- Carry a wrinkle-release spray (from Downy or generic brand) in your car for if in a pinch and can’t iron in between meetings, etc. Works very well on shirts. Carry an iron as well in case you need to iron on trips
- Always take a spare dress shirt (for lunch spill stains), full suit, shoes, tie, and BIBLE (I have forgotten shoes, tie, AND my Bible before and had to run to Walmart last minute or use a pew Bible, very embarrassing and not fun) Have a clothes bar to hang stuff up in the back seat
- Keep a spare set of overnight clothes (an overnight bag) in case needing to stop over night because the drive home that night is a tad too far; Don’t drive more than 6 hours (2 states radius) away from home
- Have an emergency roadside kit (from Walmart or somewhere) in case of emergencies which usually includes a flashlight, jumper cables, all-purpose utility tool like a “Leatherman” – Portable air pump that plugs into cig lighter for leaking flat tires so that you can make it to Sun PM meeting from AM
meeting - FULL-size spare tire for same reason mentioned above, better than a small donut that can only go 50mph or under
- Clean up your social media profiles/platforms from childish or inappropriate things. It is now a ministry platform. Listen to Michael Hyatt’s podcast “This is Your Life” about building your platform. Use Buffer or CoSchedule to connect your social media accounts. Set the FB settings to review tags before posting on your wall
- If traveling to a meeting anywhere in, around, or across Atlanta… take the estimated drive time and add AT LEAST an hour or two to make sure you don’t miss your meeting because of traffic…especially midweek services
- Carry neck pillow(s) and blanket(s) for napping in the car
- Black suit, white shirt, red tie, black wing tip shoes, tie clip – always be dressed one step above and look like a 50 yr old man ESPECIALLY if you look younger or are single. Comb over hair style to be respected by preachers – “accidentally” leave a prayer card in the bathroom before service on the sink counter so that everyone that walks in will see your prayer card while they wash their hands; especially effective while in a Missions Conference.
- Every living human being gets a prayer card and a handshake. If at a very large church with not much time to pass out cards – count the people in each row and hand a stack to the person nearest you in the aisle. Politely ask them to take one and hand the rest down. 😉
- Carry a spare gas can in the trunk (1 gallon or so); don’t want to get stranded without gas when you have to get to a meeting
- Get AAA membership for any roadside emergencies (like locked keys in car, run out of gas, flat tire and need a tow, etc.)
- Front, side, back windshield shade covers (makes it easier for wife to nap while you are driving, car is not so hot when getting back into car, and most importantly makes it darker and easier to fall asleep between meetings at gas stations or McDonald parking lots
- Candy in a bowl on your table will draw people to come by and give you more opportunities to be remembered and to sign people up for email updates. Big bag of cheap candy or dumdums from Walmart or Kroger
- – After service when shaking hands by your table, besides holding prayer cards, carry a few pens in your hand (might be a good idea to have a whole pack you keep with your display case so that you can hand it to people – this takes away another step and makes it easier for people to sign up; it’s hard to say “no” once they already have a pen in their hands 😉 More email addresses! haha)
- ALWAYS always always sit in the front row (especially at Missions Conferences) so that people can see you and you are more likely to be called on, noticed, or referred to in pastor’s sermon or by whoever is behind the pulpit. Most missionaries don’t sit in the front and in a Missions Conference you will be remembered and the other missionaries not so much. (A lot of this stuff is mentioned in the deputation manual)
- If you can sing, know when to join them in the choir when the small church’s song leader calls the choir and whoever wants to sing up
- Be the pastor’s shadow
- Keep prayer letter to only 1-page long since most pastors will not read past the first page. Same deal with info packets, short and sweet
- Subscribe to everyone’s email updates so you can find out what you like and don’t like (and so that you can keep up with their ministries and pray for them and their families). Look at everyone’s info packet and prayer card so you can find the best and copy them
- Ask Bro Gardner and Jeff who the most successful guys were (in the past and contemporary) and ask them what to do to be successful; ask them who else you should be talking to; they can refer you to ______ who is good at follow up or ______ who is good at calling or _______ who is really good at etc… Always learn and look to improve and grow. Be challenged by those more successful and not offended. Find the guy who is setting the bar and learn all you can from him. Then raise the bar some more 😉
- Carry a small cooler/ice chest for carrying drinks and food items for long(er) trips (e.g. sandwich meat, ice, snacks, bread, etc.) to help save money on eating out. Refill ice at hotels/ prophet’s chambers
- Use hotel-provided plastic laundry bags they usually have hanging in the closet for dirty laundry bags
- Ice trays in hotels can be used as breakfast tray to bring breakfast back to your room or to be sweet to your wife by bringing her and the kids breakfast in bed 😉
- Call front desk to ask hotel about “early check in” or “late(est) check out” to enjoy your stay longer 😉 handful of white tic tacs in suit pocket to have a fresh breath before/after service
- Don’t take out iPhone or Apple products in church or in front of pastor (I used a Casio G-shock watch in meetings, not AppleWatch); It will communicate the wrong idea to church people whose support you are trying to get – Get stickers or a stamp (from OfficeMax type place) with your mailing address to save time writing addresses on letters
Example:
Brendon W.
PO Box 442
Alpharetta, GA 30009
- Close your presentation with a one-liner easily remembered sentence like “Please pray about supporting our ministry to __[your country]___” – the last sentence will be the greatest thing to stick in the people’s mind. The next person on stage usually transitions off of the last thing the previous person says. It’s upfront and calls people to action – Support this missionary family!
- Read the book “What Every Body is Saying” by Joe Navarro former FBI intelligence officer to learn how to read body language. For example, “How do people [subconsciously] communicate power, relaxed, confidence?” – by putting their arm up on the back of the pew and crossing one leg over the other, etc. – http://www.amazon.com/What-Every-BODYSaying- Speed-Reading/dp/0061438294/ref=sr_1_1? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472525365&sr=1-1&keywords=what +everybody+is+saying
- Stand when an older gentleman enters the room when you greet him (it’s a polite and respectful thing to do from the older generation manners). When you shake a person’s hand, smile a big genuine smile and look them straight in the eyes with a firm grip
- Make special efforts to remember people’s names! Read “How to Win Friends and Influence People”!!! – https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472525992&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+win+friends+and+influence+people – Use “mnemonic” devices to help to remember names and facts about people –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic - After seeking out the pastor, make special note of who the deacons and missions director is. If you can introduce yourself to the special speaker of the missions conference or the music director or assistant pastor then they will be more likely to mention you from the pulpit through the whole service. At the same time be genuine and care about EVERYONE
- Ask Jeff Bush for materials (books, audio books, etc.) about public speaking tips
- Stand on the same side of the doorway as the pastor when shaking hands with people who are on the way out of church
by Brendon W. (my missionary friend in N. Africa)