A Different Way

Posted on 04. Oct, 2008 by ray in Church, Missional

Somewhere along the way it was decided, not quite sure by who, that missions and all things missions related should be primarily handled by para-church organizations (think YWAM, IMB, SIM, AIM, etc.). The IMB for example, has some 5,000 missionaries around the globe supported through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program and direct giving from SBC church through the Lottie Moon Offering. Churches have, quite honestly, found it easier to be involved in missions by simply giving instead of going themselves. The rational that’s primarily given is that the church doesn’t have the staff, the money, or the know how to be involved overseas so they should just leave it to the “professionals”.

There are some churches, not just SBC churches, that take a lot of “mission trips”. They send a team, once a year, to a different place in need and help out in various ways. They might run sports camps for kids, or dig wells, or build houses, or…you get the point.

There are other churches who’ve made the choice to invest in a single place. They pour their resources, time, energy, and people into a country, or city, in the hopes of long term transformation. The easy one that comes to mind here is Bob Roberts, of Glocalnet and Northwood Church. They’ve adopted Vietnam and focus much of their overseas attention there.

But there is another group of churches that have a heart for investing in places and people in another country but aren’t quite sure how to go about it. They know they have to be more involved than just giving, but they may not have the knowledge base to get the ball rolling. This is where The Upstream Collective comes in. And I can’t begin to tell you all the ways that these guys can help you out (see their website for that) so let me just sum it up in a couple of words. Upstream is run by a couple of guys I admire, respect, and appreciate. After serving (and still serving) overseas they’ve decided to help put missions back where it belongs - in the church. Upstream can help with strategy, training, and vision casting. They have a heart for Europeans and want to help churches that have a heart for Europeans get started. They’ll take a group from your church on a tour of a European city to help you get a feel for life in Europe. They’ll talk through the various ways, maybe even “new” ways that your church can get involved in the lives of Europeans in the hopes of building relationships, helping someone on their journey towards Christ, and planting churches.

I can’t recommend enough the guys at Upstream. I consider them friends and know that your church would be absolutely blessed to chat with these guys.

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