There are people who are confused about tentmaking. The term is not commonly used in everyday conversations. I once had a lady call the office so excited when she saw the announcement about our tentmaker training. She said I have looked all over and this is the first place I have found a conference to teach how to make camping equipment. Clearly in her excitement she had called before reading the course description. Continue reading →

Matthew records at the end of his Gospel the commission Jesus gave to his followers – Go and make disciples. The Great Commission is the universal calling for all believers. God sent Jesus to teach us all God wanted us to know and then Jesus commissions the subsequent generations of followers to imitate his example.

The Bible tells us Jesus was the very Word of God. He taught us not only in word, but he modeled in deed what we are to do. Just as he selected and trained a band of disciples, we are called to do the same. Continue reading →

That was the title given to a radio program I was asked to participate in last December. The program was called “Up for Debate” and the purpose was to discuss the pros and cons of tentmaking. The title was an unfortunate mis-characterization of tentmaking. It did, however, reveal some interesting issues for discussion.

The term missionary is a poor choice of words when discussing tentmakers because of all the baggage it carries with it. Continue reading →

By Thomas Hale III, William Carey Library, 2016

A BOOK REVIEW by Phill Sandahl:

Should believers lie, or use deception, in order to take the gospel to restrictive or hostile countries? This is an issue that comes up frequently in discussions of tentmaking. I have faced strong believers who argue passionately on both sides of this debate. Each claims biblical support for their point of view.

Authentic Lives tackles this topic with more depth and insight than I have seen before. Continue reading →