SPIRITUAL FORMATION + GLOBAL MISSIONS
THE SENDING CHURCH DEFINED
In order to biblically clarify the nature of a sending church, this book unpacks the following definition one word at a time:
A Sending Church is a local community of Christ-followers who have made a covenant together to be prayerful, deliberate, and proactive in developing, commissioning, and sending their own members both locally and globally, often in partnership with other churches or agencies, and continuing to encourage, support, and advocate for them while making disciples cross-culturally, and upon their return.
RECEIVING SENT ONES DURING REENTRY
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a framework for growing as a sending church? Something churches could use to identify their strengths and weaknesses in missions? Now there is. We call them The Sending Church Elements. Upstream has identified four phases, divided into 17 elements, that make up healthy sending churches. This ebook is part of the Sending Church Elements series, in which each element is explained and made practical. Element 15, "Receiving Sent Ones During Reentry," describes how the church receives sent ones who are returning from the field indefinitely through planning, presence, and provision.
LENT AND MISSIONS: A 40-DAY DEVOTIONAL
Lent is the forty days that Christians have historically set aside to prepare for Easter through repentance and renewal. This devotional was written to help the local church experience this special season with even greater significance by remembering God’s global purpose for Easter, and being sent into Pentecost with the same passion of the early church. It follows a simple liturgical pattern: a Scripture reading, a brief reflection, a prayer, and—on Fridays—a guide for fasting.