TENTMAKING IS DANGEROUS!
Global Intent has helped hundreds of tentmakers get ready, equipped, and launched to go to unreached and often unsafe countries. As we track with them, we have learned where tentmakers are in the most danger, but you would be surprised to learn that it is not out there among unstable nations and hostile people. I’ve been doing this ministry full-time since 1998, and since then four tentmakers have died in car accidents upon returning to their home countries.
Why do you think this is? We don’t know, but one reason could be simply that they are used to vastly different road rules, or no rules at all and have mastered driving in those conditions. However, upon coming home there are strict rules – like red lights, which actually do not mean “slow down and look”, but that you must come to a full stop. Driving on the left side of the road for a few years and then coming home to drive on the right side and hitting another car head-on was one of the accidents that claimed a tentmaker’s life only a few days after returning home. He was on his way to his church to share his story.
At our intensive 4.5 day tentmaking courses, we spend time learning about working in sensitive areas. By the grace of God, no one who has taken our course has died out in the field as a martyr, although some have come very close. It is our focus to train people to be safe and to make disciples, not to become martyrs themselves or to have their disciples die as martyrs. It is hard to grow a church if people exceed known security and safety parameters and then die in the process.
Jesus did not promise us safety but he did promise us eternity in His presence. Let us delay our departure from this earth as much as it is humanly possible.
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. 
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.
We have helped hundreds of tentmakers get ready, equipped, and launched to go to unreached and often unsafe countries. As we track with them, we have come to realize where tentmakers are in the most danger, but you would be surprised to learn that it is not out there among unstable nations and hostile people. I’ve been doing this ministry full-time since 1998, and since then four tentmakers have died in car accidents upon returning to their home countries.