Gear Up!

Book excerpt: 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