discipleship | 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!

The New Roman Road: Engaging in Disciple-Making Virtually

Adam M.

Jun 105 min read

The New Roman Road: Engaging in Disciple-Making Virtually

Despite present barriers to entry in countries around the world, the internet provides access to people in the most unreached places.

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

Mark Zwemer

Jan 294 min read

Confessions of a “Fix-It Father”

What would you do if one of your children decided to become a cross-cultural missionary? The kind that wants to move to dangerous places...

Developing Leaders and Missionaries through Short-Term Trips

Christian Townson

Jan 94 min read

Developing Leaders and Missionaries through Short-Term Trips

Most churches channel their efforts into cross-cultural missions through short-term trips, enabling church members to experience the...

Greg Mathias

Jan 15 min read

Debriefing Short-Term Trips

Spending nine weeks in the Middle East during the summer of 1994 challenged my worldview, shaped my identity, and redirected my life’s...

Chris Howles

Nov 6, 20235 min read

Defining Terms: The Great Commission

Once while I was living in Uganda, I watched my Bible college students destroy an old termite mound. It looked to me just like a pile of...

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...

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...

Three Reasons to Make Disciples in Local Languages

Matthew Bennett

Feb 16, 20234 min read

Three Reasons to Make Disciples in Local Languages

Here are three reasons that we must be committed to language learning and disciple-making in the language of the heart.

Training Sent Ones for Multiplicative Discipleship

Mike Easton

Nov 10, 20223 min read

Training Sent Ones for Multiplicative Discipleship

We should teach our future missionaries the principles of multiplicative discipleship no matter which church model they encounter.

So You Wanna Be a Missionary—Who Are You Discipling?

Bradley Bell

Nov 3, 20225 min read

So You Wanna Be a Missionary—Who Are You Discipling?

I love the enthusiasm I encounter among aspiring missionaries. It drips from them like water from your hands when there are no paper...

Getting Members Involved in Local Partnerships

Jonah Fox

Oct 20, 20226 min read

Getting Members Involved in Local Partnerships

Mobilizing the Body for the Community: Micro vs Macro When I first stepped into the role of Missions Pastor, I often lived in my head in...

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...

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...

Practicing What You Preach in Evangelism

Mike Schuetz

Mar 24, 20225 min read

Practicing What You Preach in Evangelism

After spending two years interning with Campus Crusade for Christ, and then joining the staff at a fast-growing, multi-site church, I...

"God Can Use Me Right Where I Am." Encouragement or Excuse?

Meredith Cook

Nov 4, 20214 min read

"God Can Use Me Right Where I Am." Encouragement or Excuse?

The phrase “God can use me right where I am” is a reminder to steward our time well and make disciples of all nations wherever we are.

The Sending Pipeline Part 6: From Committed Goers to Sent

Mike Easton

Sep 30, 20213 min read

The Sending Pipeline Part 6: From Committed Goers to Sent

Here are some questions to ask to develop programs in this transition phase from Committed Goers to Sent, as members actually hit the field.

The Sending Pipeline Part 5: From US Senders or Potential Goers to Committed Goers

Mike Easton

Sep 27, 20217 min read

The Sending Pipeline Part 5: From US Senders or Potential Goers to Committed Goers

Committed Goers are those that have been assessed by your church and the sending agency and are cleared to be sent overseas.

The Sending Pipeline Part 3: From Globally Aware to Global Christians

Mike Easton

Sep 20, 20214 min read

The Sending Pipeline Part 3: From Globally Aware to Global Christians

Global Christians understand that they have to orient their life around God’s mission of bringing the Gospel to those who have not heard it.

The Sending Pipeline Part 1: Overview of the Sending Pipeline

Mike Easton

Sep 13, 20215 min read

The Sending Pipeline Part 1: Overview of the Sending Pipeline

The goal of a sending pipeline is to mobilize church members towards the missions vision and strategy that you have set before them.