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Tentmaking
"Tents in those days were either made of leather or of cilicium, a cloth of woven goat’s hair named after Paul’s native province Cilicia. Paul worked on tents during the week (v. 3), probably doing some personal witnessing along the way, and had a more public ministry in the synagogue every Sabbath (v. 4). This ministry is described in familiar words: “reasoned” and “trying to persuade”. In every new city Paul visited, he looked for a bridgehead from which he could launch his ministry. Here it was his trade and his contacts in the synagogue." [1]
"Tentmaking" is a common term used in missions today. In contrast to the more "traditional" method of missions where missionaries are fully supported by a church and devote all time to ministry, "tentmakers" work a job while doing ministry. Funds from this job can be used to supplement support from churches back home, or can be funneled back into the community in which they minister to improve conditions there. Tentmaking ministry is very common in "restricted access nations", countries where it is illegal to do full-time Christian work. Having a "normal" job allows the missionary to enter the country and remain legitimate in the eyes of the government while doing Christian ministry.
Though we use the term as a kind of Christian idiom (very few tentmaker missionaries actually make tents), it is a principle firmly rooted in the Bible and taken from Paul's ministry, specifically mentioned here.
Tentmaking
"Tents in those days were either made of leather or of cilicium, a cloth of woven goat’s hair named after Paul’s native province Cilicia. Paul worked on tents during the week (v. 3), probably doing some personal witnessing along the way, and had a more public ministry in the synagogue every Sabbath (v. 4). This ministry is described in familiar words: “reasoned” and “trying to persuade”. In every new city Paul visited, he looked for a bridgehead from which he could launch his ministry. Here it was his trade and his contacts in the synagogue." [1]
"Tentmaking" is a common term used in missions today. In contrast to the more "traditional" method of missions where missionaries are fully supported by a church and devote all time to ministry, "tentmakers" work a job while doing ministry. Funds from this job can be used to supplement support from churches back home, or can be funneled back into the community in which they minister to improve conditions there. Tentmaking ministry is very common in "restricted access nations", countries where it is illegal to do full-time Christian work. Having a "normal" job allows the missionary to enter the country and remain legitimate in the eyes of the government while doing Christian ministry.
Though we use the term as a kind of Christian idiom (very few tentmaker missionaries actually make tents), it is a principle firmly rooted in the Bible and taken from Paul's ministry, specifically mentioned here.
[1] Ajith Fernando, Acts, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 491.
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