Pretty much each time I receive an invitation to speak at an event, lead a retreat and/or preach at an church, there is a part of me that looks over my shoulder certain that they don’t have the wrong guy. At the same time, I realize that I have had an opportunity to see the church and world in different ways and that I bring a particular perspective to conversations about church, life and faith.
I am particularly interested in being part of gatherings and consultations that focus on church culture, social media and or life and faith issues. I will generally use either of my two books as the foundations on my talks: social media and/or race. I am also willing to engage in a variety of settings: traditional keynoting of conferences, casual church retreats, web streamed gatherings, or any other ways that people gather these days.
I so much enjoy these chances to get together in various locations, online and in person, but with my recent ministry changes, I also know that I need to be sure that I am responsible with my time and resources. So, yeah, I need to get paid for most of the commitments that I take on. I am pretty flexible and will try to meet folks that works for every one, but if you are interested in having me come here are some general guidelines.
General Fees and Arrangements
- Honorarium: My honorarium is flexible – it really is – but please keep that this is the way I make my living and i take into consideration the time spent away from my home and family. I generally ask for $1000 per presentation day for up to four hours of “on time.” Please have the honorarium ready to hand to me before I leave . . . please.
- Travel: I prefer to arrive the night before an event begins in order to get settled. If I need to fly, I prefer Delta Airlines and originate from San Francisco International Airport. Parking is $15 per day or cab is $40 each way.
- Room: Accommodations do not have to be fancy, but I prefer a hotel/private room. More of an introvert that I would like to admit, hanging out with folks 24/7 (even in someone’s home) is just too draining.
- Board: Meals should be covered during the span of the event.
- Expenses: There are generally no other expenses unless agreed upon in advance.
- Other Support: I am generally pretty self sufficient for events. I usually need to have a projector with sound capabilities available. Wireless is generally needed for participants, but not a necessity for me.
- Book Sales: I also hope to be able to sell my books on-site if possible. This can happen via the conference bookstore and/or via a display that I can bring.
- Contracts: As soon as we agree on dates and scope of my services, we must sign a contract stating the exact terms of our time together. If, after that, you require more services, we will renegotiate the agreed upon honorarium.
- . . . and if you are really nice, there will be fresh white carnations at the door every morning, blue m&m’s will be removed from all candy bowls and depressing news will be clipped from my morning paper
Again, I am flexible on any of this, but I figure that it is better to put it out there and get all the awkwardness out of the way.
If you would like to explore the possibility of me being part of your event, please take a look at my travel schedule below, drop me a note and we can work from there.
