Thanks for your interest in having Charlie Campbell speak at your church or event. We are often asked the same questions, so we have provided answers to the most common ones 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 and Canada.
2. Does Charlie speak at small churches or just large ones?
He speaks at churches of all sizes.
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, and if necessary, a hotel and rental car) and prayerfully consider making a donation to ABR of . . .
• $500–$1,000 (for Southern California churches, depending on how many services you have)
• $1,000 for one topic (e.g., Sunday services) outside of California
• $1,500 for 2–3 topics
We encourage you to view this not as paying for a speaker but as a strategic way to support a ministry (3 John 1:7–8) that has been freely 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 is 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:
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.
Q&As, PANEL-DISCUSSIONS, RADIO/PODCAST INTERVIEWS:
11. Does Charlie do Q&As, panel discussions, or interviews?
No.
SEMINAR SCHEDULE SUGGESTIONS:
12. Is there a particular schedule or format you’d suggest for a seminar/conference?
Charlie’s apologetics “seminars” or mini “apologetics conferences” typically consist of two or three 50-minute presentations, with short 10- to 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) + one or two topics on Sunday evening
C. Saturday a.m. (2–3 topics) + Sunday a.m. service(s)
We have discovered that more people attend 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 featuring many 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, give their remote to Charlie, or sync his computer to “screen share.” There have been so many problems with those options that Charlie prefers not to 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 or USB-C cable at the pulpit (his MacBook Pro has HDMI + USB-C ports)
• Apple TV (wireless connection)—Available for purchase here or at your local Best Buy. This has been an excellent solution for many churches. Apple TV is easy to set up. Once the Apple TV 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 reschedule the event or figure out another solution. 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.
PROMO GRAPHICS + VIDEO
17. Can you provide us with a photograph of Charlie Campbell or any graphics for social media use?
Yes, click here.
18. Do you have a short promotional video of Charlie speaking?
No.
ARRIVAL:
19. 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:
20. Is Charlie okay with having someone from our armed-security team shadow him?
Yes, please.
FIRST-RESPONDER:
21. Does Charlie have any medical or health issues that our first-responder team should know about?
No.
HOSPITALITY:
22. 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.
23. 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.
YOUTH INTEGRATION:
24. Does Charlie recommend that our youth sit in the main sanctuary for his teachings?
Yes! Charlie strongly encourages junior high and high school students to attend his presentations. Today’s students are bombarded with questions and objections to Christianity at school, online, and through social media. These presentations are designed to come alongside what your church is already doing by equipping students with thoughtful, biblical answers to many of those challenges. Charlie’s presentations are fast-paced, visual, and engaging, and students typically enjoy them just as much as the adults do. If possible, Charlie recommends having your youth join the main sanctuary for his teaching sessions.
RESOURCE/BOOK TABLE:
25. Would Charlie like a table set up to make some of his books available after he teaches?
Yes, that would be a blessing. He has written more than 30 books, so an 8′ table is his first choice, or two 6′ tables. Thank you!
26. When Charlie arrives, will he want any help setting out his books at his table?
No. He prefers to lay his books out in a particular way—thank you, though.
27. 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.
27. Will Charlie bring change for his table?
Yes. He will also be able to accept debit and credit cards.
28. 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:
29. 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.