C I TY ON A HI LL
DON'T GIVE UP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message to Pastors | 4
Introduction to Resources | 6
Church Campaign Timeline | 12
Steps to Getting Started | 16
Social Media Timeline | 20
THEREFORE, SINCE WE ARE SURROUNDED BY SUCH A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES, LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES. AND LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US, FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE PIONEER AND PERFECTER OF FAITH. FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM HE ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD. CONSIDER HIM WHO ENDURED SUCH OPPOSITION FROM SINNERS, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT GROW WEARY AND LOSE HEART. —HEBREWS 12:1–3
MESSAGE TO PASTORS As a pastor or ministry leader, you know, as well as I do, that every week you are having a conversation with someone who is going through a difficult challenge or some kind of struggle. You listen to their stories and at times it's hard to imagine what they're going through. It's hard to put yourself in their shoes and feel the kind of weight that they've been carrying. It's hard to know what words to say to encourage them. I don't know if you're like me, but what I have discovered is that more often than not, I find myself saying the same thing to each person. Regardless of what their story is, I am telling them, don't give up. Don't give up. Maybe their struggle has to do with their marriage, or maybe it has to do with their finances, or maybe it has to do with a ministry that hasn't turned out the way they'd hoped. But what they need to hear, and frankly, what we all need to hear on a pretty regular basis is, don't give up now. Don't quit. Persevere. A passage of scripture that I often use is Hebrews chapter 12, which is the passage where we're told to fix our eyes on Jesus and to consider what he did for us so that we don't grow weary,
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that we don't lose heart. I believe that's something that we personally need to hear. But our churches and communities are full of people who also need to hear that message. The book of Hebrews offers us the confidence to keep believing and the courage to keep going if we only put our faith in the right place. I would love for you to embrace this message, engage with these resources, and to use it to spread the message of the Gospel, to not give up and not quit.
Kyle Idleman
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INTRODUCTION TO ALL RESOURCES Now that we presented the vision of hope which Don’t Give Up can awaken in your community, we would love to introduce you to the materials included here in your Don’t Give Up Church Campaign Kit. The following are explanations of what exactly you have received inside this kit and how it all works together to help you get your community excited and engaged in this message. After reviewing the specific details of each product, check out the suggested timeline that we have created for you so that you can fit all these pieces together for a successful Don’t Give Up church campaign!
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PASTOR'S KIT The Pastor’s Kit was created specifically to make your life as pastor easier. The local church has been charged with the mission of sharing the hope of the gospel, but it can be challenging in a relentlessly broken world. As a leader, you’ve seen Christians and communities falter in the face of the unexpected. These resources were designed so you can guide your community to cast their concerns on God, trust in his love and timing, pray for patience and strength, and seek out support in the family of God. The data disc included in this Pastor’s Kit is uniquely designed to help you use the content of Don’t Give Up to bring encouragement to your community.
THE DON’T GIVE UP SERMON SERIES
This series contains five sermons manuscripts titled “Keep Believing,” “Hall of Fame,” “Throw off the Weight,” “Obstacle Course,” and “Run Your Race.” We understand that every church and community is different, so as you prepare for these sermons, reflect upon where your congregation flourishes, so you might encourage them. Also, reflect upon where your congregation needs to grow so you might give pointed and particular application. We pray the sermons outlines will fuel your thoughts and imagination to bring the word of God to the people of your church in a faithful and fresh way. We encourage you to make these sermons personal to the congregation God has called you to by adding specific encouragements and exhortations.
EPISODE TEASERS
These video clips are taken directly from the Don’t Give Up video Series. Many churches use these clips as teasers for small groups/Sunday school groups. These clips are an excellent way to get people excited about the video content contained in the Don't Give Up video Series.
SERMON BUMPER VIDEOS
Many churches find these videos helpful to use as a transition piece before the sermon. The visuals are consistent each week, to remind your congregation of the series you are in. Each video ends with the title of that week's sermon. Please note there are 5 of these, once for each of the sermons in the Don’t Give Up sermon series.
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ART FILES
We have included many artwork files in hopes of suiting your needs as best we can. There are art files containing original artwork to help in your creation of bulletin inserts and posters. We have also created eight slides to use in your sermons and the promotion of small groups. We have made sure the titles of the sermons match the titles of the week’s small group lesson to create as much symmetry as possible.
SOCIAL MEDIA FILES
We recognize that social media plays an integral part in the lives of many people in your community, so we wanted to make sure it was as simple as possible to get the word out about your Don’t Give Up campaign. We have designed beautiful and poignant graphics and memes for you to post on your personal or church’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or website. In addition to the files, we have created an easy-to-follow 5-week social media plan for you to incorporate these files. You can find this plan within this booklet on page 20.
