EMQ » January–March 2023 » Volume 59 Issue 1

By Samson L. Uytanlet

Tentmaking, as a missionary strategy, can be viable and effective, especially in countries where it is illegal or dangerous to openly share the gospel. Many believers in earlier centuries did this,^[i] and opportunities for tentmaking missions remain, today, in nations that both welcome and restrict Christian faith. But as we look at Paul’s missionary journeys to the northern Mediterranean regions, we are still left with a question: was tentmaking Paul’s intentional missionary strategy?

As a young believer, I regularly heard preachers or teachers talk about Paul’s tentmaking profession in relation to his missionary activities. This left me with the impression that Paul was intentional in drawing up his missionary plan to reach “the ends of earth” (Acts 13:47), and that his trade as a tentmaker was a critical part of it.

Yet as a student of the New Testament, I need to consider the evidence by asking pertinent questions. For example, if tentmaking was Paul’s missionary strategy, when and how did he come up with this idea? Did it happen while he was in Arabia (Galatians 1:17)? Or did the church in Antioch pray, worship, and make a strategic plan (Acts 13:2–3) resulting in their corporate decision to send tentmaking missionaries to regions with people who were hostile to the gospel message?

If only Paul kept a personal journal, or the church in Antioch kept their minutes of meetings for us to consult! In fact, the New Testament is silent about these matters. However, a review of the evidence in the New Testament suggests that while Paul was a tentmaker and a missionary, there is not enough evidence to say that tentmaking was an intentional strategy Paul adopted in doing his missionary work.

Paul, the Tentmaker

The term tentmaker, in relation to modern-day missions, is frequently used to refer to two equally important kinds of ministers:

1. Missionaries sent to do mission work. However, because entering a country as a missionary is not the best option, they enter as practicing professionals with a clear understanding that their primary purpose is to share the gospel.
2. A “bivocational minister … who has a secular job as well as a paid ministry position in the church.”^[ii] In short, the term refers to those who use their profession to achieve their goal of sharing the gospel, whether cross-culturally or locally.

The term is based on Paul’s continuous practice of his profession of tentmaking while he proclaimed the gospel among the Gentiles (Acts 18:3; 20:34). The accounts of Paul’s missionary work begin in Acts 13 at Antioch, but not much is said about his profession or source of income until Acts 18:3, while he was doing mission in Corinth. The only available hint in between these two chapters is the statement in Acts 16:15 that tells us about a seller of purple goods from Thyatira named Lydia, whose family showed Paul hospitality while he was ministering in Macedonia. This suggests that for a brief period of time, Paul’s daily needs were provided by this family.

More information about Paul’s work and the provisions for his ministry can be found in the autobiographical sections of his letters. On several occasions, he mentions his work to provide for his own needs (1 Corinthians 4:12; 9:6; 2 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). However, there are also occasions when he acknowledges the financial support given to him by ministry partners.^[iii] In writing to the Philippians, for instance, Paul thanked them for their “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:5). In the same letter, it is clear that the Macedonians were more than just his prayer partners; they were his financial supporters (Philippians 4:15). They not only provided for him while he was serving in Philippi; they also provided for him while he ministered in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:8–9).

Based on the information available from Acts and Paul’s letters, it seems that sometimes the local church supported him and his ministry (Philippians 4:15), other times he worked to provide for his own needs (Acts 20:34), and at still other times he received support from a local church and at the same time practiced his profession as a tentmaker while doing ministry (in Corinth [1 Corinthians 11:8–9]; in Thessalonica [Philippians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:19]). But did a reason exist behind these arrangements? And perhaps more importantly, why did Paul work as a tentmaker in Corinth, refuse help from the Corinthians, but receive support from the Philippians?

We might guess that Paul’s income as a tentmaker was not enough, and that a local congregation needed to support his ministry. But why did Philippians, and not the Corinthians, support his work at Corinth? Understanding the social contexts and their social dynamics can help address these questions.

