Missionary accounts like Through Gates of Splendor motivated a whole generation of young people to consider missions.

Books inspire. They provide an understanding of what it is like to live a life given to sharing the gospel in another culture. They provide models for a future generation to follow.

However, there is a dearth of books on the lives of tentmakers. Working Abroad with Purpose is a welcome addition to the library of contemporary tentmaker stories.

I have always been intrigued by Paul’s tentmaker team members, Aquila and Priscilla. We are not privileged to a lot of information about them. 

What we do know is that this power couple (Prisquila?) was among the earliest known Christian missionaries in the first century. 

Aquila and Priscilla were business-people who made tents, and Paul was one of their workers and ministry partners. They had been among the Jews expelled from Rome by the Roman Emperor Claudius in the year 49 as written by Suetonius, and they ended up in Corinth. After Paul had lived with them for approximately 18 months, they set out to accompany him when he proceeded to Syria, but they stopped at Ephesus, now part of modern Turkey. 

1. How does your agency handle home assignment (furloughs) and what happens if I can’t follow this policy because of my job? 

2. How much will it cost to be a member of your agency? 

3. How am I expected to pay for my costs of being a member? 

4. What happens if I make more money in the business than the agency typically allows in the missionary support budget? 

1.     They don’t want to do fundraising 

2.     They don’t see the value in paying for agency services 

3.     They don’t think agencies understand genuine tentmaking 

4.     Agencies often do not allow tentmakers to maintain ongoing businesses or to fully work in what are perceived as their “non-ministry” jobs.