The Life of a Traveling Evangelist

There’s a lot more to being a Catholic speaker than what you see. Dave “Extreme Narcissist” VanVickle and I discuss the little-known problems and behind-the-scenes difficulties of people who talk about the Faith for a living. 

From bringing kids to RCIA to feeling guilty about a paycheck, we talk about balancing family life, parish life, full-time jobs, and time on the road.

Snippet from the Show

“The life of a professional traveling speaker is not what most people think it is.”

SHOWNOTES

Money and Guilt

  • Charging for a talk isn’t about making money off the gospel, it’s about providing for time spent away from family.

Family Values

  • Being on the road makes your spouse temporarily a single parent. It’s a huge strain on the family and the spouses are the ones who really have it hard. 

Missional Continuity

  • What is the mission with the audience? The speaker is there to continue the work that is already happening, not to have a singular affect that probably won’t stick. 

Five Practical Takeaways

  1. Pray for your favorite Catholic speaker.
  2. Read Marcel’s article, “Why You Probably Don’t Want To Be A Catholic Speaker!
  3. Evaluate your most recent event and ask yourself about the impact it had weeks later.
  4. Critically examine your money and fame motives.  
  5. Community: try to learn something new about someone already in your life. Try Patrick Lencioni’s opening question: what life event from your childhood affected you the most?

Meet Your Hosts


Michael “Gomer” Gormley

Michael “Gomer” Gormley

Michael has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past ten years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries.

He is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and the producer and cohost of a Catholic young adult podcast Catching Foxes, which discusses the collision of Faith and Culture.

He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon. Together they have about 1,000 children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.

David “Dave” VanVickle

David “Dave” VanVickle

Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen. Since then, he has dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.

He is a speaker and retreat leader. His programs focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.

Dave resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Amber and their five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.

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