When you call a guest Preacher, as a host beware of the following:
1. Unpreparedness. Do not call a preacher if you can't take care of accommodation & honorarium. Understand your guest & do not overstretch beyond your abilities.
2. Mishandling guests. Do not call many preachers for a short meeting. Why call 10 guests for a one day Seminar, only to give them 20 minutes each? That's wasting their time & gift. Also, it's unwise to call guests you can't handle well just to show off or display your connections. When you invite guest singers, treat them well as Ministers. If they have CDs or books, ensure they are paid back. Don't con your guests pretending to sell for them their CDs/Books only to keep the money for yourself.
3. Over expectation from a given meeting. Never depend on the turn up of the meeting to raise honorarium for your guest, it's not automatic that turn up & offerings will be reasonable. Set aside what to bless the guest with before sending out invitation. In fact, collecting a second offering for the guest after the last session of the service is a sign that you were not ready in the first place. Only do so as away of giving opportunity to those who were not in your services chance to partake of the blessing.
4. Limiting the guest. Do not sing for two hours only to give your guest 20 minutes to preach. In the same vein, do not be offended when your guest gives a gift or assist one of your members instead of you. It's wicked to divert a gift intended for another person to yourself. Be a channel through which your leaders & members can be blessed.
5. Manipulation. Never manipulate your guest to preach what you want as opposed to what God has laid in his heart. Likewise, never manipulate your members to behave unusually or relate with the guest in fear.
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| Apostle Pride Sibiya |
7. Insecurity. Don't be insecure with your guest. Never invite a preacher whom you're not comfortable sharing your pulpit with. There is no sin when your leaders interact with the guest.
8. Wasting time. When you invite a guest preacher, do not preach too long before handing him chance to minister. If you wanted to preach yourself, what was the need of inviting the guest in the first place? It's childish to re-preach after a preacher has preached or to give your long stories before releasing the people. Do not dilute the sermon of the guest by giving long announcements or criticizing the message.
9. Keeping the guest stranded. Do not keep your guest stranded after preaching. Release him/her first then take care of the flock. If you have agreed with your leaders to give the guest a certain amount, do not "circumcise" it i.e never chop off a portion for yourself.
10. Belittling leaders. Do not shame or belittle your leaders before or after the guest. It is this people who sacrifice to make you and the work great. Never gossip your leaders or other ministers with the guest. Every ministry has its share of challenges.
