Supporting Single Missionaries in the Wake of Covid
Almost two years ago, after watching the Covid virus spread across the globe, many governments responded by closing their borders and...
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UPSTREAM BLOG
The Upstream Collective Blog is published two times a week and contains content from missions leaders, pastors, missiologists, and the Upstream team on a wide variety of topics pertaining to being a Sending Church. Leave us some comments or questions!
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Ryan Martin
- Feb 24
- 5 min
Reaching Oral Learners with the Gospel
If you stepped into my office, you could make two observations about me—I love to travel, and I love to read. I have collected many...
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Bradley Bell
- Feb 21
- 6 min
Lamentations as the Textbook for Newly Arrived Missionaries
I just finished reading Jeremiah and Lamentations. Boy, am I glad that’s over! Ever feel that way? If it weren’t for reading plans, there...
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Joshua Bowman
- Feb 17
- 4 min
Avoiding Paternalism
Parents are God’s kind provision to infants and children who have no concept of personal safety and cannot provide for their own basic...
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Matthew Hirt
- Feb 14
- 5 min
How to Care for Sent-Ones Learning a Second Foreign Language
The missionary task requires understandable communication of the gospel. Depending on the context and the complexity of the language...
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Caleb Cohen
- Feb 10
- 4 min
Learning a Foreign Language in a City that Speaks English
During my first missionary term in South Asia, I relished the opportunity to dive deep into the culture and begin learning the local...
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Andrea W.
- Feb 7
- 5 min
How to Hit the Ground Running in Language Learning, Part 2
In part 1, we went through some mistakes missionaries often make with language learning. Now let’s look at the missionaries who succeed...
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Andrea W.
- Feb 3
- 4 min
How to Hit the Ground Running in Language Learning, Part 1
Many missionaries start out motivated to learn and engage in the new language and culture around them. Unfortunately, those aspirations...
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Larry McCrary
- Feb 1
- 7 min
Caring for Your Sent Ones in Year One
Jose Luis, his wife, Wendy, and their three small children are preparing to move to Africa next year to work with a mission organization...
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David Wilson
- Jan 20
- 5 min
Questions to Ask a Sending Organization
What a Former Missions Pastor (Who Now Serves an Agency) Wishes He Had Known to Ask In scripture, we learn that the Church is being...
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Mike Ironside
- Jan 6
- 7 min
Partnerships are Foundational to Missionary Care
The best way to do missionary care is to put people on great teams. There are a multitude of reasons why missionaries leave the field:...
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Susan McCrary
- Nov 15, 2021
- 3 min
Posturing Oneself as a Cross-Cultural Worker
Your palms are a bit clammy. Your heart is racing. Your eyes dart to and fro, searching the area for something or someone familiar. You...
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Jonah Fox
- Nov 11, 2021
- 5 min
Forming Outwardly Focused Followers
One of the most exciting moments for church missions leaders is when someone in the body expresses a call from God to serve...
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Matthew Bennett
- Sep 6, 2021
- 4 min
Three Reasons to Make Disciples in Local Languages
Here are three reasons that we must be committed to language learning and disciple-making in the language of the heart.
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Susan McCrary
- Aug 27, 2021
- 1 min
Suggested Resources for Raising Families Overseas
Raising families overseas is not easy, but you're not alone. Here are some helpful resources for raising families overseas.
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Larry McCrary
- Jul 26, 2021
- 4 min
Ways a Sending Church Can Financially Support Marketplace Workers
There are several areas for which a sending church can provide financial resources for their marketplace worker.
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Matthew Bennett
- May 20, 2021
- 4 min