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10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Missions Pastor

Aug 17, 2020
4 min

10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Missions Pastor

As a missions pastor, these are ten lessons I’ve learned along the way as I’ve served my church in this role. 1. Take time to learn, dream, and build a good foundation. Before jumping into engagement and activities, take the time to building a good, well-thought-through foundation to mission engagement and activity. This is critical for long-term impact. I suggest developing mission convictions that will lead your ministry forward and help you know what to say “yes” to and wh

Missions Resources from Around the Web

Aug 3, 2020
2 min

Missions Resources from Around the Web

Every week, we highlight resources from our site and around the web to help you think about missions, push the missions conversation “upstream,” learn what God is doing around the globe, help you learn how to lead your church to become a sending church, care for your sent ones, and much more. This week, we want to highlight some helpful resources from around the web. This is a mixed bag of old and new resources about a variety of topics in the missions conversation. The Great

Helpful Resources for Becoming a Sending Church

Jun 4, 2020
2 min

Helpful Resources for Becoming a Sending Church

Developing a vision for the Great Commission, raising up missionaries from within your congregation, creating a sending pipeline, providing missionary care…there is a lot involved with becoming a sending church. Over the last two weeks, we’ve talked about helping missionaries have a sent identity. You can find all three articles here, or download the free resource. Here is a list of other resources that you may find helpful as you take steps to help your church become a sendi

Sent Identity, Part 3: Your Church’s Sending Journey

Jun 1, 2020
4 min

Sent Identity, Part 3: Your Church’s Sending Journey

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that has been adapted from a Free Download entitled, “Helping Missionaries Have Sent Identity.” You can find all three parts combined by downloading the resource, or find all three articles here. In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I discussed the importance of a sending church and what sending churches do that makes them effective at sending, supporting, and receiving their sent ones. Today, I want to focus on some practical appl

Sent Identity, Part 2: What Do Sending Churches Do Differently?

May 28, 2020
3 min

Sent Identity, Part 2: What Do Sending Churches Do Differently?

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that has been adapted from a Free Download entitled, “Helping Missionaries Have Sent Identity.” You can find all three parts combined by downloading the resource, or find all relevant articles here. In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the importance of sending churches, using the church at Antioch (Acts 13 and beyond) as an example of a sending church. Today, I want to talk about what some churches do that set them apart as e

Taking the Attitude of a Learner as You Prepare to Move Overseas

May 11, 2020
5 min

Taking the Attitude of a Learner as You Prepare to Move Overseas

The sending church plays a vital role in preparing sent ones to move and live overseas. Rather than rely on a missionary sending organization, the church can play an active role in missionary coaching as men and women prepare for life and work overseas, thus helping them not to merely survive upon arrival but learn to thrive. But good preparation is also contingent on the goer’s attitude. Those who plan to work overseas need to have a learner’s attitude and be willing to make

Helipad Online Training: Coming Summer 2020

May 7, 2020
2 min

Helipad Online Training: Coming Summer 2020

Sometimes being sent requires a helipad, not a runway—especially for those headed to the marketplace or university without a lot of time to prepare for the transition. The Upstream Collective is committed to equipping, not only churches, but also those desiring to live, work, and study overseas. We want to empower you to live out the gospel with intentionality. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic we are moving our summer Helipad Live Workshop to an online training. This pre-

Jet Set Trips: A First-Person Perspective

Mar 16, 2020
4 min

Jet Set Trips: A First-Person Perspective

Editor’s note: We understand that international trips aren’t on the forefront of missions leaders’ minds right now, but the COVID-19 crisis won’t last forever, so now is a great time to recalibrate how we do trips and sending. Consider this testimony from a recent Jet Set Trip. I was given an amazing opportunity five years ago. A woman I had only met once in person at a missions conference sent me an email asking if I wanted to go to Spain. I had never thought about going any

6 Books You Should Read in 2020

Jan 6, 2020
3 min

6 Books You Should Read in 2020

It’s a new year, and that means it’s time for resolutions, lists, and commitments that may or may not be followed all the way to the end of 2020. But, as pessimistic as that last sentence may sound, it’s always good to review the year that has passed and consider what we desire to accomplish in the next. I, myself, tend to strive for the same things at the beginning of each year: to improve my spiritual disciplines, to exercise more (doesn’t everyone say that?!), and to read