Gear Up! teaches church leaders to make an impact online & offline
đĽď¸ Learn exactly what to say-- and where to say it-- on your ministry's websiteÂ
đł Craft social media that connectsÂ
đ Move relationships from "online" to "in person"
đ Grow a church that thrives in the digital age
Many church leaders feel confused as to what they need to say online-- on their website and social media--  to connect with people and then lead them through an intentional discipleship / life transformation process.Â
As a result, they either do ânothingâ (and have a web presence that is out-dated), they mimic what theyâve seen someone else do (so there web presence looks nothing like their church, or they share video before theyâre ready, etc.), or they get lost in the weeds of constantly changing their strategyâ and never getting traction.Â
This on-demand course is for you, if...
âŞď¸ You believe the churchâ in all of its expressionsâ is the hope of the world
đĽ You really believe Jesus meant it when He said we would do âgreater worksâ than He did (John 14:12)
đ The Gospel is a timeless message of âgood newsâ that works for anyone, everywhere (Matthew 28:18-20)
⌠you need a way to help people find & fulfill their purpose, you want to clearly communicate that process, and you want to make a bigger impact online and offline.
The first thing to know about technology = It's not about the tech!Â
It might sound counter-intuitive. When most churches decide itâs time to go âonline,â they simply toss up a website. But, the website (and all other online processes) should support the mission youâve been called to. Donât lead with the tech; let the tech enhance AND accelerate everything you do.
1. Learn what to say & how to say it online
State your mission in terms of  life transformation, of how you lead people from where they are to where theyâre designed to be
2. Move relationships from "online" to "in person"
Share your mission and message, offering people clear next steps to connect to (& participate)- use the tech (and non-tech) to communicate it!
3. Grow a great church
--Â one that builds people, unleashes them to fulfill their purpose, and does more as a group that anyone can do alone
When you leverage websites, social media, email, and other forms of technology to enhance the 3-step process above, you keep the mission forefront AND you create a system that touches people at each step they find themselves.Â
If you find yourself frustrated AND simultaneously excited about the possibilities ahead, we understand.Â
Churches are unique.
đĽYou spend a great amount of time planning and meeting... and have to manage your schedule intentionally to actually focus on the things that matter the most. It rarely seems like there's enough time to do it all.
đĽÂ Churches have staff members (employees) AND ALSO rely on the strength of volunteers to move the mission forward... yet, they need a process to help people join that mission and serve.
đĽThe leaders jump into them because of the mission, a call, yet often find themselves BY NECESSITY having to deal with money and SO MANY other things to keep the organization moving forward.
đĽSeminary, though helpful, doesn't teach 75% of the topics you truly need to know in order to manage the day-to-day grind of the beautiful work you do.
Gear Up! is the result of decades of experience in church as well as in the world of online communication.Â
Let me explainâŚÂ
I grew up in an incredible church. Whereas many people talk about âchurch hurtâ and overcoming the wounds of their past experiences, I enjoyed an incredible journey with a dynamic expression of the Body of Christ.Â
My father was the pastor, and I sawâ firsthandâ what a church can be, whenâÂ
đ The lead staff facilitates equipping members of the church to do the work of ministry and they truly empower everyone to serve from their gifts.
đ The church rallies together as a family, as a cohesively connected group of people who realize their âbetter togetherâ than they are on their own.
đ No one cares who gets the credit. They all see what they do as a unique part of what God is doing through the entire group.
After my first year of seminary I was required to complete an internshipâ and do practical âhands-onâ ministry somewhere with a supervising leader who agreed to report regularly to my professor of record.
At the time, my father was leading the Office of Leadership & Church Growth with his denomination and needed help teaching conferencesâ about the processes he implemented at the church I just referenced.
That summer, I traveled thousands of miles criss-crossing our state, I spoke 100+ times, and I saw ALL kinds of churches. Many of them defied the stereotypesâ
â We saw thriving traditional churches in the middle of the countryâ with larger attendance numbers than the population of the nearby city.
â We visited churches where leaders had left BIGGER places to go somewhere unique and make a specific impactâ and were excited about the opportunities.
â We stumbled upon churches where the members truly lived their unique callingâ and, regardless of whether they were in full time âministryâ or full time âmarketplaceâ all forged together to make a massive impact on the area around them.
