[This post is part of the Start Something New series. Read the other posts here!]

By Beau Crosetto

Over the last few months, since the start of this blog, I have had a couple of people reach out to me with these specific questions,

“How do I gather apostolic people on campus?

“Beau, how do you get your core team to actually start new things? I have gathered people, but what do you do to get them moving?

In some ways these are two different questions, as one asks how I gather, while the other asks how I take a gathered group and move them to action. But I think at the root they are similar in that these people want to know how do you get an apostolic, or action based core team that actually takes risks and steps out to start new things?

Here are a couple of things that I practically do with core teams or keep in mind when I am starting a new ministry and gathering a team for the first time.

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Environments of Action

The number one thing I do from the beginning and set my mind to when recruiting students to the vision on campus, is make sure they know this team is all about action and doing things. This team is for people that want to start new things, take risks, and make something happen where God is calling them.

You cannot join unless you are willing to act. There are later meetings for attenders.

I know this can sound harsh, or jerky, but it is really important that the first team of people is willing to step out and be used for God. Lets be clear here, I am not talking about competence or even addressing if they can do the job. I am simply addressing their attitude and willingness to move.

Key Hang Up: wanting warm bodies instead of the right bodies. I see many planters fudge on who they let on the initial core team and then the team culture dilutes. They let people who week after week have not taken any risks stay on the team.

Modeling

I try to model as much as I can. Recently I went to a fraternity party with a student. I take students on prayer walks and teach them how to pray for the Greek Row. When I used to do ministry in the dorms I would go to the floors myself and start groups right in the hallway, get into crazy conversations, and then call people to faith. I would model success and failure. There have been many times that I have fallen flat, been rejected and even been asked to leave while an apprenticing student was with me! It is good for them to see that. When they see you fail and succeed it sets an accurate picture.

You will not get an action-based team if you are not the most active! Period. Vision is caught, not taught. You have to show them how it looks!

Key Hang Up: Many planters are scared to do the things they desire to have their followers do. I talk to many people planting that are not modeling much risk at all and they wonder why they don’t have followers who are risky? You need to set the temperature.

Challenge

Anyone who knows me knows I challenge hard. This has its blessings and curses, but for the sake of planting, many blessings. I challenge with my words, but also with my actions. Drawing on the previous point about modeling, I really try to model some risky stuff that makes my followers feel uncomfortable. I know you may think I am crazy, but it is really helpful to have your followers think you are a little out of the box for them. Sure, I will lose some people because they think I am too intense, but I also have the best challenge moments later in the coffee shop when I look them in the eye and say,

“You have to start that faith discussion in your fraternity house!”

They know I mean business and the right people, even though they are scared, like the challenge and want the adventure!

Key Han Up: Too many planters are boring and don’t do enough daring stuff. It doesn’t inspire people to follow and consequently there isn’t a risk taking team.

Interpretation

I interpret a lot! I cannot tell you how many conversations I have with students about what is going well, what is not, and what is plain reality and just made up fears in their head. I interpret while we are on the job, doing something risky, and I interpret when we are at the coffee shop debriefing afterwards.

It is Soooo important that we are constantly helping our followers know what is real and what is not as far as fears, and worst and best case scenarios. If your core team is going to take risks, then they are constantly going to be staring down the barrel of

“what if the worst case scenario happens and no one shows up, or they laugh at me, or they think I am weird?”

You want to be having these kinds of conversations because it shows you’re in a risky place, but you have to interpret!

Key Hang Up: Pushing people to risk with no interpretation during and afterwards. High risk with low interpretation causes people to leave jaded and you believing they just can’t hang.

Pastoring

Yes, I pastor! I know can you believe it? But in all seriousness, a core team needs lots of life care, processing, and character development. Especially students taking lots of risks! Don’t forget it! But here is the deal…

I get my team moving, then I pastor them.

Too many people get a team to pastor, and then hope they move.

If you are going to plant new things and build apostolic core teams, then you have to get people on the team that want to start things. Then go deep into their lives and pastor the heck of them. There are plenty of ministries that can pastor people, but there are not many ministries that want to start new things.

I have no problem letting a student go that just wants pastoring and life care but doesn’t want mission. Because I am creating apostolic core teams, I require people to be on mission before I will pastor them.

Contrary to the misconceptions about apostolic people, we do and can care deeply for people. I know I care deeply for my people and try and do everything I can for them be it listening, spending time with or praying for them.

Key Hang Up: Not caring about the lives of the people you are leading. Just caring about what they do or produce.

The best core teams are full of adventure, challenge and life-care. You need it all.

What else would you add to the list of “must do” for an apostolic core team?

[If you would like to receive my go to material for new core teams, join the APE newsletter!]

[This post is part of the Start Something New series. Read the other posts here!]