Core Discipleship Trainers

Shadrack Hoidi serves as Africa Training Director for Core Discipleship, providing relational oversight, encouragement, and alignment for trainers across the continent. His focus is strengthening biblical disciple-making, guarding the Core process, and helping raise faithful leaders in every nation God opens. Since 2018, Shad has discipled university students in western Kenya, regularly hosting groups in his home and leading training intensives during school breaks. He also disciples pastors and missionaries in nations such as Nigeria and Congo, helping leaders return to simple New Testament patterns of following Jesus and making disciples. Shad has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is part of the Core Master community. He has partnered closely with Core Discipleship since 2021. He is married to Millcent, and together they are raising their son, Ethan. Known for humility, faithfulness, and spiritual depth, Shad believes Africa is being positioned by God as a missionary-sending continent through everyday disciple-making relationships.

Abo Godfrey serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in Nigeria. He is from Benue State in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and came to faith in Jesus Christ in 2011 after growing up in a religious but untransformed home. Since then, he has continued to grow through discipleship, Bible study, and ministry. Abo pursued higher education in Public Administration and served as General Coordinator of the Deeper Life Campus Fellowship during his studies. He has also completed additional Christian ministry training. He joined Core Discipleship in 2023 while seeking a clear, biblical model to help new believers grow strong in their faith. He sees Core as an answer to prayer and gives glory to God for the journey. Abo is married to Angela, and they have three children: Mishael, Tomuter, and Gospel.

Stephine Opio serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in Uganda. He is a deputy overseer with Team of God Worship International Ministries and General Secretary for the Born-Again Pentecostal Churches in Dokolo District. Stephine came to faith in Christ in 1999 and has remained committed to preaching the gospel, making disciples, and equipping leaders for faithful service. His ministry includes church planting, leadership training, compassionate outreach, and serving widows, orphans, youth, and struggling communities. He has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is active in the Core Master community. He is committed to multiplying a gospel-centered, relational model of disciple-making. Stephine is married to Grace Opio, and together they are raising their children while also caring for adopted orphans. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies.

Abeid Mwambanga serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in Tanzania’s Mbeya Region. He came to faith in Christ in 2000 and has built his life and ministry on God’s Word, the local church, and disciple-making. Abeid holds theological training, has served as a pastor since 2010, and has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training. He is also part of the Core Master community. Together with his wife, Grace, he leads Harvest International Church in Tanzania. Their ministry focuses on evangelism, disciple-making, and church planting, especially among rural, remote, and unreached communities, including nomadic peoples. Through Core Discipleship, Abeid is committed to strengthening the Church and advancing the gospel throughout Tanzania and beyond.

Sebsibe Wolasso serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in Ethiopia. He is a seasoned Bible teacher, missionary, and disciple maker based in Dilla. He is married to Sarah, and together they are raising six children. Sebsibe served 25 years as a Bible school teacher, helping train pastors and leaders. He has also served cross-culturally in South India, South Sudan, and northern Kenya, where he planted churches. His current focus is prison ministry across southern Ethiopia, serving five prisons with a vision to establish Core Discipleship groups in each one. In 2025, he began training at Dilla Prison, where five Core Groups are now active. Sebsibe has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is part of the Core Master community. He holds degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Christian Leadership.

Taizul Morol serves as Core Discipleship Director for Bangladesh and South Asia. Born into a Muslim family in Bangladesh, he later came to faith in Jesus Christ and committed his life to the gospel. He studied theology, served as a mentor, and trained as a Master Trainer with Tree of Life (IMB). Later, God led him into independent missionary work focused on reaching Muslims and Hindus. Taizul has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is part of the Core Master community. He now oversees more than 30 Core leaders who have helped launch over 100 Core-based house churches across Bangladesh. He is married to Mukta Khatun, and they have two children, Jesun and Jessica.

Kashif Christopher serves as Core Discipleship Director for Pakistan. Raised in a Christian family in Faisalabad, his true walk with Jesus began in 2008 when he was baptized and born again. Since then, he has devoted his life to preaching the gospel and making disciples. He founded the International Prayer Group to intercede for the lost and strengthen believers. Kashif has a special burden for families in Pakistan’s brick kiln communities, serving children through schools and Sunday schools while sharing the hope of Christ. His ministry also reaches Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities with the gospel. He has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic and Intermediate training and is enrolled in Advanced training. By God’s grace, he has helped establish more than 65 home churches across Pakistan.

Ashish Pal serves as Core Discipleship Director for India. He came to faith in Christ in 1995 after being deeply convicted by Romans 6:23, and was baptized in 1997, fully surrendering his life to Jesus. Since then, Ashish has devoted himself to making disciples and planting churches. He now leads six house fellowships, four children’s ministries, and a local church of more than 65 believers. He continues reaching villages where the name of Jesus is not yet known, training believers and leaders to multiply the work of God’s kingdom. His family also faithfully serves the Lord alongside him.

Sujit Kumar Nayak serves as South India Training Director for Core Discipleship. Born into a Christian family in India, he has devoted his life to ministry, training, and disciple-making. Sujit holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Divinity from Asian Biblical Seminary in Kerala. He has served as a pastor, Bible school teacher, evangelist, and missionary, equipping pastors, leaders, and believers across India. His burden is to reach India’s villages, strengthen believers, and prepare people for God’s Kingdom. Sujit has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic and Intermediate training and oversees 20 Core leaders who have helped launch more than 28 Core-based house churches across India.

Claudette B. Laganipa serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in the Philippines. She and her husband, Ron, planted a church in Iloilo City in 2023, where they focus on helping people move from cultural religion to a personal relationship with Jesus. Together, they prioritize disciple-making among young adults and families, patiently walking with people toward Christ. In 2025, they launched Empowered Leadership to equip pastors and church leaders across Iloilo with practical and spiritual training for effective ministry.

Henri Gultom serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer in Indonesia. He and his wife, Ima, minister among orphans and vulnerable children in North Sumatera, living out disciple-making through their home and outreach. With limited resources, they are building a discipleship center where children are welcomed, loved, and trained to follow Jesus. Their ministry reaches street children in a context marked by brokenness and exploitation, offering care and Christ-centered formation. Henri has completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is part of the Core Master community.

Michelle Buchanan serves as Core Discipleship Global Women’s Director. For over 12 years, she has walked alongside women, helping them grow in Christ and discover God’s calling on their lives. She brings experience as a ministry leader, coach, teacher, and writer, and currently leads Core Discipleship groups while continuing her own training in the Core pathway. Michelle lives in Texas and is the mother of five adult children. completed Core Discipleship’s Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced training and is part of the Core Master community. She now equips women globally to follow Jesus and help others do the same.

Dave Martin serves as a Core Discipleship Trainer. He retired in 2017 after a diverse career as a chiropractic physician, executive assistant, and corporate trainer, and has long invested in teaching, mentoring, and disciple-making through the local church. He is the founder of Mosaix PDX and the PDX Diaspora Coalition, both focused on building diverse, Christ-centered communities in Portland, Oregon. Dave has been married to his wife, Becki, for 53 years. They have two children and four grandchildren who live nearby.

Doug Morrell is the Founder/President and Global Training Director of Core Discipleship. Since 1989, he has been committed to helping followers of Jesus make disciples who make disciples, beginning with a small group of three men and expanding to ministry around the world. He has served with and alongside ministries including Wycliffe, DiscipleLand, Center of Hope, Bridge Builders, New River Fellowship, and Project 4031, with a consistent focus on simple, reproducible disciple-making.