BUDGETING AND VISION CASTING

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To provide some context, organizing a tent revival on your own would be drastically more expensive. Renting tents, chairs, lights, and sound systems typically costs between $15,000 and $25,000 for a week-long event. By the time most churches pay off the rental companies, they only have enough left for honorariums, leaving no room for the most important part: marketing and outreach.

We wanted to turn this model upside down. Instead of you being burdened with high rental fees, we invested over $250,000 in equipment that we offer to churches for free. This drastically lowers the barrier of entry and increases the event effectiveness. So we have no set rental fees or hidden costs. However, while our equipment is free to use, this event is not cheap. Our goal is to redirect where you spend your resources—by shifting away from local rental companies and toward what truly impacts church growth.

Instead of using your budget to pay for equipment rentals, you will be able to allocate signifcant funds toward event marketing, outreach, and promotion. So we are asking you to make a serious investment in reaching your community. While some people spend more and some spend less, here’s an outline of the budget we’d like you to consider:

• Small churches (0 to 400 people):
  • $5,000 for marketing and evangelism
  • $2,000 for miscellaneous local rentals if needed (e.g., generator, stage)
  • Honorarium of your choosing
• Medium churches (400 to 900 people):
  • $10,000 for marketing and evangelism
  • $3,000 for miscellaneous local rentals (e.g., generator, stage)
  • Honorarium of your choosing
• Large churches (900 to 2,300 people):
  • $15,000 for marketing and evangelism
  • $4,000 for miscellaneous rentals (e.g., generator, stage, porta-potties)
  • Honorarium of your choosing
    

We trust that God will continue to provide for this mission, covering the high overhead and costs of maintaining our equipment through free-will and spirit-led honorariums. We are incredibly thankful for the churches that supported this mission last year with their gracious support.
You are always welcome to connect with places we have been to regarding costs, honorarium, return, or other such questions.
(Tim Sullivan, Fort Smith, AR;  Mike Ensey, Heath, OH;  Jeffrey Harpole, Terre Haute, IN;  Ryan Kidder, Maumelle, AR;  David Myers, Palm Bay, FL;  Jason Varnum, Belleview, FL;  Mark Hattabaugh, Cooper City, FL;  etc.)

Promoting the Tent Revival is critical to its impact. Without widespread buy-in from the church, the event will struggle to reach its full potential. To ensure success, we strongly recommend implementing the following key activities:

Choose a dedicated service to announce that your church is hosting a Jesus Tent Revival. This service should ignite faith, stir hunger for revival, and emphasize evangelism. Clearly explain that this event is not just a weekend gathering but a catalyst for an ongoing regional awakening. Here’s an outline for how this service could unfold:

• Play this promo video: Fort Smith Recap
• Preach on Revival & Evangelism – Inspire urgency for souls and spiritual awakening.
• Show an example community outreach promo at the end of the message: Main Facebook Promo
• Take up a special offering exclusively for the marketing and outreach efforts of this event. Declare that this could be “the greatest revival our city has ever seen.” Many churches raise between $20,000 and $40,000 in pledges during this service alone.
• Distribute a combined Prayer Guide & Outreach Schedule for the next three months as people leave the service.

• Encourage church leaders to order Tent Revival T-shirts from JesusTentRevival.com. (We make no personal income on these).
• Leaders should wear, preach, and sing in these shirts for at least half of the Sundays leading up to the event. This keeps the revival at the forefront of people’s minds.
• Additional shirts can be provided at the event, but early exposure within the church is crucial.

• Keep the excitement alive! Every Sunday and midweek service, play another promotional video and remind the congregation of the upcoming revival.
• Use these promotional videos: Promo Folder.

• Establish a structured prayer and outreach plan. This should include:
  • Specific prayer points leading up to the revival.
  • Dedicated prayer meeting nights focused on breakthrough and revival.
  • Strategic outreach days to personally invite the community.
• Ensure church leaders are actively involved in both prayer and outreach.

• The Tent Revival should not be planned by just the church administrator or executive pastor—it needs to be a church-wide effort.
• Form a Revival Committee with representatives from each department:
  • Ladies’ Ministry – Unique contributions to outreach & hospitality.
  • Men’s Ministry – Support in setup, security, and outreach.
  • Youth & Children’s Ministry – Engage younger generations in evangelism.
  • AND ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS. Ask them to clear their department schedules for the next 2-3 months and join their departments in pushing for revival.
• As the event approaches, assign designated team leaders for the following areas:
  • Parking
  • Security
  • Baptism Station
  • Greeting & Hospitality
  • Music & Worship
  • Sound & Production
  • Tent Setup & Breakdown
  • Outreach & Evangelism
  • Prayer & Altar Team

Regular planning meetings should be held for pre-existing department leaders and the tent revival team leaders to ensure a unified vision and dynamic execution of the event.

Successful revival requires two critical forms of support: financial investment for outreach and marketing, and active personal involvement from the church body. Securing this support hinges on four key strategies:

As mentioned earlier, hosting a vision-casting service that culminates in a special offering or pledge can be very helpful. When people truly grasp the urgency and impact of this revival, they will rally behind it.

• This isn’t about a distant foreign mission field or a future, undefined cause—this is about their city, their friends, their coworkers, their classmates—right here, right now.
• They believe that God is ready to move, they will sow in faith for breakthrough.

People need ongoing reminders. This is not just another event quietly sitting on the annual calendar—it must be a season of church-wide focus.

• Every service should reinforce the revival’s significance, using promotional videos, some event t-shirts on the platform, and announcements.
• Regular prayer meetings and outreaches add momentum and buy-in.
• Leadership must reiterate the vision consistently—not just the week before the event, but for months in advance.

For this revival to have maximum impact, it cannot be entirely delegated away from the pastoral leadership team.

• The senior pastor and executive leadership must be fully engaged. They should not be on vacation, preaching elsewhere, or preoccupied with other matters.
• Pastoral leadership should be present at pre-event prayer meetings and outreaches.
• The church should hear revival-focused preaching leading up to the event, with messages on:
  • Evangelism & Soul-Winning
  • Altar Working
  • Bible Studies & Discipleship
  • Relationship Building & Retention
  • Greater Hunger for God
  • Faith for Breakthrough
• Every sermon and leadership action leading up to the revival should be intentional, stirring faith, instilling training, and elevating expectation.

Everyone should have a role in this revival. A new convert may not be ready to sing on the platform, but they can serve in outreach, parking, or setup.

• Encourage total church involvement—every member should feel personally invested in this revival.
• Invite people to contribute new, creative ideas for promotion and outreach. Fresh perspectives can lead to powerful, innovative ways to reach the city.