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The Father's Business Person, the Shift to Tentmaking Missions Strategy LIBERTY UNIVERSITY THE FATHER’S BUSINESSPERSON THE SHIFT TO TENTMAKING MISSIONS STRATEGY A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY CHRIS WHITE LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA MAY 2012 Copyright © May, 2012 Chris White LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THESIS PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET ______________________________ GRADE ______________________________ MENTOR ______________________________ READER iii ABSTRACT THE SHIFT TO TENTMAKING IN MISSIONS STRATEGY Chris A. White (51839) Liberty University 2012 Mentor: Dr. Charlie Davidson, Reader: Dr. Scott Hawkins The purpose of this paper is to discuss the important place that tentmaking holds or should hold in missions strategy. It is the belief of the author (supported by almost 20 years of ministry experience overseas) that visas and money are often barriers to ministry effectiveness. This paper would like to provide a solution (i.e. tentmaking) to these common tensions that most missionaries encounter. The value of the topic is very personal to the author’s ministry: first because I am currently serving on the mission field (needing a visa and money), and second because of the potential tentmaking holds for engaging the local community on a deeper level through the “how to” techniques this paper provides. Missionaries everywhere can and will benefit, just as I have from the practical findings and instructions that have come to light from this project. Specifically they will discover that tentmaking is a biblical missions methodology that not only acts as a financial supplement but also provides access to the necessary visas and legitimizes the missionary’s presence in the eyes of the local authorities. The research for this paper will be approached from a biblical or theological direction. The history of tentmaking will be explored and the modern day examples will be examined. Interviews with tentmaking missionaries will be conducted and personal illustrations will be given. The various aspects of tentmaking will be discussed, such as legal issues, the ideal types of businesses, and the necessary teamwork. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTON ................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 Proposing the tent making strategy .................................................................. 3 The Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................. 3 The Statement of Limitations .............................................................................................. 6 The Theoretical Basis for the Project .................................................................................. 6 The Statement of Methodology .......................................................................................... 8 The Review of Literature .................................................................................................. 13 Tentmaking……………………………………………………………………13 Money .............................................................................................................. 21 Ethics ................................................................................................................ 22 Partnerships ...................................................................................................... 22 Bible Verses Review (Using the New Living Translation) ............................. 24 CHAPTER 2 PAUL - THE TENTMAKER .................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 3 PRINCIPLES OF THE TENT MAKING BUSINESS ............................. 48 Money ............................................................................................................................... 48 Ethics ................................................................................................................................. 57 Morality ............................................................................................................................. 63 CHAPTER 4 PARTNERSHIPS IN THE TENT-MAKING BUSINESS ....................... 66 Leadership ......................................................................................................................... 66 Partnerships ....................................................................................................................... 69 Teamwork ......................................................................................................................... 76 v CHAPTER 5 PRACTICAL PARTS OF THE TENT MAKING BUSINESS ................ 90 CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………...106 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 108 APPENDIX A TENT MAKER’S QUESTIONAIRE ................................................... 117 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 122 vi INTRODUCTON For the past twenty years, my family and I have been serving as missionaries in Asia. In 1992, we arrived in Singapore and lived there for almost ten years. In 2003, we moved to China and have been living here for almost ten years. Our income is not based on a fixed salary. Churches have promised to pray for us and support us financially to live and serve here in Asia. Back in 1991, it took us eighteen months, traveling from church to church, to gather enough support and raise sufficient funds to live overseas. We visited over one hundred and fifty churches and ninety of those began supporting our family. Over the years, we have lost some support and gained some support but God has always provided and has been so good to our family. However, the past nine years has caused us to rethink parts of our missions strategy. First, we are seeing that it is taking much longer for new missionaries to raise enough support to live in a foreign country. A young family would like to come to China and work with us. They are in their third year of trying to raise support for a short-term stay and then they plan to return to the States after two years to raise the rest of their support for long term. We can blame it on the economy, personalities, networking, or churches changing their meeting times. We think it is taking too long for new missionaries to raise support to get to their perspective countries. Second, it has been a struggle to find a way to obtain a visa to live in a country that does not welcome missionaries. Singapore welcomed missionaries but China does not. The first four years we lived here in China we were in a language school and obtained a student visa. For the past five years, we have had to be more creative. We started a consulting business, which 1 2 provided us a visa for three years, but it was not profitable financially and looked suspicious in the eyes of the government. Two years ago we started another business that is now, very successful and profitable. Not only is it providing us a visa, but we are also able to provide visas and salaries for five more missionaries who work with our company. We have also employed a Chinese staff and have become a legitimate part of our community. We believe God has allowed us to work with this biblical strategy to help new missionaries overcome some of the obstacles such as time, money, and access into countries that are otherwise restricted. CHAPTER 1 PROPOSING THE TENTMAKING STRATEGY The Statement of the Problem How can new missionaries get to their respective countries in less time? How can prospective missionaries who desire to take the gospel to the regions beyond, but have limited connections and no fund raising networks, find enough financial support to go and live overseas? How can missionaries get into countries that do not welcome religious workers? How can new missionaries integrate into the community in a natural way? How can missionaries give themselves the best opportunity to enjoy the most effective ministries possible? A tentmaking missions strategy is the answer to all of these important questions. Tentmaking missions is biblical and a closer look reveals that it was a major part of Paul’s missions strategy. A strict definition of tentmaking may exclude some of the strategic methods God is using in certain parts of the world. Tentmaking missionaries come in several variations. Because it takes all kinds of ministries to reach this world for Christ, it seems that God has given much freedom in style, method, and combination, which is the beauty of tentmaking. However, it would be best to use Paul’s tentmaking strategy as the example and stay as close to that example as possible. One writer defines the term “tentmaker” as missions-committed Christians who support themselves abroad, and make Jesus Christ known on the job and in their free time. They are in full-time ministry even when they have full-time jobs, because they integrate work and witness. They follow Paul’s model of tentmaking, and for the same reasons.1 Another writer defines a 1 Ruth E. Siemens, “The Vital Role of Tentmaking in Paul’s Mission Strategy,” 3 4 tentmaking missionary as one who has a calling for full-time missionary service but is unable to enter the country of choice because of restrictions and has to modify their mode of service. 2 Tentmakers
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