Here are some steps for developing a core group for a new church plant from an existing church or group of churches. 

Definition:  The core group will be that group of people who will either come from the sponsoring church, other mission churches of the sponsoring church, other churches of the same denomination as the sponsor church, or people reached in the process of starting the new church.  Usually the majority of the core will come from the sponsor church and those reached in the process.

Developing a Missional Spirit in the Sponsoring Church

1. Begin developing a vision for church planting by encouraging church members to assist in some limited way with other church plants in your association.

2. Form and develop a church missions team.

3. Encourage the pastor to preach and teach the Biblical basis for church planting, stressing the target area chosen for the new church plant.

4. Begin praying for the target area. Get every age group and organization in the church involved in praying for the target area.

5. As the idea for the new church begins to take root, the pastor must begin to publicly invite people to take up the challenge of becoming a part of the new church plant.

Who Are the People who will be Interested

1. Members of the sponsoring church who have a pioneering spirit. They may be people who have helped start other churches.

2. People who like smaller groups. The sponsoring church may have grown too large for them.

3. People who are not serving up to their potential.

4. People who live in the target area and do not participate regularly.

5. People who live in the target area and may be active in the sponsoring church, but have a heart to reach their neighbors.

6. People from the sponsoring church who would be willing to give a specific amount of time to the new church plant (i.e., six to nine months).

7. Disgruntled members of the sponsoring church.  Often a change of scenery and a new challenge can energize disgruntled people.

Calling Out the Core Group

1. Information about the new church plant must be communicated liberally and often in the congregation for the church plant to have the full support of the people. When the Holy Spirit indicates the time is right, the church mission team or the pastor will formally ask for a vote for the church to sponsor a new church plant.

2. The entire church leadership, beginning with the pastor, must constantly communicate enthusiasm and unqualified support for the new church plant. The pastor must be enthusiastic and visionary as he invites people from the sponsoring church to become a part of the core group of the new church. In every venue and in every public meeting, the pastor and other church leaders must communicate their support for the new church plant.

3. The pastor should sent out two letters: 1) To all members of the congregation living in the target area, asking them to pray about their participation in the core group; and 2) to all visitors from that area in the last year, telling them of the plans to begin a new church.

4. No later than three months before the launch date for the new church, publicize an informational meeting among church members, asking any people interested in the new church plant to attend. Make sure people understand that this meeting is informational only, and they are not committing to the new plant by attending. Members of other church plants sponsored by the sponsoring church may also be asked to attend. Other churches in the association that are located near the target area should be invited to send members to this meeting as well.

5. Set up another meeting for those who are willing to commit themselves to the new church plant. Meet weekly for two months. This group becomes the core for the new church. As people are reached through outreach activities in the months before the launch, they will be added to this group.

Developing the Core Group

1. The pastor of the sponsoring church and the church planter should meet with this group in the beginning, with the sponsoring pastor quickly giving full leadership to the church planter, and bowing out of the meetings.

2. The meetings can be held at the sponsoring church's building, but must be held separately from other groups. The group should not meet on Sunday morning until the "practice" Sunday, which will be explained below.

3. There must be adequate time allowed before the launch of the new church for the group to develop as a team with the same vision and dream as the church planter. Much prayer and sufficient vision casting must be done during these days and months.

4. The group must understand the adjustments they will be making in their life style to begin a new church. It is to the church planter's advantage to give as much training as possible during these months leading up to the launch.

5. Give the new core group assignments to develop teamwork. Keep the core group involved in decisions and implementation from the beginning to develop a sense of ownership among them.

6. If telemarketing is to be used, the core group should lead out in making the phone calls. They should be done on the same nights of the week about the same time so that the group can begin developing a close relationship.

7. In your core group meetings before the launch, discuss the following:

• Tithing:  clear with the sponsoring church that the core group can begin tithing to the new church plant when they begin meeting as an official core group, about 2-3 months before the launch date.  This will allow the sponsoring church to see how their budget will be affected and help with the start up costs for the new church plant.
• If members of the sponsoring church are still fulfilling building pledges, make sure there is a clear agreement as to how they will either fulfill or be released from those pledges.
• Timetable for the launch:  will there be preview services?  Will there be a practice Sunday?  When will Sunday School or small groups start?
• Have clear guidelines as to the relationship with the sponsoring church.
• If a church planter has not been called, then the process for calling the church planter must be clear.
• If the church planter has already been selected, then the planter should be leading the core group meetings as the launch date draws near.

8. Allow any youth that are members of core group families to meet alone with a leader at least once before the launch to dream about what the new youth group might become.

9. Meet the Saturday before the launch Sunday for prayer, encouragement and last minute preparation.

10. Once services begin, Sunday nights can be used for core group development and prayer and problem solving.

11. Assimilation of new people into the core group is absolutely essential for the growth and health of the new church.

Pitfalls to avoid once the church begins

1. The core can become a clique and exclude new people. This is very dangerous and will guarantee the death of the church.

2. The core group must be exhorted to reach out to new people all the time. This is crucial to the new church.

3. The core group must include new people into their fellowship activities outside the worship times. This will bring newcomers into the core.

4. The core group must have a servant mentality, not a superior mentality. Those who are looking for a place to exercise authority that they didn't have in the mother church should be weeded out quickly.

Adapted from an article by Steve Nerger