SMALL GROUP KIT As a pastor, you realize a message from the pulpit can only go so far in changing the hearts of the people in your church. Small groups are often where the real transformation occurs. We were created for community, made in the image of a relational God. As relational beings, we find our most profound life satisfaction, grow into the likeness of Christ, experience spiritual growth, and demonstrate the marks of spiritual maturity in community together. Our diverse communities demonstrate God’s grace in a way that nothing else could. We want to make small groups as easy as possible for both you and your leaders, so we have created our Small Group Kit to have everything a small group leader would need so that you can just hand it over when it’s time for small groups to start!
SERIES This 5-episode video Series features Kyle Idleman, pastor and author of Don’t Give Up. In these episodes, Kyle shares Scripture and real-life examples of perseverance and courage. Each episode is approximately eighteen minutes long.
JOURNAL The Small Group Kit contains one copy of the Journal, but after looking through it we are hopeful that you will want all your small group members to have their own copy. This beautifully designed 35-day Journal can serve as a participant’s guide for the Don’t Give Up video Series. Each day includes scripture, reflective questions, and prayer. For the best experience for your small group, we recommend that each person in the group uses their own copy of the Journal, leading them on a journey through Hebrews 11 and 12.
LEADER’S GUIDE You are also receiving one copy of the Leader’s Guide inside this kit. Many small group leaders feel ill-equipped to create a natural conversation that leads to a meaningful experience for their group members. This Don’t Give Up Leader’s Guide works in conjunction with the video Series to equip group leaders with helpful tips on leading a group, thoughtful discussion questions for each week, and suggested scripture to read. This guide helps to create a directed, safe, and open environment to lead the small group through a redemptive transformation. Each small group leader should have a copy to help to facilitate meaningful discussion by providing carefully crafted questions and guidance to complement the videos.
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CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW This Church Campaign Guide contains a vision for a 5-week campaign. In the following pages, we hope to provide you with visual clarity on how all the resources fit together within a 5-week timeline:
SERMONS
JOURNAL DAYS
5 35 SOCIAL POSTS
SMALL GROUP LESSONS
15 5
SUNDAY
⋅ SERMON
Week 1
Don't Give Up: Keep Believing
⋅ SMALL GROUP
TUESDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 2
WEEK 1
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 1 ⋅ SOCIAL POST
DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
Link or Upload previous day's sermon
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 3
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 4
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 5
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 6
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
Upload image DGU_Social01
Upload image DGU_Social02
SUNDAY
⋅ SERMON
Week 2
Don’t Give Up: Hall of Fame
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 7
MONDAY
⋅ SMALL GROUP WEEK 2
Upload image DGU_Social03
TUESDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 9
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 8 ⋅ SOCIAL POST Link or Upload previous day's sermon
DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
Upload video DGU_Episode2 Teaser
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 10
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 11
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 12
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 13
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
Upload image DGU_Social04
Upload image DGU_Social05
Upload video DGU_Episode3 Teaser
Upload image DGU_Social06
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SUNDAY
⋅ SERMON
Week 3
Don’t Give Up: Throw Off The Weight
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 14
DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
TUESDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 16
WEEK 3
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 15 ⋅ SOCIAL POST
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 17
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 18
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 19
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 20
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
Upload image DGU_Social08
SUNDAY
⋅ SERMON
Week 4
Don’t Give Up: Obstacle Course
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 21
DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
Upload video DGU_Episode4 Teaser
MONDAY
⋅ SMALL GROUP
Upload image DGU_ Social09
TUESDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 23
WEEK 4
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 22 ⋅ SOCIAL POST Link or Upload previous day's sermon
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 24
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 25
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 26
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 27
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
Upload image DGU_Social010
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⋅ SMALL GROUP
Link or Upload previous day's sermon
Upload image DGU_Social07
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MONDAY
Upload image DGU_Social011
DON'T GIVE UP
Upload video DGU_Episode5 Teaser
Upload image DGU_Social012
SUNDAY
⋅ SERMON
Week 5
Don’t Give Up: Run Your Race
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 28
DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY
⋅ SMALL GROUP
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 30
WEEK 5
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 29 ⋅ SOCIAL POST Link or Upload previous day's sermon
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 31
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 32
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 33
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
⋅ SOCIAL POST
Upload image DGU_Social013
TUESDAY
Upload image DGU_Social014
SUNDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 34
Upload image DGU_Social015
MONDAY
TUESDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
⋅ JOURNAL DAY 35
Week 6 DON'T GIVE UP
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
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4 STEPS TO GETTING STARTED We hope we have provided you with a good understanding of all the different resources contained inside of the Don’t Give Up Church Campaign Kit. We don’t want you to feel overwhelmed which is why we wanted to provide you with four simple tips to develop a strong and directed start to your church campaign.
