Sending Church Starter Kit
Seven Free Resources for Sending Well
A word from Larry McCrary
President, The Upstream Collective
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I’ve been a church planter and pastor for the majority of my life. Believe me, I’ve made my share of mistakes. But if I could go back and redo just one thing it would be this:
I’d cultivate sending from the beginning.
I had so many reasons not to: my core team needs, our limited budget, the fear of losing leaders instead of gaining them—on and on.
But then I encountered the church of Antioch.
From the beginning they were generous and cross-cultural. And when the Spirit called their very best, they sent them out. They changed global missions forever.
Why can’t your church do the same?
Here are seven steps for any church—large or small, young or old. And good news is, you can do them all for free!
1. Take a self assessment | We’ve created a framework called the Sending Church Elements. Download this free PDF of the Elements and assess your church based on them. Then contact us to discuss your results. We’ll give you custom feedback and even send you a free book.
2. Cultivate missions awareness | As a pastor you have the power to cast a vision for global missions that really sticks. Use our free resource called Cultivating Missions Awareness Ideas to build a heart for all nations into your congregation.
3. Establish missions convictions | What you biblically believe about global missions really matters. We’ve written a free resource titled Establishing Missions Convictions to help you lay a foundation for teaching your church to send well.
4. Nurture future missionaries | You likely already have someone in your church who has or is considering global missions. This free booklet can help you cultivate and nurture them toward being sent.
5. Provide missionary care | Sadly, many missionaries are “orphaned”—they have no sending church to care for them. One way you can get started in global missions long before you send someone is to care for an orphaned missionary. Use this free resource for Establishing Advocacy Teams to get your members involved.
6. Give generously | Like the church at Antioch, consider a strategic one-time gift to a missionary or missions project. Check out this free guide for missions giving, or let us know if you need ideas.
7. Go on a vision trip | Perhaps the most meaningful way you can kick off your journey as a sending church is by experiencing the mission field yourself. Go visit someone with whom you might consider a partnership. If it’s not possible for you to get away, then take a local vision trip into a cross-cultural neighborhood. Here’s a free guide to help.
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Taking a few of these steps can start your sending journey well. If nothing else, lead your church to pray for the gospel to move among the nations. And remember, we’re here to help!
— Larry
Larry@theupstreamcollective.org
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P.S. Interested in more resources about becoming a healthy send church? Check out resources based on the Sending Church Elements.
