Profile of the Effective Tentmaker

My friend Patrick L. wrote an article entitled “Tentmaking Unveiled-The Survey Says,” published in the April 2007 EMQ Journal, in which he presents the findings of his research and surveys of 450 tentmakers. This survey, which took six years, identifies the factors of background, education, training, motivation, life, ministry, and work, and relates them to their effectiveness in accomplishing the ministry. Below are some of his findings…
Training
1) The most effective way workers can prepare to serve overseas is “to invest one or more years ministering with international students.”
2) Workers who have daily devotionals and are personally disciplined and held accountable by someone more mature in the Lord are most effective.
3) “Workers who told others they would be a tentmaker overseas are less effective.”
4) Short-term trips are a great recruiting tool.
5) For most candidates, attending a seminary or Bible college does not make a worker more efficient.
Life and Work
1) Fasting is an important discipline, strongly correlated with efficiency.
2) People who invest more time with the locals and submerge themselves in their culture are most effective.
3) Workers involved with a national congregation or local house church are found to be extremely successful.
4) Learning the indigenous language is vital to starting the ministry.
5) Tentmakers who have someone holding them accountable and have established goals with a support group or home church are more effective than those who have not.
6) “Having a real job in a real workplace that allows flexible working hours seems to be the ideal tentmaking entry strategy.”
In Summary…
1) “Tentmakers did not find their work as a hindrance to ministry.”
2) “Workers who see themselves as adventuresome are found to be very effective.”
3) Tentmakers have planted over a hundred churches and bring the gospel to unreached parts of the world.
4) We are working to see “every nation, tribe, people and language” before the throne (Revelations 7:9).

The Tentmaker: Useful in Open Countries?

 In a recent EMQ interview, Mans Ramstad discusses the differences between “making tents” and building churches. He suspects that many tentmakers do not work towards the missionary goals of evangelism and church planting. According to Ramstad, the highest call of the missionary is to build a church, and often tentmakers have minimal time for this movement. The way to proceed in a target country is to “have objective towards which they strategize, pray, and work (…) establish friendships and build trust with local authorities (…) be honest about faith (…) and not to go hunting out people to evangelize.”

In the ideal scenario, tentmakers support the local church, and where there is none, they must gather converts together to appoint a leader and establish a church. Ramstad believes that the most important thing for tentmakers to do is establish tangible faith goals with someone in a support group or church, and have an objective towards which they can work. This gives them a reason not to slip behind and let professional work come in the way of missional duties.

Ramstad argues that in an increasingly hostile world, “God is doing something special in hard-to-reach places through tentmakers.” Are tentmakers to be used solely for the purpose of entering restricted nations, or should they be used in other, more open places as well, as a valuable tool for advancing God’s kingdom?

Should marketplace professionals serving cross-culturally be sent by a church?

An individual who feels called to the field and to minister to others around the world needs some kind of support. Should these professionals always be sent by a home church? I tend to agree with my friend Larry McCrary in believing that a supporting church is vital to reaffirming, sharing, and praying for that individual’s specific calling. A sending church has a desire for world evangilization and fervently engages in prayer on the behalf of those that they are sending. Larry has recently written an excellent post about this topic on his personal blog. Entitled “Partnerships- the Sending Church,” this post explores the idea and value of a church that sends and supports its individuals traveling cross-culturally. What do you think, should marketplace people be sent out, or go on their own?
Below is a link to Larry’s blog— it is definitely worth reading!

http://larrymccrary.blogspot.com/

Profit: how should it be used, and does it ever become an evil?

Since the time of Paul, missionaries have been struggling with the morality of business and profit. If an MP2 or MP3 (one who uses his job for ministry purposes to a certain extent) works for or begins a business, which after a certain time makes profit, what is his duty with regard to the business? It should be considered morally reasonable for this person to make and acquire profit, because if their goal is not to make profit, then this becomes an issue of being a poor witness and unethical.

Steven Rundle states that “only a successful business can truly claim to be involved in ministry.” He gives as a reason the fact that our conduct is more effective at winning the lost than our words (1 Peter 3:1-2) If a businessman enters a country on a business visa, and yet neglects to put effort into business, he deceives people and consequently is a poor witness.

What is the role and use of profit in Business as Missions opportunities?

2 Great Opportunities to Discover how to Connect your life with God’s Mission through the Marketplace

Larry McCrary and I will be facilitating another GoMarket Gathering in Atlanta, beginning the afternoon of Friday, August 28, and ending the following day, August 29. Designed to be a small setting, the meeting will allow plenty of opportunities to interact, contribute, ask questions, explore possibilities, and learn from each other. Tentmaking leaders and successful business as missions entrepreneurs will work with business professionals in discerning God’s call in their lives and in deciding next steps to be taken. Entrepreneurs, those wishing to use their careers to expand God’s kingdom; people who want to increase their businesses’ influence abroad, and individuals looking to learn how God works through the marketplace in lives, are all welcome participants in this Gathering. We have a seperate page dedicated to GoMarket on the blogsite, which can be viewed for more information, at:

http://mktplcmin.wordpress.com/gomarket-gathering/

In addition, I will be a presenter at the Open Expo Conference, sponsored by the Open Network. The conference will take place in York, Pennsylvania, the weekend of November 19 through the 21. This meeting would also be a good opportunity to engage with others. The Open Expo “is designed to connect and provide coaching for businessmen and professionals who have an interest in helping, coaching, and partnering with those who do business cross-culturally for the purpose of promoting the Gospel of Christ.” Below is a link to the Open Expo website— take a look to find out more!

http://openexpousa.com/