Tentmaking

Tentmaking
unlocking closed lands
Is tentmaking the answer?
BRYANKNELL
Keywords:missionaries, Paul, Corinth, Arab world, cross-culture, service, residence,
salary, ministry, support, priorities, agency, training Is tentmaking the answer?
When we think of world mission we have to come to terms with two disturbing statistics. The
first is that many countries are closing their borders to traditional missionaries. On average,
four more nations each year are refusing to welcome missionaries and it has been
estimated that by the year 2000, 83% of the world’s population will live in these ‘closed’
countries. Is tentmaking the answer?
The second disturbing statistic is that the number of missionaries from the UK dropped
considerably in the 1970s and early 1980s. Although the trend has now stopped and the
numbers have levelled out and are starting to rise, the need for more workers is greater
than ever before. Depending on location, it costs between ,15,000 and ,25,000 each year
to support a missionary family on the field. Another 1000 missionaries from the UK would
therefore cost the British church ,15B25 million each year. Tentmaking could certainly help
reduce this cost.
Biblical background
The term ‘tentmaker’ comes from the New Testament. It was the trade practised by the
apostle Paul, one of the first missionaries and arguably the model for missionary service
ever since. Paul did not always seek employment as a maker of tents, in preference to
being supported as a missionary, but used one approach or the other depending on the
circumstances.
The term ‘tentmaker’ comes from Acts 18:3 where Paul took up his manual skill because it
was convenient and expedient during his ministry in Corinth. He also used his manual skill
in Thessalonica and probably in other places too. It is interesting to clarify some of the
reasons why Paul was involved in tentmaking.
Firstly, Paul did not make tents because it was his primary professional calling. He was
trained and qualified as a rabbi, he had studied under Gamaliel and had been prepared for
an academic life as a religious interpreter and teacher. All rabbis were expected to have a
manual skill and Paul had learnt the craft of tentmaking, probably when he was quite young,
but it was never intendedto be his main way of life.
Indeed Paul makes it clear that those who are evangelists or preachers should receive their
living from God’s people: ‘In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who
preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel’ (1 Cor. 9:14).
Secondly, Paul chose to earn some money from making tents in Corinth so that he could
not later be accused of living off the believers while he was with them. He may have
anticipated that the Corinthian church was going to be critical of his authority, and accuse
him of commercial gain from his apostleship (2 Cor. 11:7B9).
Thirdly, Paul clearly states that the reason he made tents was to be an example to the
church of the importance of hard work, of not being a burden and of helping the weak (Acts
20:34B35; 2 Thess. 3:7B9).
Fourthly, it seems that Paul chose to do some sabbatical tentmaking with Aquila and
Priscilla in Corinth as a break from his normal missionary work while he was waiting for the
rest of his team to arrive. While he was tentmaking he seems to have preached in the
synagogue only on Sunday, whereas when Silas and Timothy came, Paul abandoned his
tentmaking and ‘devoted himself exclusively to preaching . . .’ (Acts 18:5).
In our world travel is easy, advertizing iswidespread but visa regulations are tight. Our
world is altogether more complicated than in Paul’s day, but some of Paul’s reasons for
tentmaking are still valid today. Tentmaking should not be seen as better or a substitute for
the more traditional role of a missionary. Both approaches are biblical and valid, but one
may be more appropriate than the other. In the Arab World where missionaries are not
allowed, tentmakers are obviously needed.
What is a tentmaker?
A discussion of the definition of a tentma ker often seems to be an endless circle that gets
nowhere fast. Just as many discussions on the subject ‘What is a missionary?’ end up with
someone saying that every Christian is a missionary, which is both true and unhelpful, so
discussions about tentmakers are open to similar problems. A tentmaker is not any
Christian who chooses to take employment overseas. Here is our working definition:
A tentmaker is a missionary in cross-cultural ministry who has been called by God,
prepared for service, and who hasa secular identity in the land in which he/she
serves.
This definition gives us the characteristics of a missionary tentmaker. The tentmaker is:
A missionary in cross-cultural ministry
This characteristic indicates the primary intention of the tentmaker. Why is he/she working
abroad? There are many good reasons for living and working abroad: some people like the
sunshine, or the high salary, or the broader experience, or the sense of adventure or a
host of other good and acceptable things. But the tentma ker is just one of the many types
of missionary whose major priority must be to plant, disciple and serve the church of God in
a culture that is not his/her own.
