Core values are more than statements on a page. They are governing convictions that shape what we choose and what we build. They also shape how we build it and what we pursue. Over time, they help determine the kind of people and communities we become.

Disciple making is not only about choosing the right destination. It is also about building pathways consistent with the kind of formation we hope to see. Without clear values, ministries can drift toward what is easiest or most familiar. They can also begin measuring success by what is most visibly impressive.

A compelling vision tells us where we are going; core values help ensure that the way we build actually leads there.

Our destination is the new humanity God is forming in Christ (Ephesians 2:15; 4:22–24). We want whole people whose beliefs and loves increasingly come under the loving reign of Jesus. Their motives and actions are also being transformed, while their relationships increasingly reflect His way.

Jesus is not merely the subject of this pathway or the example at its end. He is its living center, King, and Teacher. Discipleship is the lifelong journey of learning from Him, trusting Him, and increasingly aligning our lives with reality as He reveals it.

The larger movement, which we call Practicing the Way, is: Be with Jesus → Become like Jesus → Live as Jesus lived

As He forms us, truth increasingly reaches the whole person (Holistic Discipleship): Renewed mind → Reordered loves → Purified motives → Faithful action

A Christ-centered disciple-making pathway should therefore do more than transfer information or move people through programs. It should help people increasingly see and think like Jesus, become like Jesus, and live as Jesus lived. From there, they participate with Him in His mission.

We cannot manufacture this transformation through a system. The Holy Spirit transforms us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), while we actively participate through responsive trust and obedience. Even our participation depends upon God at work within us (Philippians 2:12–13).

These core values are therefore not merely principles to understand. They are lenses through which disciples and leaders can repeatedly examine, realign, and deepen the way they follow Jesus.

FOUNDATION → FORMED

The FOUNDATION core value establishes what everything is built upon. From that foundation, the other six core values describe an enriching and ever-deepening pathway of formation:  Discovery → Depth → Integration → Embodiment → Reproducibility → Multiplication

A simple mnemonic helps us remember these six: FORMED: Find → Own → Relate → Model → Equip → Disciple

The Progression Matters

We first make sure we are building on Jesus and His way (FOUNDATION). From there, we discover truth (DISCOVERY) and go deeply enough for it to shape us (DEPTH). We connect what we are learning to the larger reality of life with Jesus (Integration) and increasingly embody it (EMBODIMENT). Then we learn to carry that life elsewhere (REPRODUCIBILITY) and help others enter it too (MULTIPLICATION). 

• For disciples of Jesus, this means embracing the whole journey rather than stopping at knowledge. We keep moving toward deeper trust and increasingly embodied life. As we mature, our formation begins to overflow into the formation of others.

• For leaders, this means being continually examining what we are building and the foundation beneath it. We intentionally create pathways that help people learn from Jesus and respond to Him rather than assuming formation or multiplication will happen on their own. 

This is not a ladder we complete once. We continually return to Jesus at greater depth. New discovery leads to deeper understanding, and deeper understanding calls for further realignment. We never exhaust the inexhaustible Christ.

The goal is not merely informed disciples. It is formed disciples who help form other disciples—disciples who make disciples.

1. FOUNDATION — Build on the Rock: We Build from Jesus and His Way

Foundation is the commitment to build disciple making from the ground up on Jesus Christ Himself—His teaching, His way of life, and His disciple-forming practices. Before asking whether something works, we ask whether it is truly grounded in Jesus and capable of forming people who increasingly live under His loving reign.

Scripture gives us a fuller picture of wise building. Matthew 7 emphasizes building on the right foundation by hearing and practicing the words of Jesus. Luke 14 emphasizes the wisdom of considering the undertaking before we build. And 1 Corinthians 3 identifies Jesus Christ Himself as the foundation (Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 14:27–33; 1 Corinthians 3:11). Together, they call us to build thoughtfully, faithfully, and from Jesus Himself.

One of the deepest weaknesses in disciple making is our tendency to keep building on what we inherited without examining what lies underneath it. Over time, assumptions and practices can accumulate until we begin building primarily upon those layers rather than consciously building from Jesus Himself. We may become effective at maintaining a system without asking, Is this really the kind of disciple making Jesus envisioned and practiced?

• For disciples of Jesus, this means continually examining whether our lives are actually being built upon Jesus rather than inherited assumptions or cultural patterns.

  • Formation question: Am I increasingly building my life upon Jesus, His words, and His way? What may need to be examined or rebuilt?

• For leaders, this means examining inherited approaches before simply building upon them. Foundation as a core value requires periodically working our way back through the layers that have accumulated and asking whether each one is still faithful to the Rock beneath it. We are not automatically tearing down everything inherited; we are testing every layer by the foundation. Some layers should remain. Others may need to be revised or removed. We then watch the fruit patiently over time.

  • Design question: What is this built upon, how is it functioning, and what kind of fruit is it actually producing over time?

1. DISCOVERY — Find:  I Understand This for Myself

Discovery forms disciples who increasingly learn to see, think, and discern like Jesus rather than remaining dependent upon someone else to tell them what to think. Truth becomes something they actively engage as they learn to perceive reality through the lens of Jesus.

