The core missionary task (CMT) is the language the [International Mission Board](https://imb.org) uses to describe the center of their missions strategy.
The CMT consists of six phases:
1. Entry
2. Evangelism
3. Disciplship
4. Healthy Church Formation
5. Leadership Development
6. Exit/Partnership
These aspects of the task are not necessarily linear, though they do follow a rough progression. Furthermore, the task is meant to be a spiral, in that once you reach the end, you begin partnering with the churches and leaders you've developed to further engage in the missionary task.
The CMT is an example of a [[Biblical Framework for Applied Theology]]. Frameworks are different than methods. As a framework, it's broad enough to provide structure for all of the IMB's field strategies regardless of region, culture, or worldview.
## Usage by the IMB
Intended for use in cross-cultural missions in international fields, the CMT is a framework and not a specific missions method. Different IMB teams across a range of cultural and religious affinities globally employ different missions methods that are both biblically faithful and culturally relevant while congruent with the CMT.
However, as a framework, it provides structure and direction to IMB field teams concerning the methods they will employ. Field teams develop contextual methods for engaging in each of the various aspects of the CMT. So, every IMB field team will have a strategy for evangelism, planting healthy churches, and leadership formation, regardless of where they are located. These strategies may be different from one another, as they deal with particular circumstances among their people in their place, but they will all address the biblically-defined tasks represented in the CMT.
## Usage in North America
Though designed for use internationally in cross-cultural settings, the CMT is broad enough to be a helpful framework for North American missions as well.
First, the [[The United States is the Most Diverse Country in the World]], which means [[North American missions must consider cross-cultural strategies]] in order to approach [[Gospel Saturation]].