Blog | The Upstream Collective

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!

Caleb Alford

Jun 15, 20233 min read

Sending Does Not Mean Letting Go

Sending someone does not mean letting them go. It means holding on tight to the relationship so that the nations may know the glory of God.

Post-Field Care: Plan, Presence, and Pathways to Reengagement

Ryan Martin

Jun 12, 20236 min read

Post-Field Care: Plan, Presence, and Pathways to Reengagement

Post-field care can be the most challenging care for churches to provide. Missionaries come home for numerous reasons—scheduled visits,...

On-Field Care: Prayer Is Not Just the Means to Do the Work—It Is the Work

Ryan Martin

Jun 8, 20234 min read

On-Field Care: Prayer Is Not Just the Means to Do the Work—It Is the Work

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works—prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher...

Pre-Field Care: The Oft-Forgotten Element of Missionary Care

Ryan Martin

Jun 5, 20237 min read

Pre-Field Care: The Oft-Forgotten Element of Missionary Care

Church leaders should recruit like coaches. Successful coaches know what type of players they want, and instead of waiting for them to...

Shirley Ralston

May 29, 20237 min read

Creating a Network of Care Trip Goers

Is Your Church Ready? Care team, what do you do when one of your church’s global workers reaches out and asks for help? What if your...

Providing Cross Cultural Opportunities Locally

Bruce Mewbourne

May 22, 20235 min read

Providing Cross Cultural Opportunities Locally

Immigration and migration represent a Great Commission opportunity for the church. Migration is not a new phenomenon. A casual reading of...

How National Christians Can Bless and Teach Western Churches

Chris Howles

May 15, 20235 min read

How National Christians Can Bless and Teach Western Churches

Have you ever heard of a “truncated icosahedron”? If not don’t worry—you’re not alone. I’m informed it’s a “bitruncated order-5...

Worldview Discovery as an Evangelistic Tool

Matthew Hirt

May 8, 20235 min read

Worldview Discovery as an Evangelistic Tool

We all possess a unique worldview that shapes how we perceive and understand the world around us. Scripture challenges all of our...

Natalie Ford

May 1, 20234 min read

Connecting with Kids on the Field

Rarely do children wake up and say, “I want to move across the world and leave my home and friends so my family can tell people about...

How the Sent Send the Senders: Three Ways Missionaries Can Catalyze Mission at Home

Matthew Bennett

Apr 24, 20234 min read

How the Sent Send the Senders: Three Ways Missionaries Can Catalyze Mission at Home

As the term is commonly used, missionaries are those who are sent to make disciples in places that are usually geographically and...

Why Missions Organizations Utilize Psych Evaluations

Steve Allison

Apr 17, 20234 min read

Why Missions Organizations Utilize Psych Evaluations

Mental health has become a major focus in our post-COVID world, as rates of depression, suicide, and anxiety are climbing at alarming...

The Upstream Collective

Apr 13, 20236 min read

Profile of a Sent One

What constitutes the ideal missionary candidate? It’s fitting to begin such a discussion by examining conventional wisdom on the subject....

The Importance of Creating a Mobilization Team

Christian Townson

Apr 10, 20234 min read

The Importance of Creating a Mobilization Team

Most churches have a champion of missions—a missions pastor, a director of missions, a lay leader. Every church needs one of these people...

How to Pastor Members with a Missions Interest

Bradley Bell

Apr 6, 20234 min read

How to Pastor Members with a Missions Interest

A church member walks up and says, "Excuse me, pastor. I think I want to be a missionary." Oh no. What do you say?! Here are a few common...

10 Questions to Ask Potential Missionaries

Mike Easton

Apr 3, 20234 min read

10 Questions to Ask Potential Missionaries

I have often said that if I could give a million dollars towards global missions, it would dedicate it to figuring out who will flourish...

Working with Your Elder Team in Global Missions

Ashlyn Portero

Mar 27, 20235 min read

Working with Your Elder Team in Global Missions

When developing a global missions strategy and leading a local church in sending efforts, it is critical that a ministry staff and elder...

Teaching Others to Engage in the Missionary Task

Matthew Hirt

Mar 20, 20234 min read

Teaching Others to Engage in the Missionary Task

In a recent conversation, a friend described me as a “middle person”—someone who had been discipled and is now making disciples. My...

10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Missions Pastor

Nathan Sloan

Mar 16, 20235 min read

10 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Missions Pastor

As a missions pastor, these are ten things I have learned in my role as I have served my church.

Foundations to Healthy Missions Leadership

Scott Ward

Mar 13, 20234 min read

Foundations to Healthy Missions Leadership

As a mission pastor in a local church, there is much that is required, but I have found three actions that need to be prioritized. I have...

Liturgy for the Well-Worn Missions Leader

Bradley Bell

Mar 9, 20232 min read

Liturgy for the Well-Worn Missions Leader

We hope this liturgy written by Upstream's Bradley Bell is an encouragement to you.