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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!


Mobilizing Marketplace Workers in Your Local Church
As a returned global worker, I occasionally get this request from our church’s mission’s office: “We had a visit from someone about to...
Shirley Ralston
Aug 28, 20235 min read


Getting Sent Ones Established—As Committed Church Members
Some missionaries go up to a mountain village to evangelize secluded cattle ranchers. For a day or two, these self-invited Christian...
Jason Apon
Feb 6, 20235 min read


Marketplace Ministry from Experience, Pt. II
Make the Most of Your Foreign Assignment Click here for part one of this article series. Engage in Marketplace Ministry If God has led...
Shirley Ralston
Jul 18, 20226 min read


Upcoming Upstream Book: Holding the Rope
This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Holding the Rope: How the Local Church Can Care for Its Sent Ones by Ryan Martin, set to be...
Ryan Martin
Jun 28, 20226 min read


A Church Plant Can Be a Sending Church
Recently, I was on a personal retreat at a nearby monastery. With my Bible and journal in hand, I tiptoed away to the surrounding knobby...
Bradley Bell
Jun 13, 20225 min read


Does Sending Church Exclude the Universal Church and Parachurch?
“Does the sending church conversation unhelpfully exclude or deemphasize the universal church or the parachurch?” The Development of...
Larry McCrary
Nov 1, 20213 min read


Missionary Care Begins with the Local Church: A Look at 3 John 5-8
The local church, both its members and leaders, should be sending and supporting well for the promotion and advancement of the gospel.
Ryan Martin
Aug 9, 20215 min read


Missions Resources from Around the Web
We want to highlight some helpful resources from around the web. This is a mixed bag of resources about a variety of missions topics.
The Upstream Collective
Aug 3, 20202 min read


Sent Identity, Part 1: Why is a Sending Church So Important?
To put it simply, the reason missionaries identify as sent from their local church is because it is the local church that sends.
Larry McCrary
May 25, 20205 min read
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