Gear Up!: Nine Essential Processes for the Optimized Church

In Gear Up!, Kay Kotan outlines nine areas of ministry where
congregations must intentionally design a process. It is not enough to
decide, “We are going to refocus in this direction.” Leaders must decide
how and what steps they will take. Who will do what, and when? This
concise and exceedingly practical new book can help.

“Kay Kotan
has long enjoyed a well-deserved reputation among both laity and clergy
as a passionate, positive change agent. In her new book, readers will
find a rich synthesis of her time-tested insights and hands-on work with
local churches of all sizes and circumstances. If your church has
slipped into reverse or is stuck in neutral, Gear Up! can help get it
driving forward!” —Jim Ozier, Director of New Church Development, North
Texas Conference, UMC; author of Clip In and The Changeover Zone from
Abingdon Press

“Gear Up! is packed with practical information and
checklists designed to empower leaders and teams. This book should be
handed to every church leader and board member so that they will
understand the essential hows and whys of effective ministry in today’s
complex world.” —Blake Bradford, Assistant Director for Clergy
Development, Center for Vitality, Arkansas Conference, UMC

“This
is a tactical, practical, nitty-gritty, boots-on-the-ground,
systems-oriented book. It gives you a series of diagnostics to run on
your church so that you can get on the road to faithful discipling.”
—Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Bishop, Louisiana Conference, UMC

“Healthy
systems lead to healthy churches. Gear Up! is a systems manual to help
our churches be healthy so that we can fulfill our mission of making
disciples who transform their community and the world.” —Kelly P. Brown,
Director for Congregational Vitality, East Ohio Conference, UMC

“Kay
Kotan understands that sustained growth depends on healthy systems.
Gear Up! provides helpful insights and checklists to diagnose the state
of your systems so that your church can ‘gear up’ for the long run.”
—Phil Schroeder, Director of Congregational Development, North Georgia
Conference, UMC

Kay Kotan is a credentialed coach, church consultant, speaker and author. She serves as the Director of the Center for Equipping Vital Congregations for the Susquehanna Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Bob Farr is director of congregational excellence in the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church. Frequent speaker and seminar leader, he is also the author of Get Their Name and Renovate or Die: 10 Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, both co-authored with Kay Kotan, published by Abingdon Press.