Entering seminary I planned to teach religion at a college. But, that internship marked me.
I fell in love with what the church COULD BEâ in all of her various forms.
I redirected my life path and began serving in the church:
đ I worked as a youth minister and a single adult pastor.
đ I helped launch a new church in the inner city.
đ I became a teaching pastor and taught the Bible each week to a group that met in a renovated warehouse.
In the beautiful grind of it all, I began identifying the unique processes that enable church leaders to take the most important message and share it in ways that not only make sense on Sunday but ALSOâ more importantlyâ facilitate life change and create transformation the other 6 days of the week.
It took me fifteen-plus years of full time work in the ministry PLUS ten additional years in the publishing and communication world to develop the  processes we teach today.
Even though you MUST communicate in the world of websites & social media you need to MAINTAIN focus on your mission and keep declaring the message God places on your heart. And you don't need to invest that much time to do it.
Â
I can help you with the systems needed to make a bigger impact online-- and off-line-- in a world that demands we be "hi-tech" (yet desperately needs us to be "high-touch," as well).
Thatâs why I created Gear Up, an on-demand course that empowers you to leverage technology to clarify your mission, communicate a plan to develop fully-devoted disciples, and create movement that makes an everlasting impact.
Your "online" task: build your home base (website), consistently share relevant & original content online, connect with others online and off-line, and make a bigger impact for eternity.
Gear Up! is the step-by-step blueprint that shows you how.
What You'll Learn
7 modules outline what to say online, what to do in-person, and how to build a church that thrives in the new digital world.Â
Start here -->> Clarify what we're really trying to do.
In a hi-tech & high-touch world, it all fits together.
In the introduction we overview the 5 gears. Youâll learn what they are, as well why you need to address EACH of them to truly grow.
In this first module we outline the following:Â
âď¸ What each gear is-- and why they all matter
đ The relationship the gears have to another one
𪣠Why the LOWEST oneâ like a hole in a bucketâ is the place the âwater is leavingâ and âpeople are exitingâ and how you can raise the water level by focusing there
Even though we teach information, our goal is life transformation...
We want to make sure that everything we do...
âď¸ What we teach
đ ď¸ The work we doÂ
đ How we structure
... all facilitate helping people move along a clear path from where they are to where God has designed (and destined!) them to be!
Gear 1 is your PATH, the discipleship framework you teach, the common thread uniting every program your church.
Youâll uncover the importance of articulating what a âfull developed discipleâ looks like IN YOUR unique context, as well as why you need to create a step-by-step roadmap that leads people ALL THE WAY fromâÂ
đ Community in which you live = youâve made physical contact with the people around you
đ Connected to your church = they are in relationship with youÂ
âŞď¸ Congregation = they see you as their âchurch homeâÂ
đ Committed = they actively serve and give in tangible waysÂ
đŻ Core = they are using their gifts and getting sent back on mission
In this module youâll learn hacks such asâÂ
â 7 mistakes churches regularly make on their websites
â 7 easy-to-do remedies to âget it rightâ
đł 5 reasons NOT to build your âhome baseâ on social media (including YouTube)Â
đ 5 ways to do social media well (with WAY less time and stress than youâre probably already expending)Â
Gear 2 is PEOPLE. In a church this includes both path staff AND the massive army of volunteers who keep the ministry moving forward.
In Gear 2 (People), we talk about the importance ofâÂ
đ Creating job descriptions for every role in your churchÂ
đ What needs to be in those descriptionsÂ
đ How to craft them in such a way that it captures the âserve, care, and winâ of everything you do in your church
đ¤˛Â âĽď¸đ
Note: you wonât be left alone at this step. Weâll provide you with all the templates and worksheets you needâ just fill-in-the-blanks or adapt the samples as your own.Â
People want to serve.Â
But, they ALSO want to knowÂ
Gear 3 is the PROCESSES you implement.
Systems are simply bridges that automatically move things from where they are to where you want them to be.
A lot of âpeople tensionsâ are actually âsystems issuesâ in disguise. That is, many times people donât know what to do, how to do it, when to do it, why to do it, etcâŚ
⌠all things that are contained in systems and processes.
