What’s a “Vision Trip?”

The Jet Set vision trip to Rome and Marseille is officially underway. Some of you might be asking: “What’s a ‘vision trip,’ anyway?”

Every year, we invite church leaders to come with us on week- long trips. We arrange meetings with church planters, national beleivers, and nonbelievers. We talk about worldview, cultural translation of the gospel, and missions strategies might pave the way for a church planting movement.

Sure, we could do all of this back home in the U.S., but there’s something about walking the streets, sitting down to coffee, and interacting with people on their terms that allows you to really get a feel for the need and opportunity overseas. Church leaders can see first-hand how God might use their churches to engage the nations missionally.

The best part is the fun we have. Hanging out, taking theology, technology, and every other – ology we’re not qualified to discuss. We see the sights, visit the cathedrals, tour the ruins. We pray for the people.

These trips change you. They ruin your perspective and re-calibrate your opinions. Please follow along as we chronicle the trip. Feel free to comment, as questions, or express your jealousy. Please pray for us. That God would guide our steps and conversations, and that it would be His vision we gain here in Rome and Marseille.

Minus the Patrick

You may have seen on the Upstream Collective Twitter feed, but we wanted to let everyone know that Darrin Patrick is having ot change his plans to go with us on the Rome/Marseille trip. The Journey Church will be sending someone else in his place. We’re sorry that Darrin couldn’t come along, but he can still keep up with the details of the trip right here on the blog or on our Twitter feed (theUpstreamC).

Some of us have already left, others asre leaving now. Please pray for safe travel. Ed Stetzer and Larry McCrary will join us tomorrow evening. Pray that they don’t get lost. Larry has a tendency to forget where he parked. Ed has a tendency not to like wandering around parking garages for hours and hours.