TMB

The Road to God

/ Phill

Decision making in the marketplace
Phill Sandahl

A web design class I took recently analyzed people’s decision making process. They found that people had different decision making styles.

Using the Myers-Briggs instrument they identified 4 different decision making styles – competitor, humanistic, methodical, and spontaneous. Appropriate material was created in different parts of the page to help each make a decision. My point here is not to discuss web design, but to recognize the principle that there are different decision-making styles which need different approaches to bring people to a decision.

Different people are “wired” differently. That’s the way God made us. He uses different communication styles to draw individuals to himself. Consider these examples:

• Ethiopian Eunuch – While searching Isaiah he was approached by Philip who explained, “that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus”
• Thomas the doubter – show me
• Andrew through family relationship – I have found the Messiah, you must come and meet him too
• Paul the Apostle through a power encounter – Lord, what would you have me to do?

Jim Engel a number of years ago gave us the Engel Scale which recognized that coming to Christ, and growing in Him, was a process and not just a single event. To this we need to add an understanding that depending on a person’s decision-making style the necessary steps along that path may vary. How they come to their relationship with Christ is not as important as that they do.

Sociologists and religious leaders over the years have studied the conversion process and found many different ways people have come to make a religious conversion. Often there is a combination of messages/experiences. Among the most frequently mentioned: preaching and persuasion, reading and study, deeds by other believers, healing and miracles, cultural practices, visions and power encounters. Different cultures will be more receptive to some than to others. But God is not limited by one culture’s preference.

So what does this have to do with tentmaking? We need to recognize that in the marketplace we will come across people with all kinds of decision-making styles. God wants to connect with all of them. To do so he has a toolkit with a variety of communication methods. We need to have our eyes open to what God is doing and not assume that our favorite tool (method) is best for all people and situations.

The Tentmaker’s role:

• Be faithful in your witness
• Give the Holy Spirit room to work
• Rejoice in those he brings to God 

Those are my thoughts. What are yours? I would welcome dialog on this thought. 
Write me at phill@globalopps.org

Do tentmakers really plant churches?

/ Guest Contributor

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Many think that tentmakers only play a complimentary role of assisting “real” missionaries as if tentmakers are not full-fledged mission workers. As a result, many tentmakers don’t plant churches because they don’t aim to. Paul, the apostle, and his co-workers, proved this by planting many churches as self-supporting, everyday Christians.

In fact, Paul deliberately chose “lay” strategy of working for his living to set a pattern of every Christian being a disciple-maker and of everyday Christians giving leadership and planting churches. This is why the early church spread so fast. This was no super feat of a spiritual superman.

Tentmaking in Scripture

“Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians…You yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.” – 2 Th 1:1;3:7-9

The Ultimate Goal of Missions

When “Robert” first went to the “Yanyin” region of China in 1991, he found 3 house churches and 85 Han Chinese Christians in a region of among 7 million people and 5 people groups. After surveying the region, he began mobilizing Chinese co-laborers and planting churches with them in 1994. Just three year later, the number of churches had grown to 195 in number and spread throughout the region, taking root in all five people groups. Robert describes his church planting strategy as POUCH: Participative Bible study/worship groups; Obedience to God’s word as a the measure of success; Unpaid and multiple lay or bi-vocational church leaders; Cell churches rarely exceeding 15 members before starting new groups; and Homes or store-fronts as primary meeting places for these cell churches. Robert would first model “doing church” with new believers using the POUCH approach. Then he would assist them to plant a daughter church. Third, he’d watch to see that they started a third-generation church without his involvement. Then he would leave–the crucial final step to ensure an indigenous, self-propagating movement.

The ultimate goal of missions is to plant self-multiplying, self-nurturing, self-led, self-supporting (Great Commission) churches of genuine disciples capable of evangelizing their own people and also reaching other peoples. Where an indigenous church already exists, our task is to integrate new believers into it, and to help it be the kind of church just described. Why is this the ultimate goal? Because Jesus commands us to “make disciples…[who] obey everything I have commanded.” As soon as two or more turn to Christ, they are transformed and called to love each other as Christ has loved them. (Jn. 15:12) God is building a new family. This means simple house churches, not complex, organizational churches. This is something that committed, everyday, workplace Christians can do, with a little preparation.

