The mission-minded Christians

by Jonny Chun/ Executive Secreatry of Tentmakers Internatiinal

   Today, Tentmaking, BAM and bi-vocational missions are well known to global Christians. Key skills for

tentmaking missions such as pre-evangelism, evangelism as well as church-planting, mentoring and discipleship 

at market-places or work-places are greatly developed.  Tentmaking mission strategy in the last few decades 

has been  growing.

   In 1974, at the first Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, mission leaders from global churches and 

mission communities emphasized on the church's own responsibility for evangelism and social concern. In 1989, 

at the Second Lausanne in Philippines, the Lausanne Mission Committee discussed on the New Brand Mission Movement called "Tentmaking" 

spending many hours and the outcome of the meeting was TIE (Tentmaking International Exchange).  Since then, the wind of Tentmaking 

Mission Movement strongly swept the Global missions and Churches.      

   At the Lausanne Forum in Thailand 2004, BAM (Business As Mission) was  introduced to the Global Mission leaders. And since then, it has 

been growing. At the third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town 2010, mission leaders again emphasized on the role of church for personal 

evangelism and social transformation,  saying " We have no time to lose in our generation as we, his Church, make his gospel known in every

region of the world and every sphere of society." And to make His gospel known in every region of the world, The Lausanne Congress held  

" The Global Workplace Forum" in Manila 2019. To make His gospel known to every sphere of society today, Tentmaking ministry or Workplace ministry is essential. The Lausanne Movement emphasized on "The Whole Church taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole World."

   How can we bring the whole gospel to the whole world?  

   The writer believes that “The mission-minded Christians (Tentmakers, Missionaries, Professionals) in every corner of the global workplace as messengers of the gospel” are the ones who can evangelize the world for His glory and His Kingdom.

Tentmakers Returning

by Ari Rocklin from Tentmaking Today

   We have good news. Those who did not have to return home are seeing a greater impact of their ministries 

and one especially is seeing an exponential growth in new disciples being born and forming small groups. It is 

even more amazing as this is happening in one of the most closed countries in the 1040 window (does anyone 

still use that term?)

   Those who are now returning are finding a vastly different situation as restrictions are still in place. 

God is in control and it is up to us to figure out what His plan is from here onwards. Some have had to revert to

being ESL teachers in order to be able to return.

   It has always been my personal contention that tentmakers “befriend” local authorities instead of ignoring or hiding from them. We have 

many stories of local authorities coming to the rescue and even helping with visa applications based on these friendships. There is even 

a great story from the hermit kingdom of a government official assigned to the classroom of an English teacher to monitor the teaching coming to Jesus and allowing a Bible study to take place with the students.

   With the above in mind, I quote from an email received a few days ago from a tentmaker couple who just returned to their adopted home.

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    "As we were getting settled, a local police officer who lived in the neighborhood came up to me and the apartment owner and said hello. He was friendly. 

In some senses, this draws me back to when we had the officers in charge of foreign affairs telling us we needed to leave our last town. And yet it was obviously 

God’s provision to have him connect with us. He even said that when we want to apply for residency that he could take us to the office and help with that. That was 

two days ago. Today he had us over (his family lives just around the corner) to have the special Friday meal of couscous with his family. It turns out his children are 

the same age as our children. He offered for the kids to play with theirs."

.

    I am reminded of an uncomfortable conversation while being detained some years ago where the official said he did not like foreigners who 

pretended not to be missionaries even though he knew they were. He then told me quite angrily that we all thought he was stupid. I responded 

by saying that not everyone thinks he is stupid as I personally thought of him as very clever. His demeanor changed immediately, and we had 

coffee together before he let me go.

   Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities 

that exist have been established by God.