Step 1 DEVELOP A CORE GROUP TO HELP BRING YOUR VISION TO LIFE Implementing a church campaign alone would be a miserable and nearly impossible task, so that is why creating a core group early-on is so crucial to the success of your campaign. This group should be made up of trusted leaders, key staff with diverse, unique skill sets to contribute, and/or highly-engaged volunteers. As you prepare for your first meeting, embrace the fact that this core group you are forming is not merely a group of volunteers, but rather an extension of yourself and they have something to contribute. Treat them as leaders and empower them to make decisions under your guidance.
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Step 2 ASSIGN EACH LEADER AN AREA TO OVERSEE You can’t manage every area of this campaign and here is when it’s time to delegate to your core group. They should be able to make varying levels of decisions based on regular touchpoint meetings with you that we’ll cover later in this guide. Here are some suggested areas you may want to think about assigning someone to oversee (this list isn't exhaustive, but rather a starting point):
HOSPITALITY PROMOTIONAL PLANS SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY/AV WOMEN'S MINISTRY MEN'S MINISTRY PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
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Step 3 HAVE YOUR FIRST MEETING! Here are a few tips for your first meeting: > Prayer is probably the single best way to unify the church, so that means praying over all of your efforts. Take the opportunity model honesty and transparency when gathering and asking for prayer. > Make it fun and make it memorable. Snacks, drinks, special treats, etc. are key to making this more than just another meeting. > Identify a key note taker for all of your meetings. One thorough set of well-rounded notes for everyone to work from are truly invaluable and need to be shared within a day of the meeting to ensure everyone continues to move together. These can be added to personal notes that add further context to the team notes.
Here are some discussion topics for your first meeting: > Cast your vision while explaining the “why� for the campaign > Share your intended goal for the church and your ministry
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> Explain your current challenges or concerns > Address each person and explain why you chose them and how they can help > Determine your overall goals for this campaign
Step 4 FOLLOW-UP REGULARLY WITH YOUR LEADERS Keep the lines of communication open. Send a follow-up email. Make a phone call to check in. Make a point to seek them out and create opportunities for them to share their thoughts. On the rare occasion that they won’t have anything to share they will still be grateful that you made time for them.
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SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT There’s no denying the power and influence that social media has these days. Many churches who have embraced the use of social media as a means of sharing their vision and their programs have reaped enormous benefits. In light of this, we wanted to give your church some easy-to-use resources to implement on your church’s social media platforms to help you get the word out about your Don’t Give Up campaign! In the following pages, you will find a 5-week outline of our recommended social media posts, which is meant to begin the Sunday before the first sermon of the Don’t Give Up series. Each week will have 3 to 5 days listed; each of which will contain a suggested post with an image, meme, or video to go along with the post. The best part is these images, videos, and memes have already been created for you and can be found on your Pastor’s Kit data disc and are labeled exactly how they appear in the following plan. The posts are merely suggestions, and we invite you to make them personal to your community. Feel free to use as many or few of our ideas as you wish. We hope you will use this outline and the recommendations to stir your imagination for how your church can best utilize social media. There are countless creative and strategic ways in which you can use social media. Stay faithful to some strategies that have been successful for your church before, but also don’t be afraid to try out some new and imaginative ways to use social media
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as a method to engage others! Our hope is this social media plan helps you and your congregation to spread your vision to the unreached friends, neighbors, coworkers, or family members in your community!
Social Media Plan DON’T GIVE UP: THE WEEK BEFORE SUNDAY: • Show Series Trailer: DGU_Series_Trailer • Alternate Option: Use image DGU_Title_Slide
WEDNESDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social16 > “Join us this Sunday as we kick off our “Don’t Give Up” Series and spur yourself on to the life God intends for you to live.” FRIDAY: • Upload video: DGU_Episode1 Teaser > “Over the next 5 weeks, we will be introduced to a new series called “Don’t Give Up”. This series will focus on building your faith and drawing strength from God so that we gain the perseverance to continue on no matter what comes our way.”
