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
Author
Kay Kotan is the founder of You Unlimited (coaching, consulting and training company) and Impressions Unlimited (mystery worshiper company). She is also the creator of The Greatest Expedition – a collaboration of more than twenty thought leaders providing resources and insights for a congregational journey to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) to reach new people in your community. Kay has also launched Multipliers’ Movement – a gathering of kingdom multipliers for sharing, equipping, and encouraging. She is a CoachU and Advanced CoachU Graduate, an accredited coach (PCC: Professional Certified Coach) with the ICF, International Coaching Federation, a Certified Path 1 Coach, and once served on the faculty at Coaching4Clergy. As a passionate lay person, she has a banking background and has been a business owner for more than 25 years. Kotan has served as a church developer for conferences and worked with churches, pastors, conferences, and judicatory leaders across the country for more than a decade. She is most proud to be the wife of Bob for 29 years and the mother of their adult son, Cameron.
