Missions Mobilization

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.

If you’ve had the opportunity to send overseas missionaries from your church for long, you have undoubtedly seen some return early from thei

As the term is commonly used, missionaries are those who are sent to make disciples in places that are usually geographically and...

Mental health has become a major focus in our post-COVID world, as rates of depression, suicide, and anxiety are climbing at alarming...

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

Most churches have a champion of missions—a missions pastor, a director of missions, a lay leader. Every church needs one of these people...

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...

I have often said that if I could give a million dollars towards global missions, it would dedicate it to figuring out who will flourish...

We should teach our future missionaries the principles of multiplicative discipleship no matter which church model they encounter.

I love the enthusiasm I encounter among aspiring missionaries. It drips from them like water from your hands when there are no paper...

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...

The discussion of the sending church may cause some leaders and churches to feel left out. Many of the churches touted as sending...

As missions leaders, we work hard to get our people overseas on short-term trips and as long-term missionaries. This is an awesome...

In part 1 of “Discerning Readiness in a Potential Sent One,” we talked about the positive traits that would lead us to give a green light...

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...

I heard that a professor once said to his students after an aggressive theological debate, “I put little trust in your zealous opinions;...

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...

As we begin this month’s focus on Missions Mobilization, we wanted to provide some helpful tools for you to use in evaluating those who...

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...