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UPSTREAM BLOG
The Upstream Blog is published two times a week and contains content from missions leaders, pastors, missiologists, and the Upstream team on a wide variety of topics pertaining to being a sending church. Leave us some comments or questions!
Larry McCrary
Aug 31, 20234 min read
Marketplace Workers: Fuel for Limitless Sending
Limitless sending from the global church for the glory of God among the nations? Yes, please! If that’s the goal, myriad pathways will be...
Shirley Ralston
Aug 28, 20235 min read
Mobilizing Marketplace Workers in Your Local Church
As a returned global worker, I occasionally get this request from our church’s mission’s office: “We had a visit from someone about to...
Hatley Hambrice
Aug 21, 20233 min read
Sending BAM Individuals from Your Church
How do you know if you are qualified and ready to practice business as mission (BAM)? Many members of our churches already have...
The Upstream Collective
Aug 17, 20232 min read
Assessing Marketplace Worker Candidates
It is wise to assess members of your church who want to live and work overseas with intentionality.
Sean German
Aug 14, 20236 min read
Marketplace Opportunities in Missions
“What do you mean I don’t have to choose between work and missions?” Michael* (name changed for security) was initially perplexed as I...
Larry McCrary
Aug 10, 20234 min read
Global Professionals Can Reach the World for Christ
Let me tell you a little about Joe. Joe was a business student at a university in the U.S. He spent one semester studying abroad in an...
Hatley Hambrice
Aug 7, 20234 min read
Using BAM to Impact Unreached Peoples
Business as Mission (BAM) is becoming a popular strategy in countries around the world today. BAM is a holistic ministry model that...
Larry McCrary
Aug 3, 20237 min read
Don’t Quit Your Day Job: The Value of Marketplace Workers
The following article is a correspondence between our Executive Director, Larry McCrary, and marketplace worker Seth Kelly about his...
Shirley Ralston
Jul 31, 20237 min read
Defining Key Terms: Marketplace Ministry
The Enduring Marketplace Author Neil Johnson defines the marketplace as "the forum through which human economic commerce is conducted."...
Dave & Lorene Wilson
May 9, 20226 min read
Creative Ways to Fund Mission Work, Part II
The Two-Pocket Theory of Mission Support In part 1 of this series, we looked at several ways you can bring in extra income to help you...
Larry McCrary
Jul 26, 20214 min read
Ways a Sending Church Can Financially Support Marketplace Workers
There are several areas for which a sending church can provide financial resources for their marketplace worker.
Doug Hess
Jun 22, 20204 min read
Merits of a Business as Mission Strategy and How to Overcome Its Challenges
The 21st century will likely need more—not less—BAM workers in order to continue to effectively engage the lost world with the gospel.
Matthew Bennett
Jan 27, 20206 min read
When Business Supports Missions: 4 Ways BAM Contributes to Missions Endeavors
Many traditional missions teams can benefit from adding a BAM component to their strategy.
Matthew Bennett
Jan 20, 20205 min read
When Business Replaces Mission: 3 Limitations of a Business as Mission Strategy
Many who have been excited about Business as Missions as the ‘strategy of a new era’ are finding it fraught with new challenges.
debbie4034
Dec 7, 20181 min read
How Not to Send Marketplace Workers
Most pastors honestly don’t know where to begin in sending “non-traditional” workers overseas well. In today’s post, we share a recent...
debbie4034
Nov 9, 20181 min read
Church Planting as a Marketplace Worker
Season 2 || Episode 4 Church Planting as a Marketplace Worker Upstream exists to help churches send locally & globally. We’re constantly...
debbie4034
Oct 15, 20181 min read
How to Uniquely Care for Marketplace Workers
Season 2 || Episode 2 How to Uniquely Care for Marketplace Workers Upstream exists to help churches send locally & globally. We’re...
Bradley Bell
Sep 10, 20182 min read
How NOT to Send Marketplace Workers
By Bradley Bell, Director of Content Development So, this could be a terrible idea for an article. But here goes. I don’t know how to...
Larry McCrary
Aug 31, 20187 min read
Stories from The Marketspace
We sat down recently with a friend of Upstream to get deeper insight into the beauty of being called & equipped to serve overseas in The...
Larry McCrary
Aug 27, 20183 min read
Preparing for the Marketspace: Best Practices for Landing a Job || Part 2
By Larry McCrary, Executive Director, from his soon-to-be-released book, The Marketspace: Essential Relationships Between the Sending...
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