based on church size, others do not.
• Some charge per session, some charge per day.
• Some charge more for travel, some charge more when they have to stay overnight.
• Other speakers may leave it completely up to you and the Lord.

So how are you supposed to know what’s fair?

I recently surveyed 90 Christian speakers to understand what they are typically paid and how they set their fees.

The results were…interesting. I quickly realized a lot of speakers do not understand their value and many speakers do not realize that women’s ministry leaders rarely know what a fair speaking fee is.

I’ve heard leaders say, “we shouldn’t pay someone to teach God’s Word. It should be free.”

If an electrician came to our church to do some work, we would pay his regular fee. We pay our pastors a salary for teaching God’s Word and shepherding the flock. Why are we treating speakers differently?

1 Timothy 5:18, says a “worker is worth his wages”, meaning he or she should be fairly compensated.

While collecting a love offering might work out well for your speaker, it might not. Leaving their payment up to chance is not fair either.

Let’s get into the weeds…

What are you paying for?

Speaking fees include the time:

• your speaker will spend at your event

• the speaker has spent praying, studying, and preparing for the event

• they will spend traveling and away from family

Speakers usually spend about 40 hours preparing a 30-minute message. I’m not exaggerating.

If there are creating slides or worksheets for your event, those take time too.

Speakers have expenses beyond the paper and ink they might use to print out their message.

• Many speakers also invest in training and education through conferences, courses, and coaching.

• Speakers also have business expenses including websites, graphic design, printing, and research materials.

If you paid someone minimum wage for one 30-minute message ($7.25 per hour, which is next to nothing) that would be at least $290 for one message.

Most speakers are self-employed. They pay self-employment tax on the fee they receive. If they have another job, they may have to take time off to come to your event.

How do you come up with a fair speaking fee?

First, ask your potential speaker for their speaking fees. Be sure to clearly communicate how many sessions and the number of days they’ll be speaking. Let them know if they’ll need to spend the night before or after your event, as that will factor into the quote you receive.

If they do not have formal rates, then ask what they have been paid for events with a similar number of speaking sessions and length.

The biggest take-away from the speaker survey was that multi-day events will require a bigger speaker budget (as they should). 14.9% of speakers who responded charge $2,101 or more, and 24.3% charge between $1,201 and $1,800.

Inside the Speaker Selection Guide, I share a list of suggested speaker fees that may help you budget properly for the expense of an outside speaker. Click here to get access.

How early do you need to book a speaker?

The earlier you are able to book a speaker, the greater selection you may have. Some speakers fill up their calendars quickly, and some book up to two years in advance.

Start looking for a speaker at least 6 months before your event, preferably closer to one year. The sooner the better. You don’t want to be scrambling to find someone and you don’t want a speaker rushing to write their message.

Book early and give them plenty of time to study and prepare their message. Your message is probably not the only one a speaker is working on. While it takes 40 hours of preparation (or more) for a 30-minute teaching, that work occurs over many weeks, if not months.

Even if they are using a message they have delivered before, a good speaker will ask the Lord to guide what she shares with your women. Plus, she’s likely grown and learned new things since the last time she’s delivered that message. I always revise my messages for each group I’m speaking to.

Do degrees, awards, and certifications matter?

Maybe. Most book awards require authors to pay to participate. The claim of best-seller isn’t necessarily as big of a deal as it may seem. They may be a bestseller in an obscure category on Amazon.

Certifications might matter depending on what they are teaching and where the certification came from. I’d do some research to see who they’ve been learning from. Anyone can create a certification or coaching program online.

There are some great certification programs out there such as Simeon Trust or a certificate through a seminary. Having just gone through the process of getting my master’s degree, I personally wouldn’t make it a requirement for a speaker, but it is helpful to know if they’ve sought and received solid biblical training.

Is there a reason to book a speaker based on how many times a year they speak?

Not really. A lot of speakers I know limit their speaking schedules. They may be busy writing books, it may be because of the stage of life they are in, they may have health issues that limit their ability to travel, or they may have a smaller speaking schedule because they want to serve each church and their own really well.

Lastly, Is a contract necessary?

Yes, get it in writing. Many speakers will send a speaking contract or agreement for you to sign and return with a deposit. If they don’t, then create one yourself or repurpose a template that your church or team has used in the past.

Speaking contracts or agreements should include the date, number of speaking sessions, length of each session, the topic or topics for the event, and the location.

If there’s not a note about cancelations, be sure you ask. Know what you will be responsible for if you cancel the event or the speaker does.

Great speakers can be a blessing to you and your women, just be sure to budget the time to search for them.

Today’s Toolbox Tasks:

1. Identify the events on your ministry calendar that you’re planning to bring in an outside speaker for.
2. As a team, decide what type of speaker you’ll need and what topic you want her to speak on.
3. Using your list of requirements, begin searching for the best speaker for that event.

May the Lord bless your speaker search. May He give you discernment to know who is the best fit for your women.

You may also want to read:
Series: Planning Purposeful Events for Your Ministry
Rethinking Fellowship: How to Host Meaningful Women’s Ministry Events
Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Retreat
Women’s Ministry Essentials: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Christian Community
Crafting Event Schedules That Inspire Connection and Spiritual Growth
How to Pick the Perfect Time and Place for Your Women’s Ministry Event
Pricing Your Women’s Ministry Event: A Step-by-Step Solution
How to Plan, Track, and Tweak Your Women’s Ministry Event Budget
The Ultimate Women’s Ministry Event Timeline: When to Book, Plan, and Prepare
Building an Effective Event Planning Team
Building Prayer into Every Step of Your Women’s Ministry Event
Seven Benefits of Hosting Big Events in Your Women’s Ministry