The Upstream Collective

08/25/2026

You are a faithful church member excited about seeing people in your congregation live on mission—but where do you start?

How do you partner well with church leadership? What should you prioritize? And how do you build a healthy pathway for identifying, equipping, and sending people to the nations?

The Sending Church Elements Cohort will give you practical tools and biblical foundations to help your church build a healthy sending pipeline and send global workers well.

🗓️ September 13
📍 Louisville, KY

Join a community of church leaders and mission-minded people who are learning, asking questions, and working through this together.

The cohort begins with a two-day in-person gathering, followed by interactive virtual sessions.

Ready to take the next step toward becoming a healthier sending church?

Register: https://www.theupstreamcollective.org/event-details/sending-church-elements-cohort-bring-conviction-strategy-to-sending-missionaries-fall-2026

08/24/2026

We often picture missions as something extraordinary, but faithful ministry can also grow out of an ordinary opportunity to serve.

For those serving cross-culturally, being welcomed into the rhythms of a local church can provide opportunities for relationship and witness. A simple invitation can become a way to contribute, connect with families, and become more rooted in the community.

That’s worth noticing—not only for those who are sent, but for the churches who send them. 👀

What simple opportunities could your church create for the missionaries you partner with?

08/24/2026

What's one thing on this list from Oak Hill College and Chris Howles your church can do in 2026?

"To fully participate in the global church, Western churches must be willing not only to give, send, and serve, but also to receive, learn, and be blessed by believers from different cultures and contexts."

Read more from our Director of Cross Cultural Training Chris Howles (originally written for The Upstream Collective) on our blog.

08/19/2026

Missions leaders, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Maybe you’re building a missions culture from the ground up. Maybe you’re trying to help your church move beyond a trip mindset and toward a lifestyle of mission.

And maybe you’re doing it as a volunteer—balancing ministry, work, and life while wondering, “What’s the next step?”

Our Fall Cohorts are designed to help missions leaders gain clarity, build a sending culture, and equip their church to reach the unreached and send the unsent.

Find the cohort that’s right for you:
🌎 Local Outreach
🌎 Sending Pathways
🌎 Short-Term Missions
🌎 Sending Church Elements
🌎 Lay Missions Leaders
🌎 Sending Pipeline

Learn more: https://www.theupstreamcollective.org/upcoming-events

08/18/2026

Recently, a church in Upstream’s Sending Network commissioned a missionary family as they prepare to serve overseas.

Through tears, the family thanked their church, saying, "Thank you for making it hard to leave."

That's what a healthy sending church looks like.

A healthy sending church disciples, equips, loves, and walks closely with missionaries long before they go and continues to support them long after they've been sent. The result is a church family that's deeply connected, even when saying goodbye is difficult.

🙏 Please pray for this family as they begin serving and for their sending church as they faithfully encourage and support them.

08/14/2026

What if your church’s next missionaries are already sitting in your pews?

Students. Teachers. Remote workers. Marketplace professionals. Entrepreneurs. Retirees.

Your church may have developed strong pathways for short-term trips and vocational missionaries—but there’s an opportunity in the middle.

These "alternative pathways" can give people in your church the opportunity to use their existing work, relationships, skills, and credibility in cross-cultural contexts.

But building that kind of sending strategy takes more than inspiration. It takes a pipeline: identifying, discerning, assessing, equipping, sending, and caring for people along the way.

That’s the focus of our Sending Pipeline Cohort, a practical workshop for mission leaders who want to expand and strengthen their church’s sending strategy.

Over four online sessions, we’ll work through:
➡️ Building a framework for alternative pathways
➡️ Developing a practical sending pipeline
➡️ Marketplace, student, retiree, remote-worker, and teacher pathways
➡️ Assessment and personal development
➡️ Field alignment and worker care
➡️ Deployment and cross-cultural skills

📅 Sept. 10–Nov. 5, 2026
💻 Online via Google Meet

Registration also includes three one-on-one coaching calls to help you apply the work to your church context. If your church is asking, "Who else could we send, and how do we help them flourish?" this cohort is for you.

Sign up today: https://www.theupstreamcollective.org/event-details/sending-pathways-cohort-expand-your-churchs-sending-strategy-fall-2026

08/10/2026

Every missions pastor wants to see their church send faithfully—but faithful sending requires both vision and a healthy process.

We're excited to welcome The Summit Church in Raleigh, NC, to our Sending Network. After months of conversation, we've begun a partnership focused on strengthening their sending pathway and supporting the missionaries they send.

That work starts now. Next year, we'll help Summit send a family to plant a church overseas.

We're thankful for churches that take the responsibility of sending seriously, and we're honored to serve them in that calling.

08/06/2026

If you're leading missions at your church, you probably know the feeling.

You're trying to cultivate missions awareness, build a sending culture, develop future missionaries, oversee short-term trips, and encourage your church to live on mission...often while serving in a volunteer role.

It's a lot.

This September and October, Upstream is launching six specialized cohorts designed specifically for missions leaders who want practical help.

You'll gain:
➡️ Clear frameworks you can actually implement
➡️ Coaching from experienced practitioners
➡️ A community of peers walking through the same challenges

Explore our fall cohorts: https://www.theupstreamcollective.org/upcoming-events

07/31/2026

God is faithfully working through the missionaries sent from our Sending Network churches.

Recently, one of these sent ones began meeting Andrew* through a mutual connection. As their friendship has grown, so have opportunities to talk about faith, open God’s Word, and share the hope of Jesus.

Andrew is still exploring what he believes, but he has shown a sincere desire to learn more about Christ.

Please pray that God would continue moving in his heart, and that the Lord would provide faithful believers to encourage and disciple him.

*Name changed for security purposes.

07/30/2026

How can your church help other churches discover their place in God's mission?

Tell us in the comments—how has your church done this?