Oak Hill College and UFM Worldwide joined forces with The Upstream Collective to help people explore the vital place of the local church in mission.
Kentucky-based Upstream Collective’s mission is to help churches send well - doing this through equipping the church with tools and relational support and by sending the church as a missions agency that prioritises relationships.
Larry McCrary and Bradley Bell spoke at Oak Hill’s chapel, recorded a podcast, and co-led two events in London.
The first event, for church members and missions teams, looked at how God’s character as a sending God shapes the calling of every church. The next day they ran a workshop for church leaders about how they can send well.
Oak Hill’s Director of Cross Cultural Studies, Chris Howles, said of the visit: “Amid the many demands of church life, it’s easy for global horizons to fade from view. These events helped remind us that God’s plan for reaching the nations is not through a few specialists, but through His local church - ordinary believers participating together in His extraordinary mission.
"Larry and Brad were a real blessing in helping us think deeply and practically about what it means to be a sending church rooted in Scripture and shaped by God’s global purposes.”
Bradley Bell, Executive Director of Upstream, reflected on their time in the UK saying: “We were humbled by the trust in our perspectives as foreigners, and delighted by the eagerness to see churches send well. We pray that our discussions will bear fruit in the UK and beyond.”
