Lee Roorda Schott is a United Methodist elder and currently the pastor of Valley UMC in West Des Moines. She came to this role after nine years as pastor of Women at the Well, a church inside the women’s prison in Mitchellville, Iowa. She has spoken to audiences big and small in the role of guest preacher, keynote speaker, workshop presenter, discussion panelist, and noted author of the books Foolish Church and The Fools’ Manual. Her favorite types of events are interactive, communal, and anchored in worship, and they make room for often-marginalized voices and experiences.
Want to see Lee in action? Here’s Lee speaking at the UMC Lead conference in New Orleans in 2019. An earlier keynote, at the Right Next Door conference in Iowa in 2015, is linked here. Also, here’s a shorter video (2 1/2 minutes!) where she describes the core of her work.
Lee is always happy to talk with groups about the subjects covered in her books. Here are some specific talks or workshops Lee is delighted to lead:
- Making Room for People, Scars and All
- Four Practices for Churches That Are Truly Open to All
- How Healthy Boundaries Support Absolute Welcome
- The Gospel Imperative of Welcoming Sinners, Sex Offenders, and Stragglers
- Developing a Reconciliation Pathway for Your Church, Jesus’s Way
- Leadership Tasks for Foolish Churches
- The Foolish Gift of Impermance in Your Church and in Your Life
- Worship that Makes Room for Lament, Questioning, and Silence
- Hearing the Voices in Our Midst That Are Wiser Than We Knew
- Practicing Messy, Raw, and Real Conversations on Questions That Matter (like #metoo, mental illness, bullying, human sexuality)
Lee’s favorite kind of audience: Dissatisfied. Hopeful. Adventuresome. Church-loving (or wishing they could be).
Lee’s favorite kind of event space: Flexible. Generous. Interesting (as opposed to sterile).
Lee most enjoys leading events where there is room to:
- Think through how to present in different ways to different audiences: What will connect with these people in this time? What is happening in the world that makes this resonant today?
- Plan and carry out a program that will be meaningful, engaging, hopeful, and generative.
- Be intentional about space, flow, and making room for different voices, stories, and learning styles.
- Share foolish ideas and see the “aha” moments when people connect with them.
- Utilize music, images, ritual, movement, communications, and more that enhance participants’ experience.
…and these kinds of events feel less meaningful:
- When there’s too much going on and no time to unpack what is resonating.
- When Lee (or someone else) is just a talking head without the ability to be interactive.
- When the purpose of the event is unclear or Lee is asked to speak outside her interest.
Lee doesn’t need lots of quiet time during the event. She does request a single (not shared) room for overnights, although she is willing to stay in the home of a local host. She is particularly grateful when there’s actual ice for her glass of water (more ice than water!).
Questions to consider before contacting Lee:
- Why this event? What are you hoping will happen for participants?
- Why Lee? What are you hoping Lee’s presence and leadership will bring to the event?
- How much of Lee? What kind of collaboration with Lee do you expect or will you welcome around planning for this event? (There’s a happy medium between welcoming none and expecting a ton.)
- What’s next? How can this event help build community among persons who have caught the #FoolishChurch vision?
- Will we have fun together? What’s in this for you? Why are you personally invested in this event?
What about fees?
- Lee charges a minimum of $200 per day (or portion thereof) for local events with a hosting organization. (Local events are drivable from central Iowa and may include an overnight stay.)
- For events that require more extensive travel or where Lee is doing a lot of organizing work, her minimum is $500 per day (or portion thereof).
- Where Lee will be a keynote speaker or offer multiple workshops at an event where participants pay to attend, her fee will be above the minimum.
- All fees are in addition to travel expenses.
- Lee shares a portion of all speaking proceeds with Women at the Well.
Ready to book Lee? Contact her for your event at foolishchurch@gmail.com. It will be helpful if you’ll include reflection on some of what she’s shared above, along with date(s), location, organizer(s), type of event, description of the venue, expected attendance, and what you’re asking Lee to do.