We are often asked the same questions regarding Charlie speaking, so we have laid out answers to all of the common questions below. Feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions. We’ll be happy to help!
1. Where is Charlie Campbell based? Is he willing to travel?
Southern California. Yes, he regularly flies all over the USA.
2. Does Charlie speak at small churches (like 50 people) or just large ones?
He speaks at churches of all sizes, small and large.
3. Does Charlie only speak at churches within a certain denomination?
No. He often speaks at churches in a variety of denominations.
EXPENSES:
4. What would it cost to bring Charlie Campbell to our church?
ABR will cover Charlie’s meals, gas, and toll-road expenses. We ask that your church or organization cover Charlie’s travel expenses (flight from southern California if necessary, hotel, rental car) and make a donation to ABR of $1,000 to help us continue contending for the faith. If you would like Charlie to speak on two or more topics (e.g., Saturday + Sunday sessions, or Sunday morning + evening sessions), we ask that the donation be $1,500. We encourage you to view this not as paying for a speaker but as a strategic donation to a ministry that has been equipping Christians to contend for the faith since 2005. And with your help, we’d love to keep doing that. Once a date is determined, a check made out to ABR can be mailed to: Always Be Ready, PO Box 130342, Carlsbad, CA 92013. A separate check for travel expenses can be handed to Charlie at your event or mailed afterward.
5. Is it okay if we ask the congregation for a “love offering” for Charlie?
Charlie shares the apostle Paul’s heart when he wrote “that no collections be made when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2). So, he prefers that the church not be asked to give a love offering.
FLIGHT:
6. Should we book Charlie’s flight?
For a smoother travel experience, it is better if ABR arranges all of Charlie’s flights, hotels, and rental cars, and then be reimbursed.
HOTEL:
7. Does Charlie prefer to stay with a host family or at a hotel?
For a good night of sleep, a hotel is preferred. If your venue is south of Santa Barbara, in California, a hotel will not be needed. Charlie will drive to your event.
8. Should we book the hotel or will ABR do this?
ABR will book the hotel. The cost for a Hampton Inn (or three-star equivalent) is usually $95 – $225 per night, depending on the date and location. The cost will be included in the travel expense total that ABR will email you about a week before the scheduled event.
RENTAL CAR:
9. Does Charlie need a rental car?
If Charlie is flying to your event, yes, he will pick up a rental car at the airport. ABR will reserve it and include the cost with his travel expenses (the cost is typically $70 – $100 per day).
TOPICS FOR TEACHINGS:
10. Can we pick the topic(s) Charlie will speak about?
Yes. Feel free to let us know what topic(s) you’d prefer from any on this list.
11. Does Charlie do Q&As after his teaching sessions?
No. For a variety of reasons (some of which are explained here), Charlie does not do Q&As from the stage, but he is happy to chat with people at his resource table before, after, and in between sessions/services.
SEMINAR SCHEDULE SUGGESTIONS:
12. Is there a particular schedule or format you’d suggest for a seminar/conference?
Charlie’s apologetics seminars typically consist of two or three 50-minute presentations with short 10–15 minute breaks in between for fellowship, dessert, tea, coffee, etc. Three popular formats are:
A. Saturday evening (2 sessions/topics) + Sunday a.m. service(s)
B. Sunday a.m. service(s) + two topics on Sunday evening (6 p.m. – 8 p.m. seems to work well)
C. Saturday a.m. (2–3 topics) + Sunday a.m. service(s)
We have discovered that more people come out to Saturday evening events than Saturday morning events.
AUDIO-VIDEO SETUP:
13. What are Charlie’s Audio-Visual PowerPoint needs when he teaches?
Charlie’s teachings are visual presentations with lots of photographs of archaeological discoveries, distant galaxies, the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. For the presentations to flow smoothly, Charlie must be able to control the presentations himself, from his computer, at the pulpit. Some churches have tried to install his PowerPoint presentations on their AV-booth computer and give their remote to Charlie or sync up his computer to “screen share.” There have been so many problems with those options, Charlie prefers to never work with those technologies again. His presentations need to run on his computer at the pulpit. So, this requires one of the following connections to the church’s projector(s)/television screens:
• HDMI cable at the pulpit (his MacBook Pro has an HDMI port in it)
• Male or female VGA cable at the pulpit (he has an adapter for each of these)
• Apple TV (wireless connection)—Available for purchase on Amazon or at your local Best Buy. This has been an excellent solution at lots of churches. Apple TV is easy to set up. Once the Apple TV device is connected to your splitter or projector via an HDMI cable, Charlie can connect wirelessly to the Apple TV from the pulpit, and his slides will go to the screen(s).