Church leaders IN PARTICULAR often schedule their calendar BACKWARDS.
Hereâs what I meanâŚ
First, they donât distinguish between PROJECTS (one-off events) and PROCESSES (things that occur and re-occur regularly). Understanding the differenceâ and LABELLING itâ matters a lot, becauseâŚ
Second, you need to schedule PROCESSES (recurring events) firstâ and not PROJECTS (special events, etc.).
Gear 4 is the PLACE you serve.Â
One of the most over-looked factors (and our 4th gear) is PLACE, that is, culture.Â
Culture transforms everythingâ for good or bad.
And, culture happens by design or default. That is, you either create the culture (read: environment, mood, brand) you want OR it happens automatically WITHOUT your direct input.Â
In this module Iâll highlight what needs to be on the ABOUT US page of your website, as well asâÂ
â how churches often get it wrong
â how what we say often drives people AWAY rather than pulls them in closer
AND
â what to say instead, which is actually EASIER TO DO
Gear 5 is the PURSE.Â
I honestly donât know of any pastorâ or church leaderâ who went into the ministry for the money.Â
I DO know, however, that MONEY eventually consumes MANY of themâŚ
đ Youâve got to make budget
đ Youâve got needs in certain departments of the church that are growing (and need MORE resources), even though they donât generate as much revenue as other areas that you seem to neglectâ because you need more timeâŚ
đ You have budget meetings (and feel âin over your head,â because they never taught you ANY of this stuff in seminary or Bible college)Â
đ You need more space, but you donât know anything about renovating, bank statements, P&Ls, etcâŚÂ
Hereâs what youâll learn in this moduleâŚ
đ°A lot of churches do the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they need to do in this area (weâll show you what to do instead)Â
đ°Thereâs far more to money than just âgivingâ (weâll outline this, too)
đ°Ultimately, teaching the âfull counselâ of Scripture about cash loops back to your discipleship framework (âthe PATH,â Gear 1)
Plus, weâll outline a few practical steps you can take TODAY to begin tackling this issue. (Or, if youâve got it handled, weâll help you âlevel up.â)
In the final module of the course, we bring everything togetherâŚ
In module 7, the outro, I talk about the importance of building your home base on YOUR WEBSITE (not social media), and I outline exactlyâ step-by-stepâ what I would do if I was starting from scratch.Â
I also provide you some ânext levelâ hacks for your podcast, talk about whether or not you should do a live stream (most churches should NOT), and remind you to let the MESSAGE leadâ not the technological microphone you chooseâŚ
đ§ the importance of your discipleship PATH
đ why you need to create job descriptions for all of the PEOPLEâ paid and unpaidâ you work with
âď¸ the role PROCESSES play in your organization
đ the necessity of crafting your culture, that is, the tone of your PLACE, by design instead of default
đ°why you need to handle the money, the PURSE, so you can focus on the mission (and practical steps you can take to do it)
Youâll resonate with the core concepts taught throughout the 7 modules AND, more importantly, youâll know decisively how to implement the strategies taught.Â
Youâll knowâÂ
đą Why building your digital home on social media isnât the best optionâ but how to leverage social media to grow your online audienceÂ
đĽď¸ 7 common website errors almost EVERY church makes, as well as how to remedy them quicklyâ so more people show up each week
đď¸ How to transform your weekly talk into MONTHS of online content that works on every platform and drives people to show up IN PERSON
đĽA different perspective on the people God sends your way (hint: sometimes, itâs not so they can join OUR missionâ itâs so we can GROW and EXPAND by empowering theirs!)
đŹ How to communicate digitally in such a way that people ANTICIPATE and LOOK FORWARD to hearing from you
đ§ Why you need to ALWAYS have a ânext best stepâ for people, as well as what it needs to be from each step they moveâ all the way from your đ community, to đ connected with your church, to âŞď¸ becoming part of your congregation, to đ being committed, to đŻ joining the core
đ How to grow your online audience in just a few minutes each weekâ with a simple ârinse & repeatâ process
đŞ Where the front door of your church ACTUALLY is (itâs not the small group and itâs not the worship serviceâ not anymore)
đĽ How to navigate issues like live-streaming your worship service (and if you even shouldâ tip: most churches SHOULD NOT), as well as hacks to make âgoing liveâ (not live-streaming) super-simple and pleasantly practicalÂ
đ° Seven ways you can ALMOST INSTANTLY raise your revenueÂ
đŁ How and where to communicate with each generation without worrying about the online algorithms, stressing over which social media platform to use, or wondering if they received your message or not
What You Get
The videos
7 modules you can watch + rewatch as often as youâd like, helping you practically apply what youâre learning.Â
(We broke 4 hours of total content down into 34 short modules so you can focus on the parts that matter the most to you.)
