Urban Tentmaking
What does tentmaking have to do with urban mission?
It is a term we use, which is taken from a theme in the New Testament, of apostles working to put food on the table, so they could continue preaching as well. In the case of Paul, he supported himself by making tents while living and preaching in Corinth.
The vast majority of our Eden team members work at some profession or career in order to pay the bills and give surplus time to work with the team, reaching nearby young people and their families. By pooling their talents and abilities they can facilitate a huge number of activities, which affect the lives of hundreds of people in their communities.
Amongst the teams there are GPs, teachers, midwives, students, factory workers, accountants, administrators, hotel managers, nursery nurses, checkout girls… even research scientists!
There are lots of advantages to founding a ministry on the tentmaking principle – here are a few:
- It sends out a great signal to local youth who often have very few role models in their life, who work for a living (see 2 Thess 3:7-9, “…We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.”)
- It means we can build larger, more sustainable teams, as each team member is not an additional salary to be funded
- It provides the team member with a daily routine and prevents the feeling of becoming overwhelmed by the demands of ‘full time ministry’
The Eden Network is at a really exciting stage of growth right now and we need to find about 100 new volunteers to do the ‘John 1:14 thing’ and ‘move into the neighbourhood’ by joining an Eden team. If you are interested, take a look at what we require from team volunteers.
Have you ever prayerfully considered whether God could be calling you to live this way? Could you become a role model to a young person? Do you have the initiative to become an agent of change in a community that is struggling to overcome decades of decline?
If you would like to take that job you do, week in and week out, and turn it into a means of furthering the gospel, consider joining one of our Eden teams.
