Cultural Sensitivity in the US Context
A large movie poster of Shah Rukh Khan was not what my wife and I expected to see as we walked into the movie theater in southern...
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!
Search
Mike Ironside
- May 19
- 3 min
Developing an International Ministry
One of the incredible opportunities we have right now in America is to reach an increasing number of internationals. Immigrants,...
340
Bradley Bell
- May 16
- 5 min
Aligning Local and Global Missions Engagement
The following is an adapted excerpt from The Sending Church Defined. A Holistic Mission Think globally, act locally. Chances are, you’ve...
1630
Mark Mihalyov
- May 12
- 4 min
The Art of Being Bi-Cultural in an American Context
Being a bi-cultural Christ-follower means being able to comfortably move in and out of cultures, sometimes even a variety of cultures....
100
Dave & Lorene Wilson
- May 9
- 6 min
Creative Ways to Fund Mission Work, Part II
The Two-Pocket Theory of Mission Support In part 1 of this series, we looked at several ways you can bring in extra income to help you...
710
Dave & Lorene Wilson
- May 5
- 7 min
Creative Ways to Fund Mission Work, Part I
Side Hustle: Supporting Missionaries in a Gig Economy For hundreds of years, the standard practice for funding mission work (at least...
1080
Mike Ironside
- May 2
- 3 min
Involving the Entire Church in Global Missions
A sending church involves the entire church by clearly and consistently teaching its missions convictions, vision, and strategy. This is...
480
Mike Ironside
- Mar 28
- 5 min
When Missions Dreams Get Crushed
If you’re a missions leader, then you’ve been stirred by the vision of Revelation 7:9: to see every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping...
1050
Caleb Cohen
- Mar 21
- 4 min
Reminders of Great Leadership Principles
Gleaning insights from popular leadership books and then applying them in the worlds of church and missions is no novel idea. Books on...
1130
Larry McCrary
- Mar 1
- 4 min
Organizing Your Missions Leadership Team
Many churches have a mission team or committee that is too narrowly focused in its responsibilities and primarily tasked with overseeing...
2500
David McWhite
- Jan 24
- 5 min
Discouraging DIY Missions
A growing awareness of gospel needs around the world has produced a sense of urgency in the Church for reaching those far from Christ and...
800
Shirley Ralston
- Nov 29, 2021
- 6 min
Afghan Refugees: The Sojourners Among Us
HOU Arrival They stood together, surrounded by ten canvas bags, each marked with a name, probably Dari or Pashto. The bags contained...
990
Mike Ironside
- Oct 28, 2021
- 9 min
Short-term Trips and the COVID Vaccine
In considering short-term trips for 2022, there are facts about world travel and the COVID-19 vaccine that need to be considered.
2050
Shirley Ralston
- Oct 28, 2021
- 5 min
Continuing Care Trips in a Pandemic World
“In the midst of constant change, our commitment to care must remain unchanged.” Constant Change, The New Normal As a member of my local...
770
Larry McCrary
- Oct 25, 2021
- 7 min
Building Family Missions Trips: from the Field Side
As a church planter in the States during the 90s, and globally since 2001, we have used short-term teams as an important part of our...
810
Josh Navey
- Oct 21, 2021
- 6 min
Building Family Short-Term Trips from the Church's Viewpoint
If your church takes family ministry seriously (and I’m sure you do if you’re reading this article!), then you’ve likely had...
1120
Larry McCrary
- Oct 18, 2021
- 3 min
New Book From Upstream: Listen
Check out the new book from Upstream entitled, "Listen: How to Make the Most of Your Short-term Mission Trip" by the Upstream Collective.