Torch, Fall 1985

J I. people. Southern Baptists claim to have at least 100,000 of their members on foreign soil at any one time. Throw in the rest of the be– lievers overseas and what a tremendous reservoir of missionary potential they represent! The concept of tentmaking is as old as the church itself. In Acts 18:1-3 we find the tentmaker Paul abiding with tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla. Verse three notes that Paul reasoned in the synagogue persuading Jews and Greeks . In verses 24 and 26 his two friends expounded to Apollos the way of God more perfectly. What we have here are three individuals supporting themselves with a trade and sharing Christ as well. So successful were they that later Aquila and Priscilla established a church in their house (Rom . 16:3-5). William Carey, the so-called father of modem missions, was sent out by the Baptist Particular Mission Society of England. When the mission neglected to maintain his support he made tents - that is, he became a foreman in an indigo factory . He also taught school to support himself. Robert Morrison went to China where foreigners were not very welcome . Scared for his life, he found two Chinese to teach him the language and he became a translator. This was his tentmaking . He also translated the Bible into Chinese . In the early days of our country, Baptist preachers evangelized frontier towns while supporting themselves as school teachers on the side. To present more clearly today's tentmaking efforts, I would suggest the following five areas of thought. TENTMAKING POSSIBILITIES There are many possibilities for tentmaking. They include people who (1) go abroad under a mission board but hold a secular job, (2) support themselves with secular work without any formal tie to a mission agency and (3) pay their own way to a mission field for a short term of service. TENTMAKING DIFFICULTIES While tentmaking is an exciting concept, there are difficulties. The task of both working a full-time job and doing missionary work is taxing in time and energy . If you are in the Middle East with Shell Oil for 12 hours a day, do you think you time missionaries. These churches can send out self-supporting tentmakers at no further cost to the mission budget. In some cases it is helpful not to ... churches can send out self-supporting tentmakers at no further cost to the mission bµ,dget. would feel like having a Bible study when it is 110 degrees at eight o'clock at night? Another potential problem is restrictions on witnessing imposed by the employer . Some government agencies prohibit proselyting in any shape or form. Also, some cultures have ruled the winning of converts unlawful. Moreover, tentmakers who work in countries where professional missionaries are forbidden may find that the ministry lacks continuity . Who will continue to teach the converts after the tentmaker leaves? Additionally, there may be no solid church base for the tentmaker. This contributes to a feeling of spiritual isolation and lack of fellowship. TENTMAKING ADVANTAGES Yet while difficulties exist, tre– mendous advantages can be realized with tentmaking. It gives access to countries closed to professional mis– sionaries. Today Islamic and Bud– dhist countries are practically off limits to mission efforts . Thailand has already served notice to mis– sionaries in the country that their number will be reduced 10 percent each year for the next 10 years. This means no missionaries within a decade . Also, professional people in for– eign countries are sometimes inac– cessible to m1ss10nanes. The tentmaker who is a chemist, doctor, engineer, agronomist, or computer expert will probably rub shoulders with local professionals and have open doors of witness . Another advantage benefits churches which are already heavily burdened with the support of full - have to list "missionary" in a passport under occupation . Besides the proba– bility of outright refusal, many mis– sionaries have to endure interroga– tion upon application for entrance papers. The process is facilitated if a person can list some secular occupa– tion instead. Finally, a tentmaker can use his special training and skills to support a missionary work already established . This is where the short termer comes in - the carpenter who goes abroad for two months to construct a church building, the accountant who serves a mission hospital for a few weeks, or the teacher who fills in for a sick pro– fessional missionary teacher for six months. TENTMAKING PREPARATIONS How do you prepare to be a tentmaker? Three kinds of provision are necessary : spiritual, professional, and cultural. Take the need for spiritual prepara– tion seriously. Study the Word . Take Bible courses. Learn how to share your faith and do it before going abroad. Professionally, prepare to be the best you can in your field . Tentmak– ers should be excellent in their craft. Otherwise the credibility of their wit– ness can be compromised . Make cultural preparation . This may mean gaining some use of another language, and quickly . Read books, talk to foreigners, take courses in cultural studies. TENTMAKING PROJECTIONS I have gathered some projections from Baptist mission agencies re– cently. Association of Baptists for continued on page 15 5