Jesus did not merely distribute answers. He repeatedly asked questions that awakened thought, exposed assumptions, and invited people to see differently. Disciple making should likewise help people engage Scripture, seek understanding, and learn to discern faithfully.

Discovery does not diminish teachers or biblical authority. Nor does it mean inventing our own truth. Good teachers equip people to engage what God has revealed—grounded in Scripture and reliant upon the Holy Spirit. Jesus remains the living Teacher, not merely the subject being studied.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means becoming active seekers who learn to observe carefully, ask wisely, and listen prayerfully.

  • Formation question: What is Jesus helping me see here, and am I learning to discern His truth rather than merely receiving someone else’s conclusions?

• For leaders, this means resisting the temptation to supply every answer and creating environments where people learn to discover truth with Jesus.

  • Design question: How will people discover and understand this for themselves so they increasingly learn to think and discern like Jesus?

2. DEPTH — Own: I Understand It Deeply Enoungh to Live It

Depth is the commitment to lead people beyond first exposure into increasingly mature understanding and lived response. It asks whether truth is reaching deeply enough to reshape how people trust Jesus and live under His leadership.

Many disciple-making pathways repeatedly return people to the same introductory level. Yet a compelling vision of Christlike maturity continually reveals deeper horizons. Prayer can deepen. Scripture engagement can deepen. Relationships and mission can deepen as well.

Depth therefore means more than offering advanced content. Every ministry and spiritual practice should open pathways into deeper life with Jesus. Greater depth should lead toward deeper trust and surrender, not simply more information.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means refusing to settle for familiarity and continually allowing Jesus to lead us into deeper trust and maturity.

  • Formation question: Where is Jesus inviting me to go deeper rather than remain where I am?

• For leaders, this means refusing to let ministries remain indefinitely at the same level. We intentionally develop pathways that keep opening deeper horizons of life with Jesus.

  • Design question: What does deeper growth with Jesus look like here, and how will we intentionally help people move toward it?

3. INTEGRATION — Relate: I See How This Fits

Integration connects individual truths and practices to the larger whole-person vision of life under the loving reign of Jesus. It also connects our relationships and lived experiences to that same vision. The goal is not merely to see the pieces, but to understand how they belong together around Christ as the governing center.

Christian formation easily becomes fragmented. Scripture can become disconnected from prayer. Church life can become separated from ordinary life. Personal formation can also become disconnected from mission.

Integration brings the parts back into relationship with the whole. Each part informs and strengthens the others while contributing to the person Christ is forming. A renewed mind begins to reshape our loves. Reordered loves reshape our motives, and increasingly faithful action follows.

The values themselves should also work this way. Discovery leads deeper. Depth moves toward integration and embodiment. What becomes embodied can then be carried and eventually shared.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means learning to see how the different areas of our lives belong together within one apprenticeship to Jesus.

  • Formation question: How does what Jesus is showing me here connect with the rest of my life under His reign?

• For leaders, this means looking beyond an individual ministry or program and connecting it to the compelling vision of the whole person Christ is forming.

  • Design question: How does this connect to the larger reality of following Jesus and to the new humanity He is forming?

4. EMBODIMENT — Model: This Is Increasingly Becoming How I Live

Embodiment is the commitment to practice the truth and way of Jesus deeply and faithfully over time until, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, it increasingly becomes part of how we think and love. It increasingly shapes how we relate and live as well. Discipleship is not complete when we understand what Jesus teaches. His truth is meant to take root deeply enough that His way increasingly becomes our way.

James warns against hearing the Word without putting it into practice (James 1:22). Embodiment takes that warning seriously: truth is meant to become lived faithfulness.

One of the missing commodities in Christian life and mission is people who are increasingly embodying the life Jesus actually calls us into. This does not mean people who preach ideals they themselves refuse to practice. It means people whose lives are increasingly becoming consistent with what they proclaim. When the way of Jesus remains mostly proclaimed rather than embodied, people can understandably wonder whether it can actually be lived—and whether it is worth the sacrifice.

Embodiment therefore requires more than occasional application. We repeatedly practice responsive obedience to Jesus while relying upon the Holy Spirit to transform us. We notice where our lives remain out of alignment and return again to Jesus. Over time, His way becomes increasingly woven into our instincts and relationships.

We do not wait for perfection before participating, but neither do we rush to reproduce in others what we ourselves refuse to enter.

Practice is the pathway; the Spirit brings transformation; Christlikeness is the aim.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means repeatedly submitting ourselves to the practices and relationships through which the Spirit forms the life of Jesus within us.

  • Formation question: Where is what I am learning becoming visible in my life, and where is Jesus inviting me to realign?

• For leaders, this means entering the same formation we ask of others. We create environments where people can practice and obey while making room for honest reflection and correction.

  • Design question: How will this pathway help people increasingly embody what they are learning from Jesus in their actual lives and relationships?

