The full playbook · Free forever

Thirteen steps.Nothing held back.

Everything we've learned running these, written down. Four phases, realistic timelines, practical checklists, and the specific mistake most teams make at each stage. Print it and work through it with your team.

Start with step one

First, the honest part.

This is a lot of work. It takes prayer, unity, sacrifice, leadership, volunteers, permits, planning and faith. Things will go wrong. People will say no. There will be a moment where you wonder why you started.

And then someone will give their life to Jesus, and get baptized, and go home a different person — and you will know exactly why you started. It is SO worth it.

Foundation

Before anything is booked or announced

Pray & Seek God

Start with prayer, fasting, worship, and asking God for His heart for your city.

Start 9–12 months out — and never stop

Checklist

Set aside dedicated time to pray and fast over your city
Ask God specifically: is this His idea, or ours?
Invite a few intercessors to pray with you before you tell anyone else
Write down what you sense God saying — you'll return to it often

Watch out for this

Don't skip this to get to logistics. Everything downstream is built on whether God actually called you to it.

Gather A Core Team

Build a faithful team of believers who carry humility, unity, evangelism, and servant hearts.

6–9 months out

Checklist

Look for humility, unity, and evangelistic hearts before looking for skills
Keep the core team small at first — 3 to 6 committed people
Assign clear ownership: prayer, logistics, evangelism, worship, communications, follow-up
Meet regularly and pray together every single time

Watch out for this

One divisive or self-promoting person on a core team can cost you the whole thing. Choose character first.

Clarify The Vision

Decide the purpose, city, date, audience, location, and evangelistic focus.

6–9 months out

Checklist

Write one sentence that says exactly what this festival is for
Decide the city, target date, and who you are specifically trying to reach
Choose your evangelistic focus — street outreach, families, youth, a neighbourhood
Define what 'success' looks like beyond attendance numbers

Watch out for this

If your team can't repeat the vision from memory, it isn't clear enough yet.

Preparation

Building the team, the city, and the plan

Build Church & Ministry Unity

Reach out to local pastors, worship leaders, evangelists, ministries, and outreach groups.

5–8 months out

Checklist

Meet local pastors in person — not by mass email
Come to serve their church, not to recruit from it
Invite worship leaders, evangelists, ministries, and existing outreach groups
Be clear on the essentials you unite around, and generous on everything else
Give partners real ownership, not just a logo on a poster

Watch out for this

Unity takes longer than logistics. Start these conversations earlier than feels necessary.

Secure A Location

Find a park, outdoor space, church property, public venue, or city-approved gathering place.

4–6 months out

Checklist

Consider parks, outdoor spaces, church properties, and city-approved venues
Check capacity, power, sound restrictions, accessibility, and washrooms
Confirm what's allowed — amplified sound, preaching, baptisms, signage
Have a rain plan before you sign anything
Get the booking in writing

Watch out for this

Ask about noise bylaws and amplification limits specifically. It's the most common late surprise.

Plan The Event Structure

Include worship, Gospel preaching, testimonies, prayer ministry, baptisms if possible, outreach, family-friendly elements, and clear next steps.

3–5 months out

Checklist

Build the run sheet: worship, testimonies, Gospel message, response, prayer ministry
Plan baptisms in advance if possible — water, towels, changes of clothes, counsellors
Include family-friendly elements so parents can actually stay
Decide exactly how people will respond and who will meet them
Keep the Gospel message clear and unhurried — protect that time slot

Watch out for this

Don't over-program. Leave room for the Holy Spirit and for people to respond without being rushed.

Get Permits & Logistics In Place

Handle permits, insurance, sound, stage, volunteers, security, first aid, bathrooms, parking, signage, and city requirements.

2–4 months out

Checklist

Apply for city permits early — they take longer than you expect
Secure event liability insurance
Book sound, stage, and power; confirm a tech contact for the day
Arrange first aid, security or safety volunteers, and an emergency plan
Sort washrooms, parking, accessibility, signage, and waste
Collect volunteer contact info and build a day-of schedule

Watch out for this

Call your municipality and ask what they require — don't guess. One missing permit can cancel the day.

The Festival

Mobilizing, promoting, and hosting

Mobilize Evangelism

Train volunteers to share the Gospel before, during, and after the event.

2–3 months out, and ongoing

Checklist

Train volunteers to share the Gospel simply and kindly
Practise real conversations, not scripts
Go out before the festival — invite the city face to face
Prepare follow-up materials and a way to capture contact details with consent
Assign trained people to pray with anyone who responds

Watch out for this

Evangelism training is the difference between an event people attended and a city that got reached.

Promote With Excellence

Use social media, churches, flyers, email, local partnerships, video, testimonies, and prayer gatherings.

6–8 weeks out

Checklist

Announce early, then build momentum with testimonies and video
Give partner churches ready-made graphics, dates, and bulletin text
Use flyers and door-to-door in the actual neighbourhood you're reaching
Post consistently on social media and ask partners to share
Host public prayer gatherings in the lead-up

Watch out for this

Promote to the lost, not only to the Church. Write your invitations for someone who has never been.

Host With Love & Excellence

Keep Jesus at the center. Serve people well. Preach the Gospel clearly. Create space for people to respond.

The day itself

Checklist

Brief every volunteer before doors open — roles, tone, and the plan
Welcome people warmly; make first-time guests feel expected
Preach the Gospel clearly and give a real opportunity to respond
Have prayer teams ready and visible
Serve the venue and the neighbourhood — leave it cleaner than you found it

Watch out for this

Excellence matters, but love matters more. People will remember how they were treated.

The Movement

What happens after the stage comes down

Capture The Fruit

Track testimonies, salvations, baptisms, prayer moments, volunteers, outreach impact, and stories of transformation.

Within 72 hours

Checklist

Contact everyone who responded — quickly and personally
Record testimonies, salvations, baptisms, and stories while they're fresh
Collect photos and video from your team
Debrief with your core team: what God did, what you'd change
Thank every volunteer, partner church, and vendor by name

Watch out for this

Follow-up delayed is follow-up lost. Have people assigned to this before the festival, not after.

Plant Ongoing Outreach

Do not let the event end when the festival ends. Launch or strengthen ongoing evangelism groups in the city.

Weeks 1–8 after

Checklist

Launch or strengthen a regular outreach group in the city
Connect new believers into local churches for real discipleship
Set a recurring rhythm — weekly or monthly, something sustainable
Keep the volunteers who caught fire actively involved

Watch out for this

This is the step most festivals skip. It's the one that turns an event into a movement.

Multiply The Movement

Help other cities do the same. Share the model, resources, testimonies, and support.

Ongoing

Checklist

Write down what you learned, including the mistakes
Share your model, run sheets, and resources freely with other cities
Mentor the next leader who wants to do this
Keep praying for cities beyond your own

Watch out for this

Give it away. The movement grows by generosity, not by protecting what worked.

You don't have to do this alone

Tell us about your city.

We'll share what worked, what didn't, and pray with you. However we can, for God's glory.

Start a conversation Read the common questions

First, the honest part.

And then someone will give their life to Jesus, and get baptized, and go home a different person — and you will know exactly why you started. It is SO worth it.