UPSTREAM IS CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF HELPING CHURCHES SEND LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY. WE’VE ASKED PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PART OF ‘THE COLLECTIVE’ OVER THE PAST DECADE TO LOOK BACK ON HOW GOD HAS USED OUR RELATIONSHIPS & RESOURCES TO HELP PUSH MISSION ‘UPSTREAM!’
WE’LL BE SHARING SOME OF THESE STORIES THROUGHOUT 2018. WANT TO INCLUDE YOUR VOICE AS WE LOOK BACK ON GOD’S GRACE & FAITHFULNESS? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR HOW UPSTREAM HAS BEEN PART OF YOUR JOURNEY! EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS TO DERICK@THEUPSTREAMCOLLECTIVE.ORG!
Written by Lane Harrison
Three years into a church plant and working to help our body hold a vision for the nations, I desperately needed help. I knew I wanted to instill in LifePoint’s DNA a heart for the whole world, but trying to organize anything while leading the church week-to-week made it easy to neglect.
Then I received an invitation to join a JetSet trip with a new organization, The Upstream Collective. Upstream was formed in part to help young church plants just like mine engage the nations. Larry McCrary and I discussed their vision, mission, and heart for the local church. I was hooked. The trip exposed me to new regions of the world, taught sessions ranging from missiological foundation to cultural engagement, and networked me with like-minded leaders with which to form potential partnerships.
LifePoint’s relationship with The Upstream Collective began in 2008, and I still enjoy the blessing of their friendship, leadership, and ministry today. Since then, they have served LifePoint to strengthen and expand our vision for the nations, make it a central part of our mission, and helped us develop structure and strategies to maintain and increase our mission sending capacity, both at home and around the world. LifePoint is a stronger church in our city because of Upstream, and we are engaging the nations all around the world by sending and going.
The Upstream Collective serves as a resource of training, encouragement, teaching, coaching, and fellowship with kindred hearts to reach the world through the local church, and to see the mission of God’s Kingdom multiplied on the earth, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Their work brings life to an aspect of the church’s identity that can easily be neglected, and the whole church benefits from their service. How could I possibly say anything other than “YES” to this partnership!
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