Baptist and non-denominational churches have no shared fee standard — published policies range from $0 to $2,500+ for the building alone, and the pastor’s honorarium is almost always a separate line item on top. The only constant: ask for the church’s written wedding policy before you assume anything is included.
Standard amounts
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Facility/building use fee | $0–$2,500 | Varies by church size, room, and member status |
| Pastor honorarium | $100–$800 | Almost always separate from the facility fee |
| Wedding coordinator (church-employed) | Often bundled | Larger churches include this in the facility fee |
| Sound/AV technician | Often bundled | Ask if it’s itemized separately |
| Custodian | $0–$150 | Sometimes a flat fee, sometimes hourly |
| Worship musicians/pianist | Ask directly | Rarely published; negotiate with the music director |
Why there’s no standard here
Unlike Catholic dioceses or Episcopal parishes, Baptist congregations are independently governed — there’s no denominational fee schedule handed down from above, and non-denominational churches by definition answer to no larger body at all. Every congregation sets its own policy, and the range reflects that. A large Southern Baptist megachurch with a professional events staff charges like a small venue; a small storefront non-denominational church might charge nothing beyond a custodial fee.
Prestonwood Baptist Church’s 2026 wedding pricing is a useful example of the “bundled fee, separate honorarium” model common at larger churches: the Chapel runs $1,250 for members and $2,500 for non-members, the Fireside Room $1,000/$1,500, and a $200 non-refundable application deposit applies toward the total. That fee covers the wedding coordinator, lighting and sound technician, facilities personnel, and utilities — but explicitly excludes “honorarium for the pastor performing the ceremony,” which the couple arranges separately (Prestonwood).
At the other end, First Baptist Church Raleigh charges members no facility fee at all, restricting weddings to members and their immediate families, though a custodial fee still applies for staff who work the event — the amount is set individually at booking, not published as a flat rate (First Baptist Raleigh).
Facility fees: the real spread
- Parkwood Baptist Church: $100 per room per event, plus $50/hour if reset takes longer than two hours.
- Calvary Baptist Church (Mt. Airy): $400 sanctuary facility-use fee plus a $75 cleaning deposit.
- Prestonwood Baptist Church: $1,000–$2,500 depending on room and member status.
- First Baptist Church Raleigh: $0 facility fee for members, custodial fee only.
- Broadway Christian Church (non-denominational, Mesa, AZ): no building fee at all — instead, the church asks for a pastor honorarium plus “a small donation to the Facilities Team Members, and Tech personnel,” with amounts set case by case (Broadway Christian Church).
There’s genuinely no way to predict which model your church uses without asking.
Pastor
The honorarium is separate from any facility fee in nearly every policy we found. General guidance for a preacher’s wedding fee runs $200–$800, with a nondenominational-church example cited around $300 (Budgeting Money / The Nest). If the pastor already leads your congregation, a lower $100–$300 is typical, scaling up with how much premarital counseling they provided (Seedtime). One baseline figure worth knowing: $100 is considered the floor, separate from any building fee, with more expected if the pastor travels (Budgeting Money / The Nest). For the full breakdown, see our pastor honorarium guide.
Whatever you call it — honorarium or fee — it’s taxable income to the pastor, which is one reason many churches keep it separate from the church’s own bookkeeping (LaCombe CPA).
Wedding coordinator
At larger churches, a staff wedding coordinator is bundled into the facility fee, as at Prestonwood. At smaller churches, you may be coordinating with a volunteer or the pastor’s spouse — ask whether a tip or gift is appropriate; there’s no published standard.
Sound/AV technician and custodian
Sound techs and custodians are sometimes bundled (Prestonwood), sometimes billed separately and unpublished (First Baptist Raleigh’s custodial fee), and sometimes covered only by a general “small donation” ask (Broadway Christian Church). Don’t assume — confirm with the wedding coordinator what’s already covered and what needs a separate cash thank-you.
Worship musicians / pianist
Very few of the church policies we reviewed published a musician fee separately from the organist fees seen at mainline denominations (see our Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian guide for comparison). If your Baptist or non-denominational church has a worship team play your ceremony, ask the music director directly what’s customary — it is genuinely not standardized across this category.
Tipping at the reception
None of the above touches your reception vendors. See our guides for caterer, DJ, bartender, and wedding coordinator (the secular, reception-side kind).
The bottom line
Baptist and non-denominational church costs range from nothing to $2,500+ for the building, plus a pastor honorarium of $100–$800 that is almost always kept separate. There’s no denominational standard to fall back on — get your specific church’s written wedding policy before you budget.
Sources
- Prestonwood Baptist Church: Wedding Pricing
- First Baptist Church Raleigh: Facility Use
- Broadway Christian Church: Building Usage Form
- Budgeting Money / The Nest: How Much Do You Pay Preachers for Weddings?
- Budgeting Money / The Nest: Wedding Etiquette & How Much to Tip Clergy
- Seedtime: How Much to Pay a Pastor for a Wedding
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