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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!
Josh Duncan
Oct 7, 20245 min read
Funding Nationals or National Organizations: The How
In our previous blog post , we delved into why funding national work is a powerful strategy for advancing God’s mission among the...
Josh Duncan
Sep 30, 20245 min read
Funding Nationals or National Organizations: The Why
In late April and early May of 2015, the country of Nepal was struck by two devastating earthquakes, measuring 7.8 and 7.3 in magnitude....
Kelsey Jarjour
Feb 5, 20245 min read
Four Practical Ways to Care for Missionaries on Furlough
If you have ever served in long-term missions or known someone who has, then you know that following the missionary call God often...
Mike Easton
Oct 9, 20234 min read
Why Empower National Partners
One of the great joys of being a missions leader is getting to travel and see the work of God in the least-reached places of the world....
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."...
Mike Easton
Jul 27, 20234 min read
How to Communicate Missions Giving to Your Church Members
When you communicate and celebrate missions giving you communicate vision and priorities to your people.
Ashlyn Portero
Jul 24, 20235 min read
How to Inform the Church on the Impact of Their Giving
We as church leaders want to see our people practice radical generosity. We want our churches to be intentional and wise in directing...
Mike Easton
Jul 20, 20234 min read
Four Church Giving Practices for Supporting Global Missions
The budget is one of the best ways to reflect the values of a church. Giving to global missions usually falls in one of four categories.
Jared Burwell
Jul 17, 20235 min read
How to Address the Impact of Inflation on Giving
I still wince when I go to the grocery store to buy fruit or meat, remembering what those prices per pound used to be back when I...
Mike Easton
Jul 13, 20234 min read
When and How to Stop Financially Supporting Missions Partners
No missions leader enjoys the part of their job where they let go of partnerships financially. Inevitably, if you want to be a strategic sen
Jared Burwell
Jul 10, 20235 min read
Staying Connected While Far Away
I have the privilege of knowing and working with people around the world. Many of these people are expats serving in humanitarian,...
Mike Easton
Jul 6, 20233 min read
Why Giving to Global Missions Is Helpful for Your Church Budget
There are biblical and pragmatic reasons that giving to global missions is helpful for your church's budget.
Ryan Martin
Jul 3, 20235 min read
How to Think About Funding One-Time Requests
In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul testifies of the Macedonians that “according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own...
Mike Easton
Dec 12, 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...
Bradley Bell
Jul 28, 20223 min read
Leveraging Your Missions Funds Most Effectively in a Small Church
For eighteen years I spent the first hour of my day listening to country music. My mom’s alarm clock was set (loudly) to the local...
Larry McCrary
Jul 25, 20225 min read
How Much Should the Sending Church Give to Their Sent Ones?
The question of what percentage of funds a sending church should give their Sent Ones can be tricky to answer, and there is certainly no...
Shirley Ralston
Jul 20, 20225 min read
Marketplace Ministry from Experience, Pt. III
Self-Funding Missions Before and After Retirement Click here for part one of this article series and here for part two. Wise Advice When...
Shirley Ralston
Jul 14, 20224 min read
Marketplace Ministry from Experience, Pt. I
Expatriates: Our Accidental Pathway to Missions Life in the Oil Patch A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs...
Bradley Bell
Jul 11, 20226 min read
Fully Funded or Support Raised? The Pros and Cons of Each, Pt. II
I have been a support-raised missionary. It’s pretty awesome. Here are some of the challenges, along with a few pleasant surprises.
Bradley Bell
Jul 7, 20226 min read
Fully Funded or Support Raised? The Pros and Cons of Each, Pt. I
Being a fully-funded missionary is pretty awesome. Here are some of the benefits, along with a few unpleasant surprises.
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