A tentmaker is a professional, a skilled craftsman, a student, or some other person who uses professional, vocational or academic skills to support themself while they share the gospel of Jesus in places or with groups of people otherwise inaccessible to traditional mission approaches. That currently describes a large portion of the unreached world.

Japanese society is much more receptive to professionals working in a "tentmaking" ministry than to traditional missionaries... (image courtesy of the Christian & Missionary Alliance)

The term "tentmakers" is taken from the Apostle Paul, who supported his own mission activity by making tents (Acts 18:1-4).

Sometimes work as a tent maker is important because traditional missionaries are not allowed into a country. The people's Republic of China simply does not issue missionary visas; but it is quite possible to work in China under certain circumstances. And having a job there allows you some freedom to share the gospel on your own time. Some governments turn a blind eye to a tentmaker's evangelistic activity if the tentmaker has skills the country needs.

But there may also be cultural reasons for being a tentmaker. One organization defines tentmakers as follows: Tentmakers are committed mission-minded Christians who work in secular jobs in order to reach another people group. The tentmaker's witness flows from the natural network of contacts which occur on the job. Effective tentmakers communicate the gospel by word and deed through excellence in work, caring relationships, and well-chosen comments about God in the context of everyday life. These draw seekers into further pursuit of the gospel, usually in investigative Bible studies. (According to Global Opportunities in L.A.)

China does not grant visas to traditional missionaries, but Christian workers can enter the country in professional and academic roles... (image courtesy of the Christian & Missionary Alliance)

Japan (and much of the rest of Asia) responds well to tentmakers. But the Japanese don't know how to think about traditional missionaries. Identity comes ffrom work. The Japanese know what a businessman is, and how to form a relationship with one; but they don't know how to relate to a religious worker - especially not one from a religion they're not very familiar with. The result is that non-believers in many countries can best be won by tentmakers.

Many modern missions agencies use tentmakers as part of their strategy for reaching some group. Besides giving the christian worker a place within the culture, it also often means that the working can contribute physically in some way to the people they are ministering to.

And the concept is not a new one. The term tentmaking comes from the practice of the apostle Paul who made tents to support himself financially during his missionary journey. In I Corinthians 9 he describes of how he gave up his right to earn his living from his gospel ministry so as not to hinder his own work. And the church has been following Paul's example in missions sine then. The early church, the Moravians, William Carey, and many more in the history of missions qualify as tentmakers.

A good article on the subject is Using Business rather than Non-Profit Organizations for Charity and Evangelism: Now and Beyond 2000, by Harold J. Harder, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Trinity Western University.

Tentmaking is a strategy for misisons that your church should know about.