Means of Support

Even in ancient times, there was no consensus in answering the question about which source of funding was appropriate for traveling teachers and philosophers. The fragment of a written work by Musonius Rufus entitled “What Means of Support is Appropriate for a Philosopher?” shows that this was an issue of discussion even among Greek philosophers during Paul’s time.^[iv] Among the later Christians, the propriety of Christian workers receiving hospitality and gifts from believers was also a topic of discussion, and was even used as a gauge to test whether the teacher/prophet was a false one (e.g., Didache 11:5–13:7).

Ancient philosophers and teachers had four primary means of support:

• Charging fees for teaching (e.g., the Sophists).
• Rich patrons who provided hospitality to the teachers (e.g., Plato).
• Begging (e.g., the Cynics).
• Work based on their skills (e.g., Cleanthes the Stoic).^[v]

Paul never advocated for charging fees (see 1 Corinthians 9:18; 2 Corinthians 11:7; Matt 10:8), nor did he beg. The support Paul received from Lydia’s household in Philippi was a result of her family’s generosity, not because Paul asked from them (Acts 16:15). It is possible that other members of the church in Macedonia followed Lydia’s example and gave to Paul’s work. In Philippians 4:10–20, Paul, somewhat awkwardly, clarified that he was not hinting at anything by mentioning about their support, but simply wanted to thank them for their generosity.

The situation was different when Paul ministered at Corinth and Thessalonica. From his letters to these two churches, we learn that the Philippians continued to provide monetary support to him while he was ministering in these two cities (Philippians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 11:8–9). But the churches have key differences from the Philippian church. The Thessalonian believers had significant financial struggles. Some Thessalonians were not working. And although Paul reprimanded them for being idle, there are hints that because of Paul’s work as a tentmaker, he not only shared the gospel with them, but also helped them in practical ways with their needs (1 Thessalonians 2:7–9).

In Corinth, the bigger issue was their attitude toward missionaries like Paul. Interestingly, when Luke mentioned Paul’s trade in Acts, it was during his time at Corinth (Acts 18:3).^[vi] Looking at the bigger picture of Paul’s ministry, it seems that Luke’s statement is more than just a passing reference about the tentmaking work of Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila. It invites us to ask about the dynamics between Paul and the Corinthian church, particularly on the issue of finances. A few observations can be made regarding Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians.

First, the Corinthians openly questioned Paul’s authority (1 Corinthians 9:2; 2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11–12) and ability (2 Corinthians 10:10). We often hear the statement, “Respect is something we earn.” This is wise advice, and Paul seems to be implying this when he wrote to young Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12). One cannot be reckless in their ways and expect people’s respect.

Conversely, it can also be said, “Respect is something we should give freely.” There is one reality we have to accept: no amount of accomplishments or consistency in character can earn the respect of someone who refuses to give it. Between these two statements on respect, only the latter is explicit in Scripture (Romans 13:7); and apparently, the first statement is what some Corinthians would say to Paul, while totally ignoring the second principle. At the core of the problem is the attitude of superiority of the Corinthians.

Second, Paul refused to receive monetary support from the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:8–9). This refusal was interpreted as Paul’s “lack of friendship” with the church, that Paul had to assure them that he genuinely cared for them just as many of them cared for him.^[vii] However, Paul’s repeated statement about being a burden to the church is telling.

• I did not burden anyone (2 Corinthians 11:9).
• I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way (2 Corinthians 11:9).
• I myself did not burden you (2 Corinthians 12:13).
• And I will not be a burden (2 Corinthians 12:14).
• I myself did not burden you (2 Corinthians 12:16).

These statements, together with Paul’s instruction about generosity in an earlier chapter (2 Corinthians 8:1–15), and his defense concerning the propriety of God’s workers receiving financial support from the church because of their work (1 Corinthians 9:1–18), show that some Corinthians had difficulty grasping the reasonableness of giving to God’s work, and particularly God’s work through Paul, which leads us to the third point.

Third, the Corinthians had been reluctant in giving to Paul’s ministry. The Corinthians were not totally uninvolved in giving. Paul shows confidence that they will participate in Titus’ relief drive for other churches that are in need (2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 1 Corinthians 16:1–3), and they seem to have no problem with the idea that other apostles are receiving church support (1 Corinthians 9:1–7). When it comes to Paul, however, they seem to have a different position on the issue.

