Tentmaking Missions in history

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Johnny Chun / Executive Secretary of TI

   Recently, I read an article on Tentmaking History and learned the TM history from early church to the

Reformation. I believe this historical evidence will be really helpful for our TM movement ahead.

   The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker at Corinth.  He easily could do the job because he once was a rabbi and all

rabbis had a vocational skill at that time. As a tentmaker, he continued to make tents at Corinth, not only to support 

himself and his ministry, but also to set a good example for his disciples to follow.

(Acts 20:33-35; I Thess. 2:9)
   It was well known that Paul’s tentmaking model was common among apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors in the Early Church.

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-These glass jars were traded when Paul worked 

as a tentmaker at Corinth-

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​-The old Corinth where probably Paul worked-

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​-The Corinth Castle and Walls-

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    After Paul, his tentmking example was continued.

   "Tertullian, a well known church leader in the 2nd century acknowledged the practice. From 3rd-5th centuries,  some bishops in Christian world were tentmakers. Priests under St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia worked for their daily bread.  Zeno of Gaza was a

linen weaver. Working a job and doing ministry was normal practice.

   When Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century, fully funded positions emerged for bishops in urban

areas. This gave rise to a class of professional clergy.

   The divide between clergy and laity grew in the 5th century when Augustine made a distinction between the active and contemplative life. He praised the work of farmers, and merchants, but considered the contemplative life a higher calling. Even so, work along with prayer and study has remained an essential part of contemplative life in monastic orders to this day.

   In the 6th century, a bishop and four priests were sent by the Church of the East to reach the Huns in Central Asia. They added to their team two 

merchants, whose faith and trade were considered necessary to the success of their mission (Networker, Fall 2016). But the bi-vocational ministry model waned during the Dark Ages as the Church of the West grew in wealth and the clergy in power." (Tentmaking : A 2,000-year

tradition in Missions)

-To be continued-

History of one tentmaker retreat cottage

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by Ari Rocklin from Tentmaking Today

   In 2007, I was walking and praying for the many Kingdom

professionals that are a part of my ministry and my family. I was

grieved over a recent email from one of them, who was nearing

burnout and whose job contract was about to end. They had

nowhere to go once they got back to their home country. This is

a fairly common occurrence and even though they can stay with

family and friends, it is not always an ideal situation for reflection and 

restoration.

   During my walk that day, I felt God challenging me to do

something about this. “You help people go to the darkest places

on the planet where they are my emissaries, now build them a

place where they can find rest and hear my voice.”

   I immediately thought that this was a great idea, but where would the money come from? I felt God saying: “That I leave up to you.” The vision was the easy part; finding the resources to do it would require a miracle.

< THE SEARCH>

   We started looking either for some land where a cottage could be built using volunteer labour, or a neglected cottage in need of repair.

   Meanwhile we were planning how a place like this would be used and how to make it easily accessible by tentmakers who would be arriving from

far away and who often did not have much money for staying in hotels or resorts for extended periods.

- The first criteria for us was that this cottage would be provided absolutely free to tentmakers.
- Second, there would be no restrictions on how long they could stay.
- Third, it would be designed to rejuvenate their faith, strengthen their vision, restore relationships, recharge their internal batteries and most importantly, 

to create an environment where God’s servants would hear His voice.

< END OF THE SEARCH>

   Then a miracle of sorts came knocking. A new listing for a small house that had not been used for decades came on the market.

   The house was neglected but had originally been well built. It would need a lot of work, but it could also be used right away.

   There were other issues. The house next door looked like it should have been condemned, with questionable characters coming and going. 

This was one of the reasons for the low price. We made an offer substantially lower than the asking price which, surprisingly, was accepted.

< Why did the seller agree to such a low offer?>

   Apparently a lot of people had come to check out this house, lured by the low price. However, seeing the dilapidated house next door and the eclectic 

local islander types who lived there, they were quickly discouraged. An incident also occurred where a man was arrested in plain view of potential buyers, 

right on the front lawn of the house. People seeking a quiet island life were not impressed. The realtor had advised the seller to accept

any offer as it would be difficult to sell the place.

< MOVE IN DAY!>

   On the 15th of July, 2014, we got the keys to the house in need of repair. We worked long days removing 30-year-old furniture, carpeting,

kitchen cabinets, and walls, and realized that some seriously rotted outdoor decks and stairs would require replacing.

   In early August, God sent His worker to help us, all the way from Ontario, some 4400 km away. With his truck and tools, he showed up and went to work. In no time he had torn down the front balcony and enclosed porch and rebuilt it to modern standards.

   Today, we are overjoyed that over 100 people have come here for rest, rejuvenation and restoration! The guestbook entries are our reward for

the ongoing sacrifice of making sure this place remains for His servants in need of rest. The most often heard comment is, thank you for providing

us a place where we could hear God’s voice.

   I’ve shared this story to inspire others to make their homes or cottages available to missionaries on their return.