Sending Does Not Mean Letting Go
Sending someone does not mean letting them go. It means holding on tight to the relationship so that the nations may know the glory of God.
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UPSTREAM BLOG
The Upstream 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!
Ryan Martin
Jun 12, 20236 min read
Post-Field Care: Plan, Presence, and Pathways to Reengagement
Post-field care can be the most challenging care for churches to provide. Missionaries come home for numerous reasons—scheduled visits,...
Ryan Martin
Jun 8, 20234 min read
On-Field Care: Prayer Is Not Just the Means to Do the Work—It Is the Work
“Prayer does not equip us for greater works—prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher...
Ryan Martin
Jun 5, 20237 min read
Pre-Field Care: The Oft-Forgotten Element of Missionary Care
Church leaders should recruit like coaches. Successful coaches know what type of players they want, and instead of waiting for them to...
Shirley Ralston
May 29, 20237 min read
Creating a Network of Care Trip Goers
Is Your Church Ready? Care team, what do you do when one of your church’s global workers reaches out and asks for help? What if your...
Bruce Mewbourne
May 22, 20235 min read
Providing Cross Cultural Opportunities Locally
Immigration and migration represent a Great Commission opportunity for the church. Migration is not a new phenomenon. A casual reading of...
Chris Howles
May 15, 20235 min read
How National Christians Can Bless and Teach Western Churches
Have you ever heard of a “truncated icosahedron”? If not don’t worry—you’re not alone. I’m informed it’s a “bitruncated order-5...
Matthew Hirt
May 8, 20235 min read
Worldview Discovery as an Evangelistic Tool
We all possess a unique worldview that shapes how we perceive and understand the world around us. Scripture challenges all of our...
Natalie Ford
May 1, 20234 min read
Connecting with Kids on the Field
Rarely do children wake up and say, “I want to move across the world and leave my home and friends so my family can tell people about...
Matthew Bennett
Apr 24, 20234 min read
How the Sent Send the Senders: Three Ways Missionaries Can Catalyze Mission at Home
As the term is commonly used, missionaries are those who are sent to make disciples in places that are usually geographically and...
Steve Allison
Apr 17, 20234 min read
Why Missions Organizations Utilize Psych Evaluations
Mental health has become a major focus in our post-COVID world, as rates of depression, suicide, and anxiety are climbing at alarming...
The Upstream Collective
Apr 13, 20236 min read
Profile of a Sent One
What constitutes the ideal missionary candidate? It’s fitting to begin such a discussion by examining conventional wisdom on the subject....
Christian Townson
Apr 10, 20234 min read
The Importance of Creating a Mobilization Team
Most churches have a champion of missions—a missions pastor, a director of missions, a lay leader. Every church needs one of these people...
Bradley Bell
Apr 6, 20234 min read
How to Pastor Members with a Missions Interest
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...
Mike Easton
Apr 3, 20234 min read
10 Questions to Ask Potential Missionaries
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...
Ashlyn Portero
Mar 27, 20235 min read
Working with Your Elder Team in Global Missions
When developing a global missions strategy and leading a local church in sending efforts, it is critical that a ministry staff and elder...
Matthew Hirt
Mar 20, 20234 min read
Teaching Others to Engage in the Missionary Task
In a recent conversation, a friend described me as a “middle person”—someone who had been discipled and is now making disciples. My...
Nathan Sloan
Mar 16, 20235 min read
10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Missions Pastor
As a missions pastor, these are ten things I have learned in my role as I have served my church.
Scott Ward
Mar 13, 20234 min read
Foundations to Healthy Missions Leadership
As a mission pastor in a local church, there is much that is required, but I have found three actions that need to be prioritized. I have...
Bradley Bell
Mar 9, 20232 min read
Liturgy for the Well-Worn Missions Leader
We hope this liturgy written by Upstream's Bradley Bell is an encouragement to you.
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