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DON’T GIVE UP: WEEK 1 SUNDAY: • Sermon - Don’t Give Up: Keep Believing MONDAY: • Upload the previous day’s sermon and make an announcement on all social media platforms that your church uses. > “Yesterday we started a dynamic new sermon series titled, “Don’t Give Up". Missed the sermon? Listen to this message from Hebrews 11-12 and find encouragement for a life of faith and endurance.” WEDNESDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social01.jpg > “Faith keeps believing, even when the pieces don’t seem to fit together.” > Use #DontGiveUp THURSDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social02.jpg > “Faith believes that God has a purpose, even when there seems to be no reason.” > Use #DontGiveUp FRIDAY: • Upload video: DGU_Episode2 Teaser > “Here’s a short teaser from the second episode of our “Don’t Give Up” Series. Work through week 1
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in your study journal and be prepared to discuss in your small group. Don’t have your journal yet? You can order one at cityonahillstudio.com/product/dont-give-up-journal." SATURDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social03.jpg > “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us… Hebrews 12:1” > Use #DontGiveUp
DON’T GIVE UP: WEEK 2 SUNDAY: • Sermon-Don’t Give Up: Hall of Fame MONDAY: • Upload the previous day’s sermon and make the following announcement on all social media platforms that your church uses. > “Yesterday was the second sermon in our ‘Don’t Give Up’ Series. If you didn’t get a chance to hear it, click the link below to listen now. Join us next week as we learn about cultivating a faith that allows us to see past our sight and reach deeper into all that is unseen.”
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WEDNESDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social04.jpg > “Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for and the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen.” > Use #DontGiveUp THURSDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social05.jpg > “Align your actions with your intentions.” > Use #DontGiveUp FRIDAY: • Upload video: DGU_Episode3 Teaser > “Here’s a short teaser from the third episode of our “Don’t Give Up" Series. It’s not too late to jump into one of our small groups or you can go through the study on your own. Don’t have your study yet? Order one at cityonahillstudio.com/ product/dont-give-up-small-group-kit." SATURDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social06.jpg > “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. -Hebrews 11:39” > Use #DontGiveUp
DON’T GIVE UP: WEEK 3 SUNDAY: • Sermon-Don’t Give Up: Throw Off the Weight
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MONDAY: • Upload or link the previous day’s sermon and make the following announcement on all social media platforms that your church uses. > “Yesterday was the third sermon in our “Don’t Give Up” series. If you didn’t get a chance to hear it, click the link below to hear how we draw strength from God so that we cannot just survive but thrive.” WEDNESDAY: • Upload image: DGU_Social07.jpg > “Anxiety blinds us to God’s blessings, but thanksgiving opens our eyes.” > Use #DontGiveUp THURSDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social08.jpg > “Don’t tell God about your anxiety. Tell anxiety about your God.” > Use #DontGiveUp FRIDAY: • Upload video: DGU_Episode4 Teaser > “Here’s a sneak peek of the fourth episode from our “Don’t Give Up” Series. It’s not too late to jump into one of our small groups or you can go through the study on your own. Don’t have your study yet? Order one at cityonahillstudio.com/ product/dont-give-up-small-group-kit."
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SATURDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social09.jpg > “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. -Hebrews 12:1” > Use #DontGiveUp
DON’T GIVE UP: WEEK 4 SUNDAY: • Sermon-Don’t Give Up: Obstacle Course MONDAY: • Upload or link the previous day’s sermon and make the following announcement on all social media platforms that your church uses. > "Yesterday was the fourth sermon in our “Don’t Give Up” series. If you didn’t get a chance to hear it, click the link below to hear it now. Join us on Sunday for the conclusion of our “Don’t Give Up” series." WEDNESDAY: • Upload image: DGU_Social010.jpg > “When we start our prayer with worship, we’re reminded of God’s greatness.” > Use #DontGiveUp THURSDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social011.jpg
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> “What God really wants from us is a vulnerable transparency about who we are and who HE is.” > Use #DontGiveUp FRIDAY: • Upload video: DGU_Episode5 Teaser > “Our ‘Don’t Give Up’ series concludes this Sunday. You do not want to miss this as we discuss how to be confident in moving forward and finishing well.” SATURDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social012.jpg > “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. -Hebrews 4:15”
DON’T GIVE UP: WEEK 5 SUNDAY: • Sermon-Don’t Give Up: Run Your Race MONDAY: • Upload or link the previous day’s sermon and make the following announcement on all social media platforms that your church uses. > “Yesterday was our final sermon in our “Don’t Give Up” series. If you didn’t get a chance to hear it, click the link below to learn how to persevere and run the race before us.” 27
WEDNESDAY: • Upload image: DGU_Social013.jpg > “Regret keeps us looking back and prevents us from moving forward.” THURSDAY: • Upload image: DGU_Social014.jpg > “When you’re almost ready to give up, it’s the right time to look up.” FRIDAY: • Use image: DGU_Social015.jpg > “Run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. -Hebrews 12:1-2” • Make the following announcement as a follow-up. > “Our “Don’t Give Up” series has been an incredible 5 weeks. If you’ve missed any of the sermons you can find them on our website. If you missed the study, you can get yours at cityonahillstudio.com/ product/dont-give-up-small-group-kit.”
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