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Tentmaking: The Way of Missions in the Twenty-first Century

By Johnny Chun

In the last twenty years most churches, mission agencies and denominations have come to the conclusion that tentmaking missions is the future of world evangelism. The doors for traditional missionaries are closed in many countries, but the doors for tentmakers are opening rapidly. In many countries, the desire to learn both Western technology and the English language—coupled with the impact of globalization—has made more countries than ever open their doors. Tentmaking has greatly benefited from the rapid spread of the Marketplace Theology movement, which has mobilized lay people around the world for ministry in their own communities.

History of Tentmakers International
Tentmakers International (TI; formerly known as TIE) was formed shortly after the 1989 Lausanne II meeting in Manila. Participants of the tentmaking track there did not want to lose the benefits that came from interacting with other tentmakers. In 1992 several international observers were invited to come together for the organizational meeting of USAT (INTENT) in Glorietta, New Mexico, USA. From that, the first TI (TIE) Congress was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1993. Delegates from fifteen countries met for five days. Dr. Christy Wilson, author of Today’s Tentmakers, delivered the challenge to work together and learn from each other. Model projects from Galcom in Israel and E-Land in Korea were examined. Much networking has resulted in strategic alliances being formed among participants. Later conferences included:

• 1997. The second TI Congress in Melbourne, Australia.
• 1999. The third TI Congress was held in Capetown, South Africa.
• 2002. The fourth TI Congress was held in South Korea.

Through the benevolence of Mission to Unreached Peoples, based in Seattle, Washington, USA, and several individuals, Tentmakers International has also published regular newsletters.

Leadership
The leadership of Tentmakers International is truly international. Former TI international directors include John Cox, Berit Kloster and Danny Martin. The current chairman, Derek Christensen, is from New Zealand and the executive general secretary, Johnny Chun, is from South Korea. In addition to their responsibilities on the TI board, each of the board members also play very important individual roles in the global tentmaking movement through speaking at conferences and churches around the world. They also invest their time helping upcoming tentmakers in their ministries.