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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!


How to Say “No” or “Not Yet” to Missionary Candidates
Typically, when I’ve moved to a new town, I like to take some time to explore various routes from point A to point B. I’m always looking...
Ryan Martin
Aug 12, 20248 min read


Year-End Evaluation & Reflection Resources
As we come to the end of the year, it’s a valuable time to reflect on the work God has done in 2023 and look forward to the work he will...
Mike Easton
Nov 27, 20232 min read


Questions for Evaluating On-Field Partners
My parents did a great job of teaching me how to work at a young age. In fourth grade I had an after-school paper route. (For those of...
Mike Easton
Oct 23, 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...
Steve Allison
Apr 17, 20234 min read


Evaluating Hosts of Short-Term Trips
As you finish up your short-term trips, a valuable step to take can be to evaluate the trip hosts. It’s likely that those to whom you are...
Mike Easton
Jan 9, 20233 min read


Year-End Reviews with Sent Ones
As a missions leader, you likely are having regular calls with your Sent Ones. These times are super valuable for catching up on their...
Mike Easton
Dec 19, 20223 min read


Letting Go of Partners
In our previous blog post, “Year-End Partner Evaluations,” we gave a template for evaluating partners. What do you do if the evaluation...
Mike Easton
Dec 12, 20223 min read


Evaluation Tools & Personality Tests for Potential Sent Ones
As we begin this month’s focus on Missions Mobilization, we wanted to provide some helpful tools for you to use in evaluating those who...
Mike Easton
Apr 4, 20226 min read


Partnerships are Foundational to Missionary Care
The best way to do missionary care is to put people on great teams. There are a multitude of reasons why missionaries leave the field:...
Mike Easton
Jan 6, 20227 min read
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