Paul did not demand support from the Philippians, did not have a problem receiving it from them, and was grateful for their generosity. With the Corinthians, however, it was a totally different story. Honor is at stake here. God’s workers do not need to go through any form of humiliation to receive financial support for their work. For the Corinthians, this seems to be another opportunity for boasting.

Paul did not become a tentmaker only during his ministry at Corinth. He was one already even before he went to this city. Paul also did not cease from his trade after his work at Corinth. The clues that we gather from his two letters to Corinth, however, show that his work as a tentmaker in Corinth (Acts 18:3), together with his refusal to receive support from the church, resulted from the challenging dynamics between him and a congregation with an attitude of superiority.

Tentmakers for Today

The bottom-line issue is respect, and respect for God’s ministers. Paul was a tentmaker at Corinth because he was a tentmaker by trade; and he was a tentmaking minister who refused support from this church because of the Corinthians’ attitude of superiority. Was Paul’s work as a tentmaker an intentional missionary strategy? The answer is clear – no, it was not. In fact, while he worked with his own hands to supply for his own needs, he clearly advocated for fully supporting those who do God’s work (1 Corinthians 9:1–13). Paul’s work as a tentmaker reflects his theology of work more than his missionary strategy. What are the implications of these for us today?

Tentmaking continues to be a valuable missions strategy. In countries that do not welcome Christian missionaries, it is an effective cross-cultural ministry approach. Locally it can be a helpful way to reach out to those in workplaces.

Furthermore, the challenges Paul encountered with the Corinthians are still faced by many of God’s workers today. Paul’s trade as a tentmaker and his ministry as an apostle can be a starting point for doing theological reflections about work. Yet we should not overlook the fact that his trade in Corinth reflects not only his understanding of work, but also some believers’ attitudes toward God’s workers, especially in relation to giving and finances. There are still those who believe that pastors and missionaries should learn how to sacrifice, and by sacrifice, they mean that these workers should live a lifestyle of being humiliated for being dependent on the body of believers for support, and additional humiliation for having only the bare minimum or even less than what they need to decently survive.

This issue requires a more balanced view. Those who are called to ministry must know what kind of life they are entering. While it is true that there are ministers who can be faulted for their greed and avarice, many more are faithful to their calling. While it is true that ministry requires sacrifice, it should be something imposed by our Lord, not by their fellow believers. The sufferings brought on by non-believers are more than enough for God’s workers to bear. The last thing God’s workers need is additional suffering placed on them by believers who are like the “saints at Corinth.”

While it is true that a minister should be humble and not greedy, they need not be humiliated or disrespected. Individual Christians and churches have varying capacities to give, and this is totally understandable. Thus, tentmaking is sometimes necessary. What is unacceptable, however, is when it has reached a point when ministers have to say to their churches or organizations, “I am not, have not been, and will never be a burden to you.”

NOTES

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[i] For examples, see J. Christy Wilson, Jr., Today’s Tentmakers: Self-support: An Alternative Model for Worldwide Witness (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1981), 26–37. A more recent and comprehensive work on the topic is Kurt T. Kruger, Tentmaking: A Misunderstood Missiological Method (Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2020).

[ii] Dennis W. Bickers, The Tentmaking Pastor: The Joy of Bivocational Ministry (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 10.

[iii] In another article, I have briefly discussed the three types of churches that support missionaries based on Paul’s relationship with the churches to whom he ministered: the able and willing Philippians, the willing but unable Thessalonians, and the able but unwilling Corinthians. See Samson Uytanlet, “The Tale of Three Givers,” BSOP InFocus 110, no. 1 (2021): 1–2.

[iv] Ronald F. Hock, The Social Context of Paul’s Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship (Fortress: Philadelphia, 1980), 52.

[v] Hock, Social Context, 52–59.

[vi] The only other instance that mentions about Paul’s work was in his farewell speech to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:34). In his letter to the congregation, he advised them to work for a living (Ephesians 4:28), but there was no hint in in this letter that there was issue about Paul receiving financial support.

[vii] Hock, Social Context, 63.

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EMQ, Volume 59, Issue 1. Copyright © 2023 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.