Field Network

Many sending organizations rely on their own internal network of employees to receive new missionaries. This is a proven model and one that works well. However, we believe there are additional ways of sending and receiving missionaries that are helpful to the sent one, healthy for the field team, and empowering to the global church.

Through our own leaders' field experience and feedback from our network of churches and other global leaders, we’ve come up with a model we call the Field Network.

What is the Field Network?

  • Sending from Local Churches

    The Field Network is Upstream Sending’s model for how we will send missionaries. Not only will we send to established Upstream Sending teams, but the Field Network will also tap into our global network of relationships to allow sending to trusted partners, including:
    -Vetted national partners
    -National and international churches
    -Global non-profits
    -Other sending organizations’ teams
    This network allows for more flexible, collaborative receiving, connecting missionaries with trusted global leaders, and facilitating partnerships with other sending organizations.

  • Received by Trusted Teams

    The Field Network is not just about sending, it’s about receiving well and advocating for healthy mission practice.

    At Upstream Sending, we desire the field team to be ready and willing to receive new sent ones well. Therefore, we commit to only facilitate the sending of a missionary once we know the field team or national partner is ready to receive them. This includes asking prospective field teams to go through an onboarding process that better prepares the receiving team and establishes shared expectations.

  • A Network of Leaders

    The Field Network is also a network of ministry leaders. We are creating a community of leaders that relate to one another across nationalities, learn from one another in ministry, and are encouraged practically by Upstream Sending and its community of sending churches.

 Field Network Process

In order to join our Field Network, we ask prospective field teams and national partners to align around the following criteria:

  1. Our guiding statements and values:

  2. Memorandum of understanding commitments: 

    • MOU with Upstream Sending

    • Field Team Covenant (including an MOU)

Our processes are focused on alignment rather than authority. The desire is not to control the way people engage in ministry but to cultivate collaboration and clarify expectations for both the receiving team and the sent one. We believe this will improve the potentially devastating mismatch and misunderstanding that can happen between teammates, national leaders, sending churches, and organizational leaders. 

The following are steps in the onboarding process for a new receiving field team:

 

  • Initial conversation.

    Upstream Sending and the field team leader or national partner will have an initial conversation to explore the possibility of opening a new receiving field.

  • Application.

    The field team leader submits a field team application. This includes an online questionnaire, submission of team documents including covenant and strategy, team practices, possible job descriptions and requests, etc. (This may look different when establishing partnerships with national churches and ministries based on the culture and desire of the national leader.)

    Also, the field team leader, along with all team members, will read and sign off on Upstream Sending’s theological statement and missiological values.

  • Interview.

    Upstream Sending leadership and leaders from the field team have a formal interview to ask remaining questions and determine partnership fit. This can be done onsite or virtually as determined by all parties involved.

  • MOU and Covenant Agreement.

    Upstream Sending and the field team leader draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU). All parties also sign off on the new or existing team covenant and practices drafted by the field team.

  • Membership.

    After the above actions, the field team would then:

    The team and team leader would be invited in as full members of the Field Network including the benefits for the team leader detailed below.

    Be open to receiving new sent ones from Upstream Sending’s partner churches. (Field teams always have a right to say no to a sent one interested in joining their team.)

 Benefits for the Field Team and Team Leader:

  • We believe the process of becoming a member of the Field Network will help bring greater clarity and health to field teams through the adoption of a team covenant, team practices, and from having an outside organization ask questions and provide insight to the team as a whole. Also, field teams will know that future sent ones have been vetted, trained well, and are coming from churches they already know to some degree.

  • Field team leaders are joining a network of other global church leaders who share similar roles and carry similar burdens. Upstream Sending is committed to facilitating ongoing conversation and collaboration among leaders within our Field Network.

  • As an organization, we believe that healthy leaders more readily produce good teams and good ministry. Therefore, we are committed to investing in the development and overall health of our field team leaders. We will do this in the following ways:

    Relationship: Upstream Sending will facilitate a monthly leaders’ call focused on leadership development, encouragement, and soul care. Team leaders will also be able to reach out to our leadership and network of church mission pastors, as needed.

    Resourcing: Upstream Sending will periodically provide team leaders with books, webinars, and online resources for ongoing leadership development and spiritual growth. This includes full access to Upstream Collective’s resource library.

 Future Receiving Fields

Over the next year, Upstream Sending, with help from our partner churches, will begin building out our Field Network. These trusted field teams will come from Upstream Sending’s existing network of relationships, current partnerships from our sending churches, and new relationships we build along the way. 

We are having initial conversations with team leaders, local churches, and ministries in the following locations: 

  • North Africa

  • UAE

  • Nepal

  • India

  • France

  • Spain

  • Turkey

  • Thailand

 Field Team Practices

The following are team values and practices we ask every team or partner organization in the Field Network to agree upon and put into practice. The application of these values and practice will look different depending on the team and location. Upstream Sending will provide resources and templates to help field teams develop the following values and practices, as needed.

As a field team within the network of Upstream Sending, we commit to the following:

  1. We will be humble learners of our host culture, people, and local church leaders. 

  2. We are committed to the local church in our field context. 

  3. We value team members as whole people, not just the work they produce.

  4. We will provide a defined level of community for all members on the team.

  5. We have an accountability process for our team members, including our team leader(s).

  6. We have an organizational structure, decision making process, and conflict resolution process. 

  7. We have a clarified onboarding process and mentorship for new team members.

  8. We give strategic direction and training for ministry engagement.

  9. We make sure everyone knows their role on the team and where their gifts can be used for strategic ministry. 

  10. We value the churches that send people to the field and seek to honor them through communication and ongoing relationship.

  11. We have an expectation that every team member will maintain a deep abiding relationship with God.