Personalizing Your Awareness Strategies
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how...
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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!
Matthew Hirt
- Jun 19
- 5 min
Serving Sent Ones in Hard Places
Sending missionaries from your church is exciting, but caring for your sent ones long term is often very difficult. Caring for them when...
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Caleb Alford
- Jun 15
- 3 min
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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Bradley Bell
- Apr 6
- 4 min
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...
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Matthew Hirt
- Mar 20
- 4 min
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...
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Larry McCrary
- Oct 24, 2022
- 5 min
Exploring Alternative Pathways to Missions
Fourth Church is situated in a midsize city in the midwest. Their city has seen a lot of growth the last few years as people have moved...
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Bradley Bell
- Jul 11, 2022
- 6 min
Fully Funded or Support Raised? The Pros and Cons of Each, Pt. II
I have been a support-raised missionary. It’s pretty awesome. Here are some of the challenges, along with a few pleasant surprises.
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Bradley Bell
- Jul 7, 2022
- 6 min
Fully Funded or Support Raised? The Pros and Cons of Each, Pt. I
Being a fully-funded missionary is pretty awesome. Here are some of the benefits, along with a few unpleasant surprises.
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Bradley Bell
- Jun 13, 2022
- 5 min
A Church Plant Can Be a Sending Church
Recently, I was on a personal retreat at a nearby monastery. With my Bible and journal in hand, I tiptoed away to the surrounding knobby...
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Mike Ironside
- Jun 2, 2022
- 4 min
Helping Sent Ones Work through Culture Shock
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Mike Tyson I can guarantee you that, before today, we have never started an...
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Mike Ironside
- Apr 7, 2022
- 6 min
Navigating Proactive and Reactive Sending
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...
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David Wilson
- Jan 20, 2022
- 5 min
Questions to Ask a Sending Organization
What a Former Missions Pastor (Who Now Serves an Agency) Wishes He Had Known to Ask In scripture, we learn that the Church is being...
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Mike Ironside
- Sep 27, 2021
- 7 min
The Sending Pipeline Part 5: From US Senders or Potential Goers to Committed Goers
Committed Goers are those that have been assessed by your church and the sending agency and are cleared to be sent overseas.
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Mike Ironside
- Sep 13, 2021
- 5 min
The Sending Pipeline Part 1: Overview of the Sending Pipeline
The goal of a sending pipeline is to mobilize church members towards the missions vision and strategy that you have set before them.
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Larry McCrary
- Sep 7, 2021
- 3 min
Building the Foundation for Healthy Sending
While it can be said there are no perfect Sending Churches, we do see some common practices of healthy Sending Churches.
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Greg Mathias
- Aug 2, 2021
- 5 min
The Sign Says Closed: Four Key Questions about Missions in "Closed" Countries
What is a closed country and what does it mean for missions and sending?
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Mike Ironside
- Jul 14, 2021
- 4 min
How Much Should Our Church Give to Each Missions Partner?
How much should your church give to each of its mission partners? Consider these principles.
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The Upstream Collective
- Jun 9, 2021
- 6 min
Interview with Nathan Sloan, Executive Director of Upstream Sending
We're excited to announce that Nathan Sloan will be the Executive Director of Upstream Sending. Here is an interview with him.
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The Upstream Collective
- Jun 9, 2021
- 2 min
Introducing Upstream Sending
Local churches send missionaries. Here at Upstream Sending, we can help you send well. It’s kind of our thing.
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Mike Ironside
- Mar 17, 2021
- 2 min
Overview of Sending Church Element 7: Identifying Sent Ones
Churches that actively identify sent ones are actively developing the leadership potential of their members.
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