Orientation

Training for Cross-Cultural Ministry

June 26-29, 2025
Louisville, Kentucky

Orientation is a required 3 day cross-cultural ministry training for Upstream Sending appointees. The orientation is focused on developing pre-field missionaries holistically in the areas of knowledge, character, and skills for life and ministry cross-culturally.

Orientation includes the following elements: 

    • Biblical and theological teaching.

    • Teaching on healthy missiology and mission practice.

    • Discussion about skills related to thriving in life and ministry overseas.

    • Reviewing policies and systems related to being an Upstream Sending employee.

    • Learning the culture and values of Upstream Sending.

    • Times of worship, reflection, and community.

Registration closes May 15

Speakers & Facilitators

  • Nathan Sloan

    Executive Director
    Upstream Sending

    Nathan provides overall direction and leadership to Upstream Sending. Before coming to Upstream, he served midterm overseas and then spent most of ministry working as a missions pastor raising up, sending out, and pastoring missionaries. He is also the author of You Are Sent: Finding Your Place in God’s Global Mission.

  • BradBell

    Brad Bell

    Executive Director
    Upstream Equipping

    Brad has over twenty years of experience as a missionary, missions pastor, lead pastor, and missiologist. He is also the author of multiple Upstream books, including The Sending Church Defined and Lent and Missions: A 40-Day Devotional. Bradley writes for numerous publications, which are compiled at beautifulmissiology.com. He is married to Katie, and they have four daughters, all named after missionaries: Elisabeth, Charlotte, Anneliese, and Madeleine. They live in Louisville, Kentucky. 

  • LSMcCrary

    Larry & Susan McCrary

    Larry & Susan have nearly 30 years of cross-cultural ministry experience and have raised their two children while living overseas. Larry is the co-founder and President of The Upstream Collective and has spent more than 20 years in Europe serving in strategy and leadership roles. Before moving overseas, he was a church planter and pastor in the U.S. He is the co-author of Tradecraft: For the Church on Mission and The MarketSpace. Susan currently serves as the Europe Member Care Coordinator for TeachBeyond, supporting Christian educators and workers around the world. Together, they co-authored The First 30 Daze: Practical Encouragement for Living Abroad Intentionally. Married for 38 years, they now reside in Madrid, Spain.

  • KLanier

    Kristen Lanier

    Director of Operations & HR
    Upstream Sending

    Kristen serves as the Director of Operations & HR for Upstream Sending. She previously worked at Midwestern Seminary in communications and student life and has served in both higher education and local church ministry. Kristen spent over a year as a missionary in Cape Town, South Africa, and remains passionate about global missions and equipping the church. She’s pursuing a Master’s in Counseling from Midwestern and holds a B.S. from the University of Florida. Kristen and her husband Joseph, Associate Pastor at Fairview Baptist in Apex, NC, have three children: Ingrid, Titus, and George.

  • JK

    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.

Schedule

Thursday, June 26

6-8pm | Dinner (location TBD)

Friday, June 27

8:00 AM | Devotion & Worship

9:00 AM | Session 1

10:30 AM | Session 2

12:00 PM | Lunch

2:00 PM | Session 3

4:00 PM | Session 4

5:00 PM | Dinner

7:00 PM | Evening Event

Saturday, June 28

8:00 AM | Devotion & Worship

9:00 AM | Session 5

10:30 AM | Session 6

12:00 PM | Lunch

2:00 PM | Session 7

4:00 PM | Session 8

5:00 PM | Dinner

7:00 PM | Evening Event

Sunday, June 29

8:00 AM | Session 9

11:00 AM | Sunday Service @ Sojourn Midtown

12:30 AM | Orientation Concludes

Upstream Collective Office

107 South Shelby St
Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Travel

Please plan to arrive in Louisville, Kentucky no later than 6pm on Thursday, June 26. We will provide information on dinner arrangements prior to Orientation. If you are coming in from out of town the best airport to fly into is the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). If you choose to fly please let us know and we can arrange a pick up for you. However, if you would rather rent your own vehicle at SDF and drive yourself to our offices, you may do that as well. Either way, please do inform us of your plans. 

NOTE: Please make the necessary arrangements for the care of your children as there will be no childcare or children’s program provided.

Lodging

Upstream Sending will arrange for your low cost accommodations near our offices downtown. We will provide these details to you prior to the orientation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Registration closes on May 15. Please register before then so we will have sufficient time to prepare.

  • We are committed to keeping your expenses for orientation as low as possible. Costs will cover meals, snacks, lodging, and orientation materials. These orientation costs will be deducted from your support account once the final costs have been determined. 

    You can make your own transportation arrangements to and from orientation, and request reimbursement for that expense from your support funds.

    Note: these costs have already been figured in to your support budget (see One Time Transfer/Start-up Costs > Nontaxable > Orientation on your Support Budget spreadsheet)

  • We ask people to arrive in Louisville, Kentucky, no later than the evening of June 26, 2025.

  • Not necessary unless you prefer to get one from SDF Airport.

  • Please make the necessary arrangements for the care of your children as there will be no childcare or children’s program provided.