tent

New Resource Website for Tentmakers

/ Steinar Opheim

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The Norway-based resource center for tentmaking named Tent has recently launched its international website at tentinternational.org.

This is an important step in serving the worldwide tentmaking movement in a better way, comments Tent’s managing director Steinar Opheim.

Tent (the word “tent” in Norwegian means “on fire”) was founded in 2000 focusing on recruiting and training Norwegian students, business people and professionals for work overseas.  Over the years the work has become more and more international. The GO Equipped tentmaking course that Global Opportunities and Tent have developed together, is now run annually in several nations. People from Tent have also invested much time and work in serving the fast-growing African tentmaking movement operating under the leadership of Tiowa Diarra who is based in Bamako, Mali.

Tent’s international website will provide resources for current tentmakers and tentmakers to-be. There is also a news section that will give the readers updated info on what is going on in the worldwide tentmaking movement.

– The tentmaking training we provide can be applied everywhere. We will still aim at keeping a focus on the unreached people groups in our communication. It is amazing to experience how Christian professionals and business people are welcome everywhere, even to nations where the religious freedom is very limited. 

Thus we believe that tentmakers is a key group God will use in reaching the whole world with the Gospel, says Opheim.

Does the Self Supported Tentmaking Model Work in Africa?

/ Ari Rocklin

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Can African believers follow in Apostle Paul’s footsteps by taking their profession and business with them to other regions of Africa? Is it possible to have Africans being trained by Africans to go to other Africans with the Gospel without any financial support from elsewhere?

It is the conviction of this editor that Africa will train and send more tentmakers who will disciple more new believers and plant more house churches than any other continent in the next decade!

Steinar Opheim of TENT Norway has been going to Africa for many years to teach and encourage the tentmaking movement there. Together with an increasing number of local teachers, the movement has taken off in ways not imagined.

The 6th All African TI Congress in Tanzania took place last month with 157 delegates and attendees from many African nations. We heard encouraging and exciting reports on how God is moving through tentmakers and how quickly this movement is spreading.

There was an intensive training for trainers course at the end of the congress which had 53 pastors and leaders in attendance. From the interaction and questions it became evident that this model for evangelism and mission is here to stay.

Here are some reports on the impact tentmakers are having:

  • 2011-2012: 1,000+ tentmakers in 7 African countries
  • 2,105 tentmakers trained.
  • 239 House churches/prayer cells started.

Thanks to Tentmakers International and the All Africa TI leaders for putting on such a wonderful event.

Conclusion: The tentmaking movement in Africa, by Africans for Africa is about to explode!       “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”