LifeWay Church in Federal Way (Seattle), Wash., is not a huge body of believers. On Sunday mornings it usually consists of about 300 people meeting for worship. Yet despite its smaller (according to some) size, LifeWay’s leadership, including Senior Pastor Billy Arnold, has developed a great passion for being involved in a long-term partnership that [...]
She’s created her own worldview and chooses to see life from a postmodern perspective… They decided years ago to be involved in what God is doing in Russia—long-term… He’s gazing at the lostness in his area and begging for help… People love a good story. Think about it. What imagery (if any) comes to mind [...]
On February 24, 2010, the Upstream Collective will be in Knoxville, TN to talk about church planting and missions in Europe. Topics will include the post-Christian European worldview, creative engagement strategies, and challenges to direct church involvement. You’ll meet practitioners; missionaries, church planters, and local pastors. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of how God [...]
The United States is an aggressive exporter of culture. People around the world watch Lost, listen to Jay-Z, and drink Starbucks coffee. It would be easy to assume that America’s influence is one-way, that we are going in our own direction culturally. But our time in Europe has shown us otherwise. The postmodern, post-Christian, globalized [...]
You pack all your belongings into boxes, and then into a large truck. Then you spend the following day or few days driving. Next, it’s time to unload the truck’s contents and begin the unpacking and resettling process. Such is the relocation cycle. A few days ago my fiancé moved from Florida into what will [...]
Sponsoring a child makes the mission personal The pastoral leadership of Stonecreek Church in Milton, Georgia, was troubled that missions involvement historically had been reserved for a church’s faithful core. They asked, “How do we engage a broader audience with opportunities for personal, global ministry?” This question led Stonecreek to begin a strategic partnership with [...]
They warned me time and time again. Before returning to the United States from living overseas, colleagues shared from their own reverse culture shock experiences. Across the board, the topic they assured me would be most difficult to adjust to was the American church. Since landing on U.S. soil I’ve sang with congregations in which [...]
The Upstream Collective will be conducting an “about Europe” facilitated conversation in the Seattle area on January 14, 2010. Caleb Crider and almost an M will be leading the conversation dealing with topics including trends in the future now and praxis for the church on mission. We will be meeting from 10:00 to 2:00 at [...]
God has been doing some incredible things at The Upstream Collective, and we pray 2011 will continue to rock our world as the Lord teaches and molds us for His glory. Please join us: Speaking at ChurchPlanters.com (February) Leading Jet Set trips to Prague and Budapest (April), Central Asia and a virtual Jet Set to [...]
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