How do evangelists get paid?

[Aquila]

We basically paid them whatever their going rate was, just like most business organizations pay special speakers, trainers, or motivational speakers for seminars. There was normally a set amount determined by the speaker to book them on the schedule. Offerings were often collected to recoup the cost of the evangelist, and it wasn't uncommon to set aside a hearty gift out of the offerings just to say thank you. And yes, sometimes we just couldn't afford a given evangelist. Some would come if in the area for a service or two, and collect whatever offerings we were able to collect to say thank you. When they did this it was a treat because they were being very generous, seeing that their time is money and that scheduling can be a bear if they are in high demand.

It's really all above board. Any special speaker (religious or not) has their going rate based on demand and their availability.