Do you have a junk drawer? That one drawer you use as a hiding place for all the stuff you don’t really know what to do with? Everything in those drawers once had some use, but now, when you are not sure what to do with something once useful, you just toss it in the drawer in case you need it again.
Churches use the word discipleship like a junk drawer for church programs. Men’s breakfast on Saturday morning – discipleship. Fifth quarter hang out for kids after their local high school football game – discipleship. Small group of people watching videos together to learn about an aspect of spiritual life and faith – discipleship. Coffee appointment where you share your struggles and invite accountability – discipleship.
Church leaders, Inigo Montoya said it best, “you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
When we say discipleship at Living Stone, we are talking about a relationship between people that intentionally moves all parties involved towards Jesus.
KORE Groups are the tool we use to keep discipleship relationships intentional.
A KORE Group starts when one believer looks at another and says, “hey, I am reading the Bible; do you want to read with me?” Once three to five friends have agreed to meet to read together, they can begin going through the simple, weekly KORE Touchpoints. This organizational simplicity keeps discipleship relational, rather than programmatic.
There are 4 touchpoints in a KORE Group gathering.
The K in KORE stands for Kairos. The Kairos Circle is a shape we use to remind us what it looks like to repent and follow God. We are indebted to Mike Breen for coming up with the Kairos Circle, and a lot of the other shapes we use, to remind us how to walk with God on a daily basis. In our KORE Groups, we take time to share with one another the areas where God is calling us to repent. We ask for prayer and make plans to change behavior. We ask for grace and work to grow. The Kairos Circle is an essential element of walking together toward a life that honors Jesus.
The O in KORE stands for Outreach. The Missional Wheel is a shape we use to keep ourselves plugged into the mission of Jesus. Without a focus on sharing the good news of Jesus with those who need God, followers of Jesus quickly become disobedient Christians, lazy and bored. We hold one another accountable to walk with those who are far from God.
The R in KORE stands for Reading. Most KORE groups read through a book, passage, or section of the Bible. Some will read an extra-Biblical book about the Christian life, bot most simply read the Bible together. Reading together gives everyone a shared opportunity for growth. The reading also sets the length of time that a group meets together.
The E in KORE stands for Encouragement. Tragically, most people don’t have the experience of receiving encouragement from a good dad. A good dad will take a knee to get on his kid’s level, put both hands on his kid’s shoulders, looking them eye to eye, and tell his children what makes them worthy of love (even when – or especially when – they are not lovely). People need that kind of unembarrassed, eye to eye, meaningful encouragement. So we make it a practice to call out the good we see in each other before we break.
KORE Groups keep us intentional as we invite others to walk with us as we walk towards Jesus.