Called by God
Tentmaking is not something you can simply drift into, just as you cannot simply drift into
missionary service. If you happen to be working abroad and you suddenly think that sharing
your faith is a good idea, that doesn’t make you a tentmaker. God calls people to his
service in many different ways and there are no foolproof patterns, but the clear call of God
gives you the confidence to go forward, the certainty that you are in the right place when
things go wrong and the reassurance that God will supply all the resources you need.
The call of God is a personal and very individual thing, but must be acknowledged and
confirmed by the fellowship of a local church.
Prepared for service
The task of any missionary, tentmaker or not, is closely related to communication. A
communicator needs to know his message, know his audience and understand the medium
of communication he will use with all the implications, prejudices and cultural perspectives
that are involved.
Preparation does not necessarily involve years at Bible or missionary training college,
although this is probably the most thorough preparation in the UK. New opportunities for
training are constantly opening up and the tentmaker needs to make every effort to get the
best preparation that his/her personal circumstances permit.
Known to have a secular identity
The tentmaker has a secular identity in the country where he/she serves. He/She may do
the same job as a missionary teacher or missionary nurse, but the tentmaker’s residence
papers or visa form will not give their occupation as that of a missionary but rather of an
employee of a secular organization inside the country or a secular expatriate organization
abroad.
In general, the tentmaker will be allowed to stay by the government, because he/she is
seen to do a job, which is beneficial to the country and one which no national could
presently undertake.
The advantages of tentmaking
1 Residence
The first reason for being a tentmaker and the reason why many people initially consider
tentmaking is that it is the only way to achieve long-term residence in your target country. A
successful job application results in the necessary papers required to get a residence
permit, which is often issued on a yearly basis and can be renewed if the job continues.
2 Natural contact
Tentmaking gives you a natural contact with those you normally meet and inter-relate with
through your job. You will have natural employment relationships with your colleagues. If
you are a teacher you will also have a natural contact with those students you teach and
they will be able to relate to you easily as they do to other colleagues. This will result in
natural topics of conversation, many of which will apply to work and through these
completely normal exchanges you will be able to get to know those you work with,
understand how they react to things and get a feel for what really matters to them.
Through this natural working relationship you will be able to stand up for what is right and
hopefully make a stand against corruption and other bad practices, as well as sharing the
gospel as and when the opportunity develops.
3 Financial assistance
Very few tentmakers are completely self-supporting through the salary that they receive.
Most jobs that are suitable for tentmakers just do not pay enough to cover the cost of living
abroad and all the extras that are necessary for travel, pension requirements etc. However
a tentmaker’s salary can help very considerably in reducing support that is needed from
church and friends at home.
It is never a good idea to be a tentmaker just because there is no financial support from
home. If the financial support is not forthcoming, the chances are that the prayer support
will not be forthcoming either, and you will need prayer support to be effective in the Lord’s
service whether you are a tentmaker, or following any other sort of missionary calling.
4 Secular job satisfaction
Christian ministry can be very hard-going. It is often a struggle, sometimes depressing and
it is possible to go for long periods without seeing much spiritual progress. If the times of
spiritual barrenness continue unabated for a very long time, then the tentmaker should
probably consider whether he/she is in the right place and trying to fulfil the right ministry,
but there are always periods when there seems to be no spiritual progress and on those
occasions the tentmaker can be encouraged by a job that gives satisfaction.
5 Perception
Several of the advantages of tentmaking centre on the issue of how you are perceived.
This is important in three areas. Firstly, how do these people of the Arab World perceive
you C the Christian worker? Secondly, how do the national Christians perceive you? And
lastly, how do you perceive yourself?
The restrictions of tentmaking
1 Considerable time constraints
Many of the restrictions of tentmaking are related to time. Time is precious and must be
guarded but that is particularly difficult when trying to integrate into a culture where time
has little value.
For the tentmaker there are very often restrictions on the amount of time that can be spent
in preparation for service overseas. Most traditional missionaries would probably take many
years to prepare in terms of theology, mission studies, Islamic studies, and language
training, before coming fully into their ministry. Preparation for tentmaking is vital and
important.
Ministry time is important too. If your regular job totally wears you out, physically and
emotionally, then you are going to have very little left to give to encouraging young
believers, face-to-face evangelism and dealing with all the other stresses of friendship
evangelism in a hostile environment.
