07-Identifying Missionaries

Upstream Blog

The Upstream Blog has a range of short articles on various topics around sending. Look through the tags to discover articles that meet your need.

Most churches channel their efforts into cross-cultural missions through short-term trips, enabling church members to experience the...

What constitutes the ideal missionary candidate? It’s fitting to begin such a discussion by examining conventional wisdom on the subject....

A church member walks up and says, "Excuse me, pastor. I think I want to be a missionary." Oh no. What do you say?! Here are a few common...

Mobilizing the Body for the Community: Micro vs Macro When I first stepped into the role of Missions Pastor, I often lived in my head in...

If you gave me a million dollars and told me I could use it toward anything related to global missions, I would probably invest it into...

The story of Moses and the burning bush is the iconic example of God calling someone to accomplish His purposes in this world....

Fostering Both Excitement and Sobriety in Potential Sent Ones Choosing the right road trip companions can mean the difference between...

If you’ve been a missions leader for very long, you’ve likely had this experience: A married couple in your church emails you with the...

Going overseas involves many steps, and it is easy for a potential Sent One to get lost in the process. It is also easy for a missions...

Leaving home is always emotional, especially during a time of global crisis. But crisis does not negate Jesus's Great Commission.

Churches that actively identify sent ones are actively developing the leadership potential of their members.

The hierarchy of Christian faith—the one that puts missionaries as the closest to God—harms churches, missionaries, and ourselves.

Consider these questions when trying to discern if you're being called to missions.

One of our most popular posts from 2017 was a two-part interview with Dr. Gregg Allison discussing the role of the Spirit in churches...

Everything we do at The Upstream Collective is aimed at one goal: for every church to see themselves as a sending church and every...

BY BRADLEY BELL, DIRECTOR OF CONTENT DEVELOPMENT My junior year of college our campus ministry kicked off the year with a gathering...

In Friday’s post Jesse Eubanks, Director of Love Thy Neighborhood, described how he handles the challenge of building teams on mission....

Written by Bradley Bell, Director of Content Development Much has been stewing in my heart lately regarding the “missionary call”. Not...

THIS ARTICLE IS BY ZACH BRADLEY, DIRECTOR OF CONTENT STRATEGY We were crying so hard that strangers in the airport were crying too. It...

Let’s be honest. Saying goodbye stinks. Not the normal, everyday goodbyes. The kind of goodbyes that tear our hearts out, like a child...