Not a Fan: A Followers Story

Not A Fan: A Follower's Story

Jesus asks for followers, not fans. For people who will follow him when life gets tough, not just cheer for him when life is easy. From City On A Hill Productions and Kyle Idleman comes a full film, adapted from the original six episode series, Not A Fan: A Follower's Story.

Eric Nelson is a man with a compartmentalized life. He is a corporate executive with the reputation of being cutthroat Monday through Friday, a pleasure seeking rebel on Saturday, and a good Christian on Sunday. When a near death experience causes him to reevaluate his life, Eric starts a journey that changes his faith, family, and future.

Not A Fan: A Follower's Story also features a message by Kyle Idleman, that expands on the message of the film itself.

The Film

For years Eric Nelson has lead a double life-- more like a triple life that is. During the week he is a successful business executive, without thoughts for anything other than success and money. He will trample whoever he needs to achieve his goals, and his reputation as a cutthroat is well founded. On the weekends his life is filled with drinking, and partying. On Sunday he is the pulled together, good Christian who attends church regularly with his family. He has a house, money, cars, and a nice family. What more could the man from Not A Fan: A Follower's Story ask for? Suddenly, one day all that changes. Faced with a near death experience Eric suddenly realizes that his life does not reflect the faith he claims as his own. Shaken, he decides to start living for God rather than himself. As he strives to live the life God has called him to live he is faced with opposition from his family, father, and friends, yet he begins to realize the fruit that comes from living as a fan, not a follower. The story of Eric Nelson in Not A Fan: A Follower's Story asks one enormous question-- will you be a fan or a follower?

Kyle Idleman

The man behind the movement and message in Not A Fan: A Follower's Story is a pastor by the name of Kyle Idleman. Kyle studied at Ozark Christian College, then went on to plant a church in Los Angeles. In 2009 he moved across the country to Louisville, Kentucky to pastor the large Southeastern Christian Church. The Not A Fan movement sprung from a sermon Kyle preached one Easter Sunday where he admitted that he could all to often fall back to being a fan rather than a follower of Jesus, and challenged his church with the same idea. Since then, Kyle's message has sparked an entire movement of people who are striving to be followers rather than fans of Jesus Christ. Besides Not A Fan: A Follower's Story, Kyle Idleman has produced other projects with City On A Hill including H2O: A Journey Of Faith, The Easter Experience, and The Christmas Experience. Although a highly respected pastor, Kyle continues to say that he is simply "the branch," and that Jesus is the vine. Apart from him he can do nothing. Kyle lives in Kentucky with his wife and four children.

A Hard Message

The questions presented in the film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story will call for hard answers, and viewers will be compelled to dig deep into their own hearts like Eric Nelson and ask themselves "Am I a fan or a follower of Jesus?" Like Eric, viewers will be forced to consider their own priorities, values, and actions and consider if they line up with Jesus'. The film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story powerfully uses the tool of cinema to not only entertain, but to ask difficult questions. Between the film and Kyle Idleman's message viewers of all ages will be asked to dig into their own lives and ask the same questions as Eric Nelson.

Start Conversations

The film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story is a great tool to start conversations with your family, spouse, or friends. While not a study in itself, Not A Fan: A Follower's Story is more of a starting point to begin asking the question "Am I a fan or a follower?" Whether you have read the book, done the devotional, or the group study, the film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story will ask new questions and highlight new ideas. The film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story encourages viewers to ask hard questions of their motives and life, it challenges them to live as a follower and not a fan, and it inspires them to follow in Jesus' steps, obey his commands with godly motives, and let a love of Jesus fuel every asset of their lives.

Not A Fan: A Follower's Story has not been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America and may include topics and issues not suitable for younger viewers. As always, it is recommended that parents preview all content to determine what is suitable for their children.

If you were moved, encouraged, or inspired by the film Not A Fan: A Follower's Story or simply want to learn more check out these other resources from City On A Hill Productions and Kyle Idlemann: Not A Fan Pastor's Guide designed for Pastors, this six week series will help pastors in creating lessons based off of Not A Fan for their church; the Not A Fan Small Group Study is a six week lesson series that will help spark conversations about the topics discussed in the film and message; Not A Fan Teen Edition adapts the message from Not A Fan for youth through relevant messages and testimonies from other teens.