2 Priority conflicts
Because tentmakers have to try and fit so much into a restricted time schedule, many of
them tend to be activists. Activists always find it more difficult to stop and spend time waiting
onthe Lord, and a tentmaker who is an activist, is going to find more excuses for filling up
his/her time with legitimate activities than the traditional missionary. The tentmaker has to
cultivate the ability to guard those times of waiting on the Lord in order to be spiritually
equipped and briefed by the Lord for ministry.
3 Misunderstanding by supporters
The need for prayer backing, understanding home assignments and the financial situation
are often misunderstood by Christians at home.
Choosing a tentmaking job
There is no doubt that some jobs are much more suitable for the tentmaker than others.
The jobs that are most unsuitable for tentmakers are those that give little opportunity for
Christian ministry, and they often have the following characteristics.
1 A very high salary.
2 Long working hours.
3 A considerable amount of responsibility and working to deadlines.
4 Working with expatriates and having little contact with nationals.
5 Little time to improve your language
6 Application is made through an agency in the UK
Experience has shown that the best tentmaking jobs are very often those that you apply for
through contacts on location. If a school director or a factory manager is desperate for
someone to fill a particular post, possibly because he has been let down by someone not
arriving from overseas, then he will be prepared to take on anybody who he thinks can
adequately do the job whatever their qualifications. The applicant concerned is then in a
position to negotiate the hours of work and other conditions of service. This has proved to
be particularly true where the teaching of English is concerned.
Having learnt the language it is important to trust God to make sure you are in the right
place at the right time when the right job opportunitiescome up. Jobs that are applied for
on the field very often are more suitable for tentmaking but they command local salaries
rather than higher expatriate salaries.
An important question Cindependent or agency linked?
Many people with overseas experienceare convinced that the advantages of being linked
with a missionary society far outweigh the disadvantages and that in fact many of the
independents who arrive overseas cause many problems that could otherwise be avoided.
The advantages of being linked wi th an agency are many.
1 Training and preparation
Tentmakers need just as much training and preparation as any other sort of missionary.
But time is in short supply and agencies can give advice.
2 Orientation
Few people understand the culture shock that faces a Westerner arriving overseas. A
person or family needs to be met, helped to find housing, assisted in registering with the
police and opening bank accounts, and helped with getting children into the right schools.
3 Support
One agency reports thatthe rate of spiritual ‘burnout’ among independents is very high.
The main reason for this seems to be the lack of effective support for those who go
independently.
4 Special facilities
Agencies often provide regular conferences for spiritual stimulation,practical training, and
relaxing fellowship for those in tentmaking situations. These can be very valuable times, not
only as a pastoral help, but also in increasing the effectiveness of those in tentmaking
ministries.
Mission home offices can also provide care for the parents of missionaries or children who
are being educated at home. It is difficult for a home church to care for parents and
children if they are at a distance.
Mission agencies can also offer support for those returning home. Reverse culture shock is
sometimes even more traumatic than the culture shock you face when you first arrive on
the field.
5 Finding the right job
The individuals concerned usually have to find the job themselves, but to be pointed in the
right direction or introduced to the right person can be a great help.
6 Finances
Most tentmakers are not totally self-supporting financially. This is particularly true for those
who obtain work in the country where they serve. Although their tentmaking salary is a
great help, additional money usually needs to be channelled through from churches and
friends at home.
7 Links with home
Educating a home church to understand what you are doing as a tentmaker, the pressures
that exist, the need for security, and how the gospel can be shared in the land where you
work is a major undertaking for all missionaries and particularly for tentmakers. Agencies
have experienced and skilled staff, videos, slide-shows, literature and other promotional
material which can help the sending church understand what the tentmaker is doing and
the opposition that he/she is facing.
A much fuller and more comprehensive version of this paper, complete with appendices, is
available from AWM, PO Box 51, Loughborough, Leics LE11 0ZQ. Tel: 01509 239525 Fax:
01509 264820 Email: 74754.1321@compuserve.com
[NB. This paper was produced in Evangel, The British Evangelical Review, edited by
Stephen Dray and produced by Paternoster Periodicals, P.O. Box 300, Kingstown
Broadway, Carlisle CA3 0QR, Cumbria, UK. Tel: 0845 0 5 9 49 39 Standard price for
One year in the UK (3 issues) is £17.70 incl p & p, and internationally £18.60, incl p &
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