Everyday, workplace Christians (tentmakers) did it then; they are doing it today! The full Commission belongs to every Christian, not just to “full-time” missionaries. God does not relegate any Christian to second-class status, nor to any reduction of their God-given role! As Jesus left for heaven, he said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. Go therefore…” With the command, he promised his power. Tentmakers can! They just need training and experience to develop skill. This is a core component of Global Opportunities’ GO Equipped! Course.

Sources: Church Planting Movements by David Garrison (published by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention). Pages 16-19. Order for free or copy from http://www.imb.org/globalresearch/CPM/what_is_a_cpm.htm.

The Ultimate Goal of Tentmaking. GO World, Volume 9, No. 2-1999.

Tentmaker training comes to Germany!

/ Ari Rocklin

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Ari Rocklin

Back in the fall of 1998, during a flight from Helsinki Finland to Göteborg Sweden, to attend the Onådda Folk Conference I felt God challenging me to develop tentmaking mobilization and training in Europe. This seemed like an impossibility and I felt overwhelmed at the scope such a task. With some hesitation, I agreed to do my part. 

Since then, I have worked tirelessly toward this goal, often with setbacks and disappointments. So many trans-Atlantic flights in the hopes of finding people…having initial consultations with various mission agencies and groups…though exciting and promising at first, simply fizzled to nothing. Every now and then, the vision seemed to take off and incremental successes were attained, but always, the going was slow and often seemed hopeless.

Looking at the map of Europe while praying became a habit. Asking God for direction and connections. Always, when looking at the map, my eyes fell on Germany simply due to it’s central geographical location in Europe. 

Then out of nowhere, an email came from someone from Germany who contacted usthrough the website, interested in learning more about tentmaking. After some dialogue this led to an invitation to consider running our tentmaking business as mission course in Germany.

After almost two years of emails and consultations, it was finally time to fly to meet the people at AWM Korntal Germany. One big step toward the goal of tentmaker training in central Europe had been reached. Not only that, but we met with like minded, like visioned people excited at having this course at their excellent facility. 
The director of AWM, said it best in his invitation to over one hundred mission agencies in Europe:

(Ari Rocklin, Traugott Hopp & Steinar Opheim at AWM Korntal Germany 2010)

Word from the President of AWM

Dear colleagues working in an intercultural setting!

Has it ever happened to you after meeting a person whom you did not know formerly – that you soon discover that you share a common vision with that person?!

That was my experience a couple weeks ago when I met with representatives from Global Opportunities and Tent. God was at work. It didn’t take us long to see that we both desired to support God’s people looking to serve the nations.

Serving with you,

Traugott Hopp
President

The story of TENT Norway

/ Ari Rocklin

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TENT of Norway was founded in 2001 by a team of dedicated people, a strong board and effective former tentmaker, Steinar Opheim. Instead of figuring it out alone, they invited Global Opportunities to help them with resources and teachers for their courses.

An early indication of God’s favour was made evident when TENT was able to purchase a historical prayer house building right in downtown Bergen for one dollar. These historical prayer houses were built  using volunteer labor by everyday workers who needed a place to worship. Thus the location in the port area where most work activity took place in the early days of this prayer house movement.


Although the cost of the building was one dollar, the renovations that were needed were more than even the highest estimates. This being a historical building meant that the exterior could not be changed and had to remain original. The interior was completely redesigned with the addition of offices in the loft area and converting the open basement into a rental unit and kitchen. The general meeting room is large and bright, with excellent air circulation and comfortable seating. Wireless internet is available to all as well.
 

TENT is able to rent this facility when not being used for tentmaking events, which helps in making payments on the renovation costs. After the renovations loan is paid off, this income will go a long way toward adding much needed staff to this growing organization.

Why not join us for the next tentmaking business as mission course at this beautiful location? You will be housed for free in local Christians homes, all meals and snacks are included in the low course fee.

TENT is also looking for donations toward the renovation loan, if you are able to help or know someone with Norwegian genes who might want to support this work in a meaningful way, please contact Steinar Opheim directly by sending him an email at: steinar@tent.no