Slides & graphics
Access all the slides in PDF, so you can easily review the parts of the training most relevant to you.
Since they're illustrated, you-- and your team-- will find it easy to follow the "game plan" outlined throughout the training.Â
Templates & worksheets
âFill-in-the-blanksâ to implement the principles you learn to your specific environment⌠whether youâre building a website-from-scratch, creating a job description, of figuring out how to create a social media content calendarâŚ
Website wireframe + customizable website template
The complete mockup for the website you need in to boost your online AND offline presence.Â
This will be your template as you implement the principles outlined in the training.Â
And, if you choose to use our recommended software, you can "plug and play" our template. Simply choose your preferred fonts, colors, and shapes, and you'll have a customized site ready to go!
When I was growing up, Sunday School was the âfront doorâ of the church.
Most people visited those small group Bible studies that met on campus at the church building before they EVER attended a worship service. Some people even attended Sunday School and SKIPPED worship.Â
Â
At some point, things shifted⌠and "worship" became the entry point.
People began starting showing up for the worship service BEFORE stepping into a smaller group. (Church leaders began debating music styles around this time, as well, and we started calling those Bible studies âsmall groups.â We also hosted many of them away from the church campusâ in homes, at restaurants, and even at offices.)
Â
Today, the âfront doorâ has changed yet again.Â
The front door is no longer the small group or the worship service, itâs the online space.Â
99% of the time, people will visit your website BEFORE they even CONSIDER showing up in person.Â
(The fact youâre reading this on a website right now attests to the new world in which we liveâ even though weâve never met in person, weâre exchanging ideas and info even now!)
Â
Youâve got to compete with bouncing eyeballs, a bunch of in-person distractions (most people visit your site from a smartphoneâ while double-tasking something else), and everyoneâs schedule.Â
And, you still need to lead a staffâŚ
⌠you still need a track for committed volunteers to run onâŚ
Â
Let me ask you this:Â
In ANY of the previous eras, would you have just tossed the newest visitor into just ANY random Bible study or Sunday school class?Â
Or, would you have just tossed ANY supposed singer or musician on your stage?Â
No...
During each season, you would lead with intentionalityâŚÂ
⌠with some planning, by executing a proven process, and with LOTS of prayer.Â
Â
The same steps are necessary today.Â
Make a PLAN.Â
Implement PROCESS.
And PRAY.
But...
... whatever you do, DO NOT just âgo randomâ when you build the new front door to your church in the online digital space.Â
Envision What Will Happen!
âď¸ You align your staff & volunteer team around a consistent strategyâ not only to communicate in the online space BUT ALSO to shepherd them forward through a discipleship framework!
âď¸ You have better communication channels LIVE and ACTIVE in your churchâ such that everyone knows whatâs happening, when it occurs, and why it matters in relationship to the mission God has called your unique expression of the body of Christ to!
âď¸You implement âeasy processesâ that make it a no-brainer for people in your community to not only connect with your church online BUT ALSO come in closer for another look and show up in person!
âď¸ You work from âdone-for-youâ templates that you can edit⌠thereby removing the guesswork of what to do nextâ and, as a result, youâre able to spend more of your time reaching the next person rather than figuring out how to run a technological process!
Gear Up! Bonuses
1:1 sessionÂ
Weâll meet with you 1:1 to help you troubleshoot whatâs happening now, paint the bigger picture of what COULD happen, or even implement a strategy to move forward.Â
Upon registration, youâll receive instant access to Andyâs calendar, as well as text / mobile phone access.
