Meet The Team
Larry McCrary
Founder and Director
Larry is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Upstream Collective. He and his family have lived in Europe for nearly 20 years, where he has served in a variety of strategy and leadership roles. Prior to moving to Europe he was a church planter and pastor in the US. He is a co-author of Tradecraft: For the Church on Mission, The First 30 Daze: Practical Encouragement for Living Abroad Intentionally, and The MarketSpace: Essential Relationships Between the Sending Church, Marketplace Worker, and Missionary Team.
Debbie Stephens
Director of Training
Debbie joined Upstream in 2010 by coordinating Jet Set trips. She uses her skills in training and equipping to prepare Jet Set teams for cross-cultural ministry. She is also the Founder and President of Equipped To Go, serving local churches in equipping sent-ones on short-term trips.
Nathan G. Sloan
Chairman, Consultant, Trainer
Nathan is the Pastor of Sending at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky. His role includes leading local mercy, church planting, and international missions. Nathan has a Doctor of Missiology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before being a pastor, Nathan and his wife Sarah served as missionaries in Kathmandu, Nepal, training national pastors and working with an unreached people group. At Upstream he currently serves as a consultant, contributor, and Chairman of the Board.
Bradley Bell
Missiologist, Writer, Trainer
Bradley is a missiologist, pastor, and trainer. He has been at Upstream since 2014, producing blog and social media content, authoring The Sending Church Defined and Receiving Sent Ones During Reentry: The Challenges of Returning "Home" and How Churches Can Help, and serving as a board member. He is also the lead pastor at Antioch Church. As a former global sent one, Bradley reflects on missions and formation at Broken Missiology.
Hayley Moss
Graphic Designer
Hayley is Upstream's go-to graphic designer. She has been at the Upstream since 2017. She also leads Moss Photo & Design, where she specializes in family portraits and sermon illustrations. Hayley lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and two daughters.
Jamie Chaplin
Marketing Manager
Jamie and her husband Corey recently moved from the midwest to Rhode Island to partner with a church plant, Mount Hope Church. Jamie has worked in the advertising, marketing and publishing world since graduating from college, and is excited to join the Upstream team as Marketing Manager.
Meredith Cook
Content Manager
Meredith is Upstream's Content Manager. She has an M.Div in Missiology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to writing and editing, she has experience with missionary mobilization, international missions, diaspora missions, and church planting. Originally from the Carolinas, she now lives in Houston, Texas. She and her husband, Keelan, have been married 3 years and welcomed their first daughter in August 2019.
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Abigail Ramsey
Administrative Assistant
Abigail is Upstream's administrative assistant. After graduating Union University with a degree in English and Public Relations, she has been working at Shoreline Church and Hope Fellowship in Knoxville, TN as the communications director. In addition to bookkeeping and administrative work, she works to create community and communication with our Upstream team and partners.
Mike Ironside
Director of Cohorts and Content
Mike Ironside is the missions pastor at Cornerstone Church of Ames, Iowa. Within his role Mike overseas the Global missions department at Cornerstone. His primary focus is mobilizing long-term workers to the field under the Salt Network Global vision. Mike and his wife Emily have 4 kids. Mike and his wife were sent by Cornerstone Church to be a missionaries in East Asia with the IMB from 2009-11 and returned with a vision to send more to the nations.