Many
think that tentmakers only play a complimentary role of assisting "real"
missionaries as if tentmakers are not full-fledged mission workers. As a
result, many tentmakers don't plant churches
because they don't aim to. Paul, the apostle, and his co-workers, proved
this by planting many churches as self-supporting, everyday Christians.
In fact, Paul deliberately chose
"lay" strategy of working for his living to set a pattern of every
Christian being a disciple-maker and of everyday Christians giving
leadership and planting churches. This is why the early
church spread so fast. This was no super feat of a
spiritual superman.
Tentmaking in Scripture
"Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the
Thessalonians...You yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.
We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food
without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day,
laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We
did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in
order to make ourselves a model for you to follow." - 2 Th 1:1;3:7-9
The Ultimate Goal of Missions
When "Robert" first went to the "Yanyin" region
of China in 1991, he found 3 house churches and 85 Han Chinese
Christians in a region of among 7 million people and 5 people groups.
After surveying the region, he began mobilizing Chinese co-laborers and
planting churches with them in 1994. Just three year later, the number
of churches had grown to 195 in number and spread throughout the region,
taking root in all five people groups. Robert describes his church
planting strategy as POUCH: Participative Bible study/worship groups;
Obedience to God's word as a the measure of success; Unpaid and multiple
lay or bi-vocational church leaders; Cell churches rarely exceeding 15
members before starting new groups; and Homes or store-fronts as primary
meeting places for these cell churches. Robert would first model "doing
church" with new believers using the POUCH approach. Then he would
assist them to plant a daughter church. Third, he'd watch to see that
they started a third-generation church without his involvement. Then he
would leave--the crucial final step to ensure an indigenous,
self-propagating movement.
The ultimate goal of missions is to plant
self-multiplying, self-nurturing, self-led, self-supporting (Great
Commission) churches of genuine disciples capable of evangelizing their
own people and also reaching other peoples. Where an indigenous church
already exists, our task is to integrate new believers into it, and to
help it be the kind of church just described. Why is this the ultimate
goal? Because Jesus commands us to "make disciples...[who] obey
everything I have commanded." As soon as two or more turn to Christ,
they are transformed and called to love each other as Christ has loved
them. (Jn. 15:12) God is building a new family. This means simple house
churches, not complex, organizational churches. This is something that
committed, everyday, workplace Christians can do, with a little
preparation.
Everyday, workplace Christians (tentmakers) did
it then; they are doing it today! The full
Commission belongs to every Christian, not just to "full-time"
missionaries. God does not relegate any Christian to second-class
status, nor to any reduction of their God-given role! As Jesus left for
heaven, he said, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto
me. Go therefore..." With the command, he promised his power. Tentmakers
can! They just need training and experience to develop skill. This is a
core component of Global Opportunities' GO Equipped! Course.
Sources: Church Planting Movements by David
Garrison (published by the International Mission Board of the Southern
Baptist Convention). Pages 16-19. Order for free or copy from
http://www.imb.org/globalresearch/CPM/what_is_a_cpm.htm.
The Ultimate Goal of Tentmaking. GO World,
Volume 9, No. 2-1999.
