Toward a Healthy Missiology

Sending Church Gathering

January 6-8, 2025
Fort Myers, Florida

The Sending Church Gathering is our yearly gathering of sending churches and church leaders focused on finding renewal in Jesus, fostering meaningful relationships with other mission leaders, and collaborating together for more and better mission.

This year’s Gathering centers on healthy missiology. We’ll focus our teaching and interactive sessions on the key elements of leading your church in effective, fruitful, and biblical missiology.

We hope every Sending Network church will come, be refreshed in their walk with Jesus, learn from others, and be better equipped as a sending church.

Over the next few months, we’ll continue to announce the speakers, sessions, and content for this year’s Gathering. Take a moment and register now.

Registration closes December 6

Speakers & Facilitators

  • Dave Childers

    Sending Network Director
    Upstream Sending

    Dave leads our network of churches and church leaders, providing support and encouragement. Before his role at Upstream, he was a missions pastor and missions agency leader.

  • Nathan Sloan

    Executive Director
    Upstream Sending

    Nathan provides overall direction and leadership to Upstream Sending and is passionate about healthy missiology. He is also the author of You Are Sent and Multisite Missions Leadership

  • Brad Bell

    Executive Director
    Upstream Equipping

    Brad is a gifted writer, speaker, and missiologist. Along with leading Upstream Equipping, he is the author of Sending Church Defined and the coauthor of several other books.

  • J K

    Field Network Leader
    North Africa

    James and his family live and work in a large global city in North Africa where they lead a team of sent ones, run a business, and do ministry alongside the local church.

  • Justin Dodson

    Field Network Director
    Upstream Sending

    Justin leads our Field Network and oversees all our work overseas. He and his family serve in Strasbourg, France where he planted a multicultural church and seeks to reach refugees with the gospel.

Schedule

Monday, January 6

1:00 PM | Session 1
Worship and Getting Acquainted

3:30 PM | Session 2
Missiological Value #1 - Authority of Scripture and the Power of the Holy Spirit

6-8 PM | Group Dinner at a beach restaurant

Tuesday, January 7

8:30 AM | Devotion & Worship

9:30 AM | Session 3
Missiological Value #2 - Gospel Renewal

12:00 PM | Lunch

2:00 PM | Session 4
Missiological Value # 3 - The Centrality of the Local Church

3:45 PM | Break

4:00 PM | Session 5
Missiological Value #4 - The Reality of Sacrifice and Suffering

6:00 PM | Networking Dinner

Wednesday, January 8

8:30 AM | Devotion & Worship

9:30 AM | Session 6
Missiological Value #5 - The Global Church

10:30 | Break

11:00 AM | Closing Session
Lessons learned from the Lausanne Congress

Collabrative Mission

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

We are committed to collaborating with our churches for more and better mission. We will do this through small group work and sharing best practices.

Meaningful Relationships

Gospel Renewal

We are called to serve out of the overflow of our life with God.

During our gathering, we’ll commit time to worship, Bible intake, reflection, and prayer in an effort to slow down and be renewed in the Lord.

Leadership can be a lonely endeavor but it doesn’t have to be.

We will give time and space to get to know one another, hear each other’s stories, and build meaningful relationships that last long after our gathering is over.

Collaborative mission, meaningful relationships, and gospel renewal are the core values that shape our yearly gathering. They give our Sending Network clarity on who we are and why we exist. These values are woven throughout our programming, worship, and downtime.

Venue


Summit Church is a member of the Sending Network and a vital part of our community. They are situated in beautiful Fort Myers, Florida and have graciously offered to host this year’s Gathering.

Summit Church

19601 Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy
Fort Myers, FL 33913

Lodging

You are welcome to stay wherever you like but we suggest the following lodging options.


NOTE: Dates for the group rate links are preset. Please double check booking dates if you wish to arrive or depart on different dates.

Group Name: Upstream Collective
Arrival Date: 1/5/25
Departure Date: 1/9/25
Cut-Off Date: 12/6/24
Room Type: King One Bedroom Suite (including 1 king size bed and 1 sofa bed)
Group Rate: $189 per night plus 11.5% tax
Rate includes a hot breakfast buffet daily

Group Name: Upstream Collective
Arrival Date: 1/5/25
Departure Date: 1/9/25
Cut-Off Date: 12/6/24
Room Type: Two Queen Beds Standard
Group Rate: $189 per night plus 11.5% tax
Rate includes breakfast daily up to 2 guests per room

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Sending Church Gathering is for church leaders in the Sending Network and for churches exploring partnership with Upstream Sending. Churches that are invited may bring as many people as they like. The event is not open to others.

  • Registration closes on December 6. Please book your spots before then so we will have sufficient time to prepare for the Gathering.

  • Upstream Sending is committed to keep our event affordable for our churches. Along with a $99 registration fee per person, we ask leaders to cover their own travel and lodging costs.

  • We ask people to arrive at the venue no later than 12:30pm on Monday and depart no earlier than 12:30pm on Wednesday.

    We would encourage you to stay over at the end of the Gathering. Some of the leaders are planning to spend the afternoon at the beach.

  • You are welcome to rent a car. However, our suggested hotels have free shuttles from RSW airport to the hotel. They also provide a free shuttle from the hotel to Summit Church and so you would not need to get a rental car.

    We will be having at least one meal away from the venue but anticipate that enough people will have rental cars that you should have no trouble without a rental car.

  • Yes. Network churches are welcome to bring as many people from their team/church as they like. We actually encourage you to bring people as this will create more buy-in with the Upstream Sending.

  • Fort Myers has beautiful beaches. Some of those who are coming for the Gathering are planning to stay over an extra day to spend time exploring Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's Winter Estates, etc.

    Consider coming early or staying late and enjoy a chance to find renewal in Jesus.