I do some guest speaking from time to time and was thinking how awesome it would be if I got a Speaker Information Sheet that game me some details about the culture of the place I was teaching at. If it included several key things it would help me a TON in understanding the culture and attempting to meet the needs of the people. I supposed it could include just about anything, but here are some of the things that would be of particular interest to me.

  • How am I going to be set up? (do I need to intro myself, or will you handle it)
  • What version of the Bible do you use? (so I can line up with it)
  • What were some of the recent themes/passages/series? (so I don’t teach the same thing someone did last week)
  • Who is in the audience? (beilievers, non-believers, ages)
  • What type of students are attending? (freshman, homeschoolers)
  • How long should I teach? (dont want to go long or run short)
  • What words should I avoid? (don’t want to get crap for saying “crap”)
  • What types of culture references can I make (should I avoid a “Twerk” reference)
  • Have there been any recent tragedies or big news items that affected the whole group? (help me avoid stirring something up)
  • Are there probably disruptive students in the group? (the funny-sounding sneezer, etc)

What would you add to this list to help out a guest speaker?

JG