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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.

In our previous blog post , we delved into why funding national work is a powerful strategy for advancing God’s mission among the...

In late April and early May of 2015, the country of Nepal was struck by two devastating earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.3 in magnitude....

If you have ever served in long-term missions or known someone who has, then you know that following the missionary call God often...

One of the great joys of being a missions leader is getting to travel and see the work of God in the least-reached places of the world....

The Enduring Marketplace Author Neil Johnson defines the marketplace as "the forum through which human economic commerce is conducted."...

When you communicate and celebrate missions giving you communicate vision and priorities to your people.

We as church leaders want to see our people practice radical generosity. We want our churches to be intentional and wise in directing...

The budget is one of the best ways to reflect the values of a church. Giving to global missions usually falls in one of four categories.

I still wince when I go to the grocery store to buy fruit or meat, remembering what those prices per pound used to be back when I...

No missions leader enjoys the part of their job where they let go of partnerships financially. Inevitably, if you want to be a strategic sen

I have the privilege of knowing and working with people around the world. Many of these people are expats serving in humanitarian,...

There are biblical and pragmatic reasons that giving to global missions is helpful for your church's budget.

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul testifies of the Macedonians that “according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own...

In our previous blog post, “Year-End Partner Evaluations,” we gave a template for evaluating partners. What do you do if the evaluation...

For eighteen years I spent the first hour of my day listening to country music. My mom’s alarm clock was set (loudly) to the local...

The question of what percentage of funds a sending church should give their Sent Ones can be tricky to answer, and there is certainly no...

Self-Funding Missions Before and After Retirement Click here for part one of this article series and here for part two. Wise Advice When...

Expatriates: Our Accidental Pathway to Missions Life in the Oil Patch A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs...

I have been a support-raised missionary. It’s pretty awesome. Here are some of the challenges, along with a few pleasant surprises.

Being a fully-funded missionary is pretty awesome. Here are some of the benefits, along with a few unpleasant surprises.