If your church does not have any of these connection options available and is unable to put one in place, please let us know ASAP, so we can postpone the teaching. If your AV team has any questions or concerns about any of this, have them email ABR at alwaysbeready.com@gmail.com to discuss.
And lastly, whatever setup the church decides on, please test it before the event. Charlie has shown up to some churches that didn’t test the setup ahead of time because, “The HDMI cable worked fine the last time a speaker used it (a year ago), so we thought it would work.” The AV team overlooked that after that event, someone disconnected the power, or a cable, etc.
14. Do Charlie’s presentations have any audio/sound in them?
No, just images.
15. Can we record the audio and video of Charlie teaching?
Yes, and feel free to put it on your website, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, your podcast, radio program, etc.
16. Does Charlie prefer a podium mic or over-the-ear mic?
His first choice is the over-the-ear mic that he travels with (see it here). With the adapters he carries, he can plug his mic into any belt pack you hand him. He likes this mic best because it fits well and offers exceptional sound. If you don’t have a belt pack, that’s fine. He can use your podium mic.
PROMOTIONAL GRAPHICS:
17. Can you provide us with a photograph of Charlie Campbell or any graphics for social media use?
Yes, click here.
ARRIVAL:
18. What time will Charlie arrive at the event?
Sixty minutes before the first service. This usually allows ample time for him to work with the AV team, test the mic, set up his book table, etc.
SECURITY:
19. Is Charlie okay with having someone from our armed-security team shadow him?
Yes, please. If your church does not have an armed-security team, you should. Church shootings are happening, and there’s good evidence that armed security teams deter violence and save lives. Responsible godly men and women in your church with conceal-carry permits will happily volunteer to be on a security team.
FIRST-RESPONDER:
20. Does Charlie have any medical or health issues that our first-responder team should know about?
No.
HOSPITALITY:
21. We have a green room for the worship team and speakers. Would Charlie like any particular food?
No, thank you. He doesn’t like to eat before or in between teaching sessions.
22. We’d like to give Charlie a basket to take home or enjoy in his hotel room. What does he like?
This offer is so appreciated but not necessary. But, if it would bless someone to do that, some of Charlie’s favorite things are water bottles, fruit (grapes, strawberries, oranges, apples), mixed nuts, and popcorn.
RESOURCE/BOOK TABLE:
23. Would Charlie like a table set up to make some of his books available after he teaches?
Yes, that would be a blessing. A six-foot table would be great, an eight-foot table, even better.
24. When Charlie arrives, will he want any help at his table setting out his books?
No, he prefers to lay his books out in a particular way—thank you though!
25. Will Charlie be at his table after he speaks? Would he like a helper at that point?
Yes, it is best if he is at his table after each teaching to answer questions about the content of his books and videos. If the service has more than a hundred adults, a helper would be a blessing. Thank you.
26. Will Charlie bring change for his table?
Yes. He will also be able to accept debit and credit cards.
27. Would Charlie like to use our Wi-Fi (and login code) for his credit card reader?
Yes, that would be a blessing (though not a must if it is not available).
INTRODUCTION:
28. Is there a short bio somewhere, so we can let people know a little bit about Charlie when he is introduced?
Please feel free to say whatever you’d like, but here’s a sample:
“Charlie Campbell travels throughout the year speaking at churches and conferences on topics related to the defense of the faith. He’s the author of several books and the founder of the popular apologetics website AlwaysBeReady.com. He was also an instructor at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California. He and his wife have five kids and reside in southern California.”
Thanks for taking the time to read through these. If there are any other questions you’d like answered, please email us here.