Early on in my tentmaking mobilization career most opportunities to share about it came without warning or time for preparation.

The first time was when I attended a missions conference, Onådda Folket (unreached peoples) in Gothenburg Sweden. I had been sent there to observe and learn how they promoted tentmaking. Before the conference started, I met with the tentmaker track coordinators and speakers for lunch.

We all worked together to setup the room for sixteen people, complete with a Ramlösa sparkling water bottles and bananas for every seat. Continue reading →

Do you remember the day you walked down the aisle and said “I do?” Did you wonder, what have I got myself into? Can I keep this commitment?

Then came the first year anniversary. You could look back and see how you made it through the first year and how great it was. Creating a new publication entails some of those same feeling. Though not with the same weight of importance.

Beginnings

Tentmaking Today is celebrating its first anniversary. It began September 2017. It was built on the legacy of Tentmaking Briefs. It is open to the entire tentmaking community. Different organizations and points of view are represented. Continue reading →

By – CC0

During the past year you have seen a variety of articles from different authors and perspectives.

Some were just what you wanted. Others not so much. In order to  better serve the tentmaker community we need you to help us help you.

We need to hear from you. Please take one minute to complete a very brief survey and tell us how we are doing, and what we can do better.

Follow the link to help us with the survey http://tentmaking.today/survey.

The Movement

From the archives – This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

We truly are referring to a movement. All round the world today, men and women are moving cross-culturally to use their professions and trades in the cause of world mission. There are several ways of looking at this movement. Each of these may have some truth in it, but if taken alone can be misleading or even damaging because they are only partial. For example:

• Tentmaking is a substitute for explicit missionary work, necessary because of reduced freedom to enter countries as “missionaries“.
• Tentmakers are just Christians who are simply part of the worldwide movement of people in trade, service industries etc.
• Tentmaking is a cheaper means of world evangelism, because self-supporting.

Each of the above distorts the true picture of what tentmaking is. Continue reading →