Get all of your questions answered in the same dayâ so you can continue moving people forward from where they are to where theyâre designed to be AND make an everlasting impact.Â
Supplemental videosÂ
Youâll receive access to 20+ bonus videos that take a deeper dive on every concept you learn throughout Gear Upâ including how to grow your online audience, what to do to leverage your weekly sermon to reach MORE people on social media, and even how to leverage your podcast.Â
We donât intend for YOU to watch them all (though you certainly can)â theyâre here whenever you have a team member that needs to take a deeper dive on ANY of the subjects referenced throughout the core training. Â
More Vision for the Potential!
Consider what happens when...
đ You reach âjust one moreâ person⌠and they begin investing financially into your church (average income of $40,000 = $4,000 donated to your ministry). What if you reach 2? Or 5? or 10?Â
đ You align your staff + deacons + elders around common language AND STOP the sideways energy. Envision what might happen when everyone spends 90% of their time on the things that move the need (youâre already paying some of them, whether they focus on the right things or not)!
âĄď¸ Volunteers have an easy on-ramp to access. And, they can actually âdo the workâ of ministry rather than just wondering about it. At most churches 20% of the people do 80% of the work. What if you get 10% more serving? Or 25% more? Or even 50%?!
đ You grow your online audience. Half of the people connected to your church miss your sermon on any given Sunday anyway. What if they ALL could access itâ even afterwardsâ by implementing the simple process we teach in this course? And what if you leveraged those same systems to introduce people you donât even know, people who havenât yet heard about your church, to your content? What will it be like when they begin recognizing you from Instagram reels, YouTube âshorts,â and other repurposed content from your Sunday sermons?
đ The script actually flips, and you not only shepherd people show show up to your facility (which you certainly begin doing at a greater levelâ more people with ALSO a higher level of leadership), but you reach 10x or 50x more people outside of your church than people inside? And what will it be like when they begin following the SAME discipleship path you articulate and ALSO live out their purpose wherever they are?Â
In Gear Up! youâll learn the processes we refined over the course of TEN years, ways of communicating that work in any profession but were created to teach life transformation. Â
But you wonât have to invest a decade (or even a year) of your time to do it.Â
Nor will you have to hire someone to explain it to you.Â
Weâll break it down, step-by-step.Â
đ§
Â
Last year, we consulted for a ministry in our hometown.Â
I was floored when I walked into the office and noticed THREE employees had been working ALL MORNING (for 3+ hours) on ONE social media post. That single post alone cost them $300+ in salaried time.
đł
Â
Another church who hired us to review their website was flabbergasted when we pointed out they readily shared where the pastor met his wife (and the school he attended, the names of his children, and his favorite TV show) but they FAILED to communicate the ADDRESS WHERE THEY MEET EACH WEEK!
âHow many people have looked for us online and then just given up?â One of the elders finally replied (after pushing back AGAINST our assertion, we told them to simply look at their site and provide us a screenshot of the address).
đ
Register & receive instant access to the following:
âď¸ All seven modules, including the intro + the 5 gears + the outroÂ
đĽď¸ Access via video training
đ Stream AND download from all of your devicesâ your computer, tablet, phone, and smart TVâ with out limits
đ Worksheets, templates, and slides you can download as often as youâd likeÂ
đĽ Both bonuses!
Before you register, let me remind youâŚ
This will handle the tech in super-practical ways, but everything youâre about to learn is NOT about the tech. Rather, itâs about the MISSION.
đ
Â
An analogyâŚ
When you stand to preach, the microphone mattersâ but not as much as the words you say. In fact, the microphone exists ONLY TO make sure everyone hears your message.Â
Apart from the message (and an audience to receive it), the microphone is irrelevant.Â
đł
Â
Websites, social media, emails⌠and even text-bots work the same way. They serve a SECONDARY purpose.Â
For sure, they matter.Â
But the missionâ and your messageâ matter more.Â
đď¸
Â
So, everything in Gear Up is focused on communicating your core messageâ your discipleship pathwayâ and leading people to closer connection with the church and Christ.Â
đŻ
Register Here
Gear Up! on-demand course
đĽď¸ Learn exactly what to say-- and where to say it-- on your ministry's websiteÂ
đł Craft social media that connectsÂ
đ Move relationships from "online" to "in person"
đ Grow a church that thrives in the digital age