5. REPRODUCIBILITY — Equip: I Can Live and Carry This Elsewhere

Reproducibility equips ordinary disciples to understand and practice what they are learning beyond a particular leader or ministry environment. What we do together should prepare people to carry a lived apprenticeship to Jesus wherever He sends them.

Disciple making easily becomes dependent upon gifted personalities or specialized environments. It can also become tied to systems that ordinary believers cannot carry with them. Reproducibility does not mean making discipleship shallow. It means designing for simplicity and transferability while keeping people actively involved.

Embodiment provides an essential safeguard. We are not merely teaching people to repeat information or reproduce a technique. We want them to carry a way of life with Jesus that they themselves are increasingly learning to live.

Reproducibility also equips people to keep learning. We do not merely hand them a method. We help them keep returning to Jesus, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit as new situations arise.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means  learning ways of following Jesus deeply enough that we can continue practicing them in other settings while still learning from Him.

  • Formation question: Can I continue learning and faithfully living this way with Jesus beyond the environment where I first learned it?

• For leaders, this means designing with ordinary disciples in mind. We simplify without becoming shallow and intentionally reduce unnecessary dependence upon us.

  • Design question: Can ordinary disciples understand, practice, and carry this life with Jesus into other relationships and settings?

6. MULTIPLICATION — Disciple: I Can Help Others Learn and Live This Too

Multiplication intentionally builds toward disciples who increasingly become capable of helping form other disciples of Jesus. It clarifies how we want disciple making to grow and therefore shapes what we build from the beginning.

Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples and teach them to obey what He commanded (Matthew 28:19–20). Paul later described a similar multiplying pattern: what Timothy had received was to be entrusted to faithful people who could teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Churches can become very effective at gathering and serving people without developing disciples who can help someone else follow Jesus. Addition brings more people into what already exists. Multiplication forms people who can carry the life and way of Jesus into new relationships. If multiplication is truly a core value, it must govern our decisions rather than simply appear as an aspiration at the end.

But multiplication must not outrun maturity. Healthy multiplication grows from embodied formation and continuing dependence upon Jesus. As God deepens our character and enlarges our love, our capacity to faithfully carry responsibility for others grows. We seek to multiply not merely what we know, but the life with Jesus we ourselves are increasingly learning to live.

Multiplication does not produce copies of us. We help others learn to walk with Jesus for themselves. They too become apprentices who keep discovering and realigning. In time, they learn to help others do the same.

• For disciples of Jesus, this means allowing our life with Christ to increasingly overflow into helping someone else learn to follow Him.

  • Formation question: Am I increasingly becoming the kind of disciple who can help another person learn from and faithfully walk with Jesus?

• For leaders, this means building toward more than attendance or participation. We progressively entrust people with responsibility while allowing multiplication to grow at the pace of maturity.

  • Design question: How will people become increasingly capable of helping others enter this life with Jesus and eventually help others do the same?

The Seven Values Working Together

These are not seven disconnected ministry preferences. Together they help keep Jesus at the governing center of the disciple-making culture we are choosing to build. Foundation, the anchoring value, keeps everything else rooted in Jesus and attentive to the fruit His way produces. 

The remaining six describe the formative movement:

Discovery → Depth → Integration → Embodiment → Reproducibility → Multiplication

Those 6 Core Values are remembered through the nemonic FORMED: Find → Own → Relate → Model → Equip → Disciple

Each of the seven core values makes a distinctive contribution:

1. ⚓: Foundation gives us the ground on which to build.

2. Find: Discovery gives ownership.

3. Own: Depth gives maturity.

4. Relate: Integration gives coherence.

5. Model Embodiment gives integrity.

6. Equip: Reproducibility gives portability.

7. Disciple: Multiplication gives that formed life away.

Then the journey continues at greater depth.

The relationship between them matters. Foundation looks to Jesus as our source and toward the Christlike fruit He intends to produce. The FORMED pathway describes how we intentionally participate with Him in that formation.

The pathway does not end after one movement through it. New discovery opens new depths. Deeper understanding exposes areas needing integration and embodiment. What we learn to live can then be carried and shared. Helping others often sends us back to Jesus with fresh questions of our own.

We never graduate from apprenticeship. We keep learning from the inexhaustible Christ.

These values matter because what we repeatedly prioritize eventually shapes what we become. If they genuinely become core values, they will influence the ministries we build and the leaders we develop. They will also shape our decisions when competing priorities arise.

• For disciples, they provide a way of asking: What is Jesus showing me, and how is He inviting me to respond and grow?

• For leaders, they provide a way of asking: Does what we are building help people keep discovering, realigning, and walking with Jesus for themselves?

Through it all, Jesus remains the center. He is not merely the destination of formation but the living King with whom disciples walk throughout the journey. We are not trying to manufacture mature Christians through a system. The Holy Spirit transforms people into the likeness of Christ.

Our participation matters, but it remains responsive to grace. We surrender ourselves to Jesus and create relational pathways where others can learn to follow Him. As disciples mature, they increasingly help others enter that same life.

The goal is not merely informed disciples. It is formed disciples who help form other disciples — disciples who make disciples.