Partnering with Upstream to Influence Other Churches

This resource equips churches to influence other churches by sharing their sending experiences, practices, and vision in partnership with the Upstream Collective. It outlines practical ways to partner with Upstream—through content creation, training, events, advocacy, sending missionaries, and more—to help multiply the impact of sending beyond a single congregation. Use it to identify opportunities for your church to invest in the broader sending church movement and take the next step in collaborative kingdom influence.

One of the most impactful things your church can do in God’s global mission is not just to send missionaries—but to help other churches do the same. It’s powerful when one church sends well. But it’s exponential when a church shares what it’s learned and equips other churches to send faithfully, too.

At Upstream, we believe the role of the sending church is too important to keep to ourselves. We exist to help churches send well—not to do missions on their behalf, but to empower them to walk in their own calling. When churches strengthen and support one another in this work, the impact reaches far beyond any one congregation—and into the nations.

We invite you to be part of that kind of kingdom influence. Not only can your church bear fruit through its own missionaries—you can multiply that fruit by helping other churches send with clarity, conviction, and joy. This resource was made to help you take that step.

How to Influence Other Churches

There are many ways your church can influence others in the work of sending. Some are small and relational—like simply building connections with leaders from nearby churches. Others can be broader in scale—such as hosting training events, mentoring newer sending churches, or sharing lessons learned within your denomination or network. Big or small, every effort matters when it comes to helping other churches grow in their sending vision.

One powerful way to amplify your church’s influence is by partnering with Upstream. For over fifteen years, we’ve equipped thousands of churches to send well. Many of them have learned not just from us—but from churches like yours, who have generously shared their experience, tools, and voices through the Upstream platform. When you partner with us, you don’t have to create your audience—we already have one that’s eager to learn. Here are a few practical ways your church can step into that opportunity:

• Share what’s working. Many of our most frequently used resources come directly from churches that allowed us to capture and shape their sending practices into tools for others. Even if your process isn’t formalized, we can help turn it into something reproducible and impactful.

• Send with us. Did you know we are also a sending agency? Consider joining Upstream Sending’s network of churches. Based on an interdependent sending model, you’ll automatically begin extending and receiving influence from other like-minded churches on mission.

• Co-lead trainings and cohorts. Church leaders often grow best by learning from fellow practitioners. If you’ve participated in an Upstream cohort or training and want to help guide others, we’d love to involve you in future sessions.

• Contribute content. Articles, resources, podcasts, videos—our platform exists to equip churches, and we love featuring voices from the church and field. If someone on your team has a story to tell or a concept to teach, we’d love to hear from you.

• Host or promote an Upstream event. Some churches invite us to lead a gathering in their region, and then help host, promote, and even co-lead the event for other local churches. It’s a simple but powerful way to build momentum for sending in your area.

• Spread the word. Most churches hear about Upstream not through ads, but through relationships. You can help another church grow in its sending capacity simply by pointing them our way or sharing one of our resources.

• Serve as a regional advocate. We work with church leaders across the country who act as informal ambassadors—sharing books, recommending cohorts, introducing us to others, and championing the sending church vision in their region. Maybe that’s a role you or someone in your church is ready to play.

• Support strategic projects. From resource translation to regional gatherings to collaborative content, there are times when churches partner with us to dream bigger than our normal capacity allows. If your church wants to make a lasting investment in helping churches send well globally, this kind of partnership can be especially meaningful.

• Invest financially. We’re grateful for churches that see a gift to Upstream not as a distraction from their missions budget, but as a way to help many churches engage in mission. If your church shares that view, we welcome your generosity.

Each of these partnerships is part of something bigger: churches helping churches fulfill their God-given role in the Great Commission. And that’s precisely the kind of kingdom impact we want to multiply!

Let’s Influence Other Churches—Together

Your church’s experience in sending doesn’t have to stay within your walls. By sharing what you’ve learned, modeling faithful sending, and partnering with others, you can help multiply gospel impact far beyond your reach. Whether through relationships, resources, or strategic collaboration, your influence can help other churches become who God has called them to be.

If any of the opportunities in this resource interest you—or if you have something entirely new in mind—we’d love to talk. What makes Upstream unique isn’t just our content; it’s our community. Reach out to us at info@theupstreamcollective.org, or connect directly with an Upstream leader you know.

We look forward to partnering with you as we help a generation of churches around the world send well.

Next Steps

Here are three ways you can put this resource into practice and continue growing in your capacity to influence other churches:

1. Make a list of 3-5 churches that you think would benefit from connecting with Upstream. Reach out to them and share a few of your favorite resources.

2. Download our resource “How to Build Relationships with Other Missions Leaders” and take the initiative to gather a group of missions leaders in your area or sphere of influence. 

3. Read chapter 17 in The Sending Church Applied for an overview on how to be exponentially fruitful by influencing other churches.