For the last couple of weeks, we have discussed four different types of Sending Churches- three of which are good and viable options for your church, depending on its capacity and vision.
At the Upstream Collective, our desire is to see your church move to the next level of being a Sending Church. We can help you do that through our cohorts. We provide group instruction and individual coaching that will help you gain deeper theological understanding of missions and practical application of that theology towards your vision for sending.
Whether you are new to having a global missions vision in your church, or you need to revamp that global vision, the cohorts provide the opportunity to receive personalized coaching for your missions leader and team to become the type of sending church that you want to be. Each cohort runs for a semester.
We currently offer four types of cohorts:
Foundations Cohort
For missions leaders, there is often a lack of clarity around their role and a lack of peers to collaborate with. For churches looking to restart their missions vision, clarity can be hard to come by. Missions leaders are often cutting a new path in global missions for their churches and the Upstream is here to help. This coaching cohort is designed to help a missions leader define the spectrum of their job; build a healthy sending strategy, and provide peers to collaborate with and learn from into the future.
Advanced Cohort
This ‘advanced’ cohort takes you to the next level of becoming the Sending Church you want to be. You’ll study the facets of leading your church into a sending culture with practical application. This is a great follow up engagement for those of you who have already spent time in our cohorts, or have received some other Upstream training in the past, or for Mission Pastors and Leaders who want to lead proactively instead of reactively as it pertains to local and global missions.
Local Ministry Cohort
The goal of the local ministry cohort is to help missions leaders that are focused on, or have as a part of their job helping those who have been impacted by poverty in their church or in the community. In this cohort you will learn how to create a vision that meets the unique needs of your community. You will develop a vision that works to bring change to the systemic areas of poverty in your community. But even more importantly this cohort will help your church develop a strategy for involving your members in real relationships with those impacted by poverty.
Multisite Cohort
Multisite can be a confusing world to lead in. Join us for a missions leadership cohort designed specifically for those in multisite churches. We will tackle the opportunities and challenges of leading in the multisite polity and then chart a better way forward. We will use the Sending Church Elements as our guide toward sending church maturity.
Cohort Testimony
To find out more information about the cohorts click here or e-mail Mike Ironside.