What Is A CORE Team?

A CORE Team is a small, committed group of disciplemakers who live out and model the culture you want to multiply. Without this team, a disciplemaking movement won’t gain depth or momentum. Culture change starts here—with people, not programs.

Four Marks Of A Healthy CORE Team

1. Common Vision - They are united around a clear, biblical understanding of what disciplemaking is—and why it matters.

2. Ownership - Each person owns the mission personally and intentionally lives it out.

3. Relational Resilience - They stay rooted in Christ and in one another, even through tension, hardship, or setbacks.

4. Endurance - They’re committed for the long haul—faithful even when it’s slow, hard, or unclear.

Why The CORE Team Matters

Disciplemaking culture doesn’t grow from a pulpit alone—it grows through people who live it.

The CORE Team:

• Models a life of disciplemaking others can see and follow

• Creates momentum by sparking interest and engagement

• Multiplies by raising up disciplemakers—not just disciples

“People don’t reproduce what you teach. They reproduce what you model.”

The Two Core Goals Of A CORE Team

1. Become a Team

• Build trust, unity, and shared rhythms

• Commit to one another—not just outcomes

• Learn to speak truth in love and grow together
  
  

2. Become Disciplemakers

• Each person actively makes disciples who make disciples

• Model the lifestyle you want others to imitate

• The goal is not the team itself—it’s culture change that glorifies God
  
  

What Fuels The CORE Team? Three Holy Motivations

1. Christlikeness – “I make disciples because Jesus did, and I want to be like Him.”
   Disciplemaking is part of becoming like Christ—it's not just something we do, it’s who we become.

2. Kingdom Vision – “I want to see God’s Kingdom expand to those who don’t know Him yet.”
   CORE members labor with eternity in mind, boldly pursuing the lost.

3. Generational Impact – “I want to leave a legacy of faith that lasts beyond me.”
   Disciplemaking is generational. It fulfills God’s promises and bears fruit that outlives us.

How To Build And Lead A CORE Team

1. Start with the Right People

• Pray and invite 3–5 people with hunger for Jesus, a heart for the lost, and a long-term vision

• Share the purpose clearly and call them into the journey

2. Clarify the Vision

• Root the mission in Scripture and the life of Jesus

• Help each member connect the vision to their calling

3. Pray Together

• Meet regularly to pray for each other and for the lost

• Encourage prayer throughout the week—this builds heart connection

4. Invest in Relationships

• Cultivate honesty, encouragement, and accountability

• Share life, not just information—be open about your own journey

5. Train for Multiplication

• Learn and practice simple, reproducible tools for disciplemaking

• Train together—not just talk

• Encourage each member to begin discipling 1–2 others

• Reflect, adjust, and coach one another

6. Go Together

• Plan monthly or bi-monthly outreach as a team

• Brief before and debrief after—celebrate steps of faith and learn from the process

7. Endure Together

• Expect opposition and setbacks

• Stay grounded in God's faithfulness and the bigger vision

• Walk in Galatians 6:9—“Don’t grow weary…you will reap.”
  
  

Questions For Reflection And Action

For those considering joining the CORE Team:

• Do I share the vision for disciplemaking?

• Am I living it out personally?

• Can I commit to this team and this mission long-term?

For leaders:

• Who is God highlighting to invite into this team?

• How am I modeling the life I want others to follow?

• How can I help my team grow in Christlikeness, Kingdom focus, and generational impact?
  
  

The CORE Team's Role In Culture Change

Culture doesn't shift through good ideas—it shifts through living examples. CORE Teams are the living proof that disciplemaking is possible, powerful, and worth following.

“If you want to build a disciplemaking culture, build a CORE before you build a crowd.”

Final Word To CORE Team Leaders

Be patient. Be prayerful. Be persistent.
You're not just forming a team—you're shaping a culture. And that culture, by God’s grace, can change everything.

“The ultimate purpose of the CORE team is to glorify God. But to do so, they must become something first: a team of disciplemakers.” — Justin Gravitt

Final Charge

Your CORE Team is the beginning—not the end. Disciplemaking culture starts small but grows deep and wide through people who live it faithfully. This is how movements begin.

“Culture change starts small—but it starts with you.”