awareness | 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!

Entrusting Mission Ministry to Lay Leaders

D. Ray Davis

Apr 224 min read

Entrusting Mission Ministry to Lay Leaders

When considering the Great Commission, is it prudent to entrust mission efforts to lay leaders? The missionary task is best accomplished whe

Resources for Cultivating Missions Awareness in Kids

Jenny Marcelene

Apr 15 min read

Resources for Cultivating Missions Awareness in Kids

My family has an obsession—the Sacramento Kings basketball team. Despite fifteen years of marriage to a hardcore fan, I didn't cross the...

Mike Easton

Sep 18, 20235 min read

Lunch and Learns

At the end of Paul’s first missionary journey, there is a wonderful, descriptive paragraph on what Paul and Barnabas did as they returned...

Sending BAM Individuals from Your Church

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...

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...

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...

Developing a Global Heart in a Digital World

Mark Vance

Sep 15, 20223 min read

Developing a Global Heart in a Digital World

I have the privilege of serving as the Lead Pastor at Cornerstone Church in Ames, IA. When this church was planted in 1994, the founding...

Bradley Bell

Sep 5, 20224 min read

Toward a Better Definition of Missions

A few months ago, I had a conversation with the editorial director of one of today’s most highly trafficked Christian websites. I thanked...

How to Design a Mission Space in Your Church

Larry McCrary

Aug 25, 20224 min read

How to Design a Mission Space in Your Church

The Sunday gathering is a great time to create mission awareness in your church. Assuming you are already using some graphics or slides...

Why Every Church Member Needs Glasses: Fostering a Missional Lens

Bradley Bell

Aug 22, 20224 min read

Why Every Church Member Needs Glasses: Fostering a Missional Lens

I started wearing glasses in the fourth grade. The optometrist whispered to my mom, “He’s nearsighted in one eye, farsighted in the...

Creative Ways to Cultivate Awareness, Pt. I

Dave & Lorene Wilson

Aug 15, 20226 min read

Creative Ways to Cultivate Awareness, Pt. I

After serving in the church as a missions pastor for more than twenty years, I am often amused when I reflect on the variety of failures...

Resources & Suggestions for Cultivating Missions Awareness in Your Church

Matthew Hirt

Aug 4, 20225 min read

Resources & Suggestions for Cultivating Missions Awareness in Your Church

Mission Vision Toolbox: Tools for Casting a Great Commission Vision in your Church I think most pastors have the desire for their church...

Matthew Hirt

May 23, 20225 min read

Cultural Sensitivity in the US Context

A large movie poster of Shah Rukh Khan was not what my wife and I expected to see as we walked into the movie theater in southern...

Sharing the Gospel Cross-Culturally: You Don't Have to Be an Expert

Meredith Cook

Nov 1, 20215 min read

Sharing the Gospel Cross-Culturally: You Don't Have to Be an Expert

You don’t have to be an expert to share the hope of the gospel with someone who is much different than you.

The Sending Pipeline Part 2: Moving Church Members from "New to Missions" to "Globally Aware"

Mike Easton

Sep 16, 20214 min read

The Sending Pipeline Part 2: Moving Church Members from "New to Missions" to "Globally Aware"

These are three questions we need to answer when helping church members move from being new to missions to globally aware.

Building the Foundation for Healthy Sending

Larry McCrary

Sep 7, 20213 min read

Building the Foundation for Healthy Sending

While it can be said there are no perfect Sending Churches, we do see some common practices of healthy Sending Churches.

Tips for Creating a Global Missions Display

Mike Easton

Aug 25, 20214 min read

Tips for Creating a Global Missions Display

A global missions display validates your efforts in global missions and shows your members what you are doing around the world.

Resources to Help Guide Your Prayer for the Nations

Meredith Cook

Aug 20, 20212 min read

Resources to Help Guide Your Prayer for the Nations

Prayer is vital to the work of missionaries around the world. Here are some organizations that have developed prayer guides for the nations.

Tips for Creating a Missions Website for Your Church

Mike Easton

Aug 16, 20214 min read

Tips for Creating a Missions Website for Your Church

In the global information age a website can be a key part of your plan to cultivate global awareness in the life of your church.

Overview of Sending Element 1: Cultivating Missions Awareness

Mike Easton

Feb 17, 20214 min read

Overview of Sending Element 1: Cultivating Missions Awareness

Missions awareness starts with you. You can begin creating awareness by helping those close to you understand God’s heart for the nations.