As we have been running tentmaker courses in a dozen countries to hundreds of new candidates, the fact remains that not everyone ends up going to the unreached. Some join traditional mission agencies and see that as a valid model of mission for themselves. Even as the challenge of raising funds gets tougher, the mission agency model is still by far the larger vehicle for mobilizing and sending new missionaries.

A developing trend is for tentmakers to be directly sent by their home church.

We have seen many mission agency leaders and staff at our courses. They have taken what has been learned to change the direction of their agency. This is one of the most encouraging outcomes of our work.

The dictionary says that a generic person is “a person who is normal, who fits into the mainstream”.

Sometimes we are guilty of highlighting the superheroes of tentmaking, you know, the ones who start multiple churches, win dozens to Jesus, start disciple making movements, build God honoring companies that also disciple their employees and communities.

Stephanus, one of our mobilizer team members once asked me to share stories that were not about these superheroes and talk more about the common tentmaker. My response at the time was that sharing these common, i.e. generic stories would not inspire people to become tentmakers. Since that time, I have also shared stories of the average tentmaker.

The average tentmaker

What about the average tentmaker? The one who does not dare to share their story because they firmly believe they don’t have a WOW story?

Aren’t traditional missions and tentmaking the same thing? What difference does it make what we call it? This question comes up when explaining what tentmakers do in a mission’s conference. Let’s look at it.

Generalizations can be dangerous. There are always exceptions. But it helps understanding to identify common characteristics.

SIMILARITIES

Both traditional missionaries and tentmakers have these things in common:

• They seek to bring God’s love to the lost. They are motivated by love for God and obedience to the Great Commission.
• They are sent out by the church to make Christ known to the ends of the earth.
• They teach the Gospel.
• They instruct people on what God says in the Bible.
• The work can only be done by Christ-followers.

What major should I pursue to prepare to be a tentmaker?

This question often comes up when talking with university students planning to become tentmakers. It is a logical and good question to think about. The answer I give them is not always what they expect.

Has God laid a specific country or people group on your heart?

My response changes depending on their answer to this question, “Do you have a calling to a specific country or people?”

If the answer is YES, then look at the professional needs in that area and pursue something that will fill those needs. The answer varies depending on the context. There is no one field or skill set for all locations. Sometimes there is a specific sense of calling. But frequently it is not.