In the vineyard of the Lord , at times it is required that you, as a minister of God , might be invited to minister in a church located in another city , nation or town . There are behavioral conducts that are expected of the man of God , when it comes to professional etiquette that will give glory to God , and bring promotion to your ministry . Let us have a look at those etiquettes that are a sure expectation of you as a guest minister .
1. Do not demand a fixed price
When you are invited to a place to minister the word of God , do not demand for your own fixed charge ,on the host . You have to avoid a situation where you will have to charge the host church a certain amount of money as your honorarium .
However , if it is international , or a far place where transportation or flight ticket is involved , your host must agree to cater for the transportation and all flight ticket bills before you go .
2. Do not share the Benediction
A visiting preacher must not share the benediction , nor give an announcement in the church . All such things are done by the host church . As a guest minister your responsibility is to preach , prophesy, cast out demons, make altar calls or raise funds , afterwards give the microphone to your host and sit down .
3. Keep the time
Be sure to keep the time that your host church gives you to minister . Some churches are time conscious and they have organized their congregation to keep the time, so as a guest minister make sure that you comply to their time culture .
4. Reverence the host minister
It is important to honour the guest minister , choose your words carefully when talking to him , use the correct words of respect to talk about him to the flock of congregation . Do not give him instructions as to what to do , or how to do things in his church in front of the congregation . If you have any suggestions , talk to the host pastor in private or his office .
5. Do not try to connect with the members in private
Do not connect to the members of the host church in private , such as exchanging numbers without the knowledge and consent of the host pastor . Or inviting them to visit your church or sponsor your ministry without the consent of the host . Many guest ministers have used this way to mislead members of their host churches in which they ministered .
6. Do not give negative prophecy to the host minister in public
If you receive a prophetic word for the host , it is good to declare it openly , if it is a positive message such as promotion , growth , prosperity, increase etc. However negative prophecies such as death of the pastor's relative, warning of mismanagement of church funds , or the pastor's adulterous affair , such messages should be delivered to the pastor alone . Prophet Nathan rebuked king David in private , about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba .
It is not conducive to give negative prophecies to a leader in the presence of a church congregation , especially if the leader is willing to make an amendment . Some messages can destroy the healthy image of the pastor and it will go a long way to affect his integrity and his credibility in the presence of the congregation.
7. Do not demand for expensive treatment
As a guest minister you should not demand for expensive treatment by your host church , such as a five star hotel ,expensive food of your choice , a rented vehicle to move around etc . This is a very important precaution because the host church may not be in a position to pay for all the cost . Let the host church carry you alone , according to their own choice and capacity .
8. Do not overstay your welcome
Leave town immediately as soon as you finish your ministration { This is for those invited to another town , city or nation to preach}, and the host pastor sees you off , bids you goodbye . Avoid lingering around town or hanging out with the church members to avoid temptations . Many a minister have messed up in the sin of fornication or adultery , because they did not leave town immediately after they had finished their ministration . If you want to hang out around town then you must go with the host pastor or his appointee .
9. Do not raise funds and demand a particular percentage
Do not accept an invitation on the grounds that you will raise funds and share the proceeds with the host pastor , where you would agree to take a certain percentage for yourself . Do not agree with the host to sell any product for money to the congregation . This is a spiritual exploitation , and you frustrate the grace of God upon your life .
You can raise funds through the normal way , do not agree with the host to mesmerize the congregants to exploit money from them , let them give freely because they are touched by God , just call the amount that you want the people to bring after ministration and the spirit of God will move them to give as much as God is providing . And do not demand for a particular amount after you have ministered to the people or you have raised funds , let the host church decide whatever they want to give you .
10. Do not ask the members for money or anything
Do not go on your own way , in privacy or publicly to demand money for yourself from the host church members . Do not collect money or raise funds in front of the congregation and put it in your pocket , you have to put it in the offering bowl . Aside from money do not ask members of the host church to give you gift items of any kind , you want there to minister to their souls and not collect their gifts .
If they choose to give you any gift item , show it to the pastor or tell the person to inform the host pastor before giving you any gift item .
11. Do not speak bad about the host minister
Do not speak badly about the host pastor to any church member or in front of the congregation , it is unprofessional and very bad to do so . You are actually destroying the work of God , if there is anything you feel is not right , then tell the host pastor himself instead of telling third parties . This act is diabolical, malicious and very destructive to perpetuate as a minister of the gospel . Miriam and Aaron did it , and the Lord punished Miriam with leprosy .
12. Say good things about the host minister
On the contrary say good things about your host minister , especially to the congregation and the members . If you have any misgivings you need to tell the host minister himself , this will help build a healthy moral image about the host pastor and his ministry .
13. Do not correct the host minister in public
If you see the need for you to correct the host minister , please do so in private and not in front of the congregation ,or when others are watching or listening . He is the leader of the flock , his mistakes must be corrected in private .
14. Do not preach against the doctrine of the host church
Do not preach against the doctrine of the host church , even if you do not agree with them or you notice some errors in their doctrine . Rather you can correct it in his office or privacy , that is the modesty of ministry .
As much as possible do not preach against the doctrine of the church , because you will end up scattering the flock the local pastor has gathered instead of building them up . Doctrinal issues are best corrected by the host pastors themselves and not a visiting pastor .
15. Minister your best whether the turn up is good or bad
Anywhere you find yourself , try as much as possible to minister your best to the flock , whether the turn up is good or bad , just do your possible best . Minister at your full length and capacity , preach well , pray well with them and do whatever you would have done better had it been a huge crowd . This is your way of faithfulness in the itinerary ministry. At times it happens like that , when God is testing our integrity and faithfulness in the ministry.
16. Go with your spouse
As much as possible , anywhere you are invited to preach the word of God , try to go with your spouse if you are married, in order to avoid temptations . Many travelling ministers have fallen prey to the temptations of adultery or fornication , because they left their wives behind and travelled to other cities or nations for ministration .
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