Tentmaking Tips

My wife and I just returned from a couple’s trip to the Cayman Islands (the picture above is from our balcony).

If you are a tentmaking pastor, you will never be as “available” as someone paid full time by the church.

Good.

That is not a weakness to hide. It is a leadership advantage if you handle it properly.

Here is how.

1. Clear the Guilt First

Most bi vocational leaders are not exhausted because of workload. They are exhausted because of internal pressure.

You feel:

I should answer that message immediately

I should attend every event

I should always be reachable

A real pastor would be more present

That thinking will crush you.

Look at the apostle Paul. Never as available as people wanted him to be. No zoom. No mobile. Often in another nation. Always on the move. Yet he achieved far more than many of us with all the tech support!

Availability is not the same as faithfulness.

If your church depends on you being constantly accessible, you do not have a healthy church. You have dependency.

Clear the guilt. Replace it with conviction:

I am called to shepherd

I am not called to be...

Every pastor thinking about tentmaking faces this tension:

“What if this works?”

“What if this distracts me?”

“What if this fails and wastes time?”

So most do nothing. Or worse - they leap without testing and create chaos at home and church.

Neither is wise. Paul didn’t abandon ministry to try tentmaking. He worked with what was in front of him. That’s the pattern.

Step 1: Start With Skills You Already Have

Before you explore something shiny, ask: What do people already ask me for help with? What do I do naturally well? What have I been paid for before?

Testing works best when you build from skills you already have.

If you’ve never renovated anything, house flipping isn’t your first experiment. If you’ve never coached anyone, launching a course tomorrow isn’t wise.

Start from existing strength.

Step 2: Reduce the Risk Window

Never test in a way that:

• Puts your family finances under strain
• Damages your credibility
• Forces you into stresssful decisions

Instead, define ...

In the last newsletter I shared 3 lessons I learned on my tentmaking journey over the past 8.5 years.

If you haven’t read that newsletter, you can read it first here.

I started my real estate company in August of 2017 and began a tentmaking journey that continues to this day.

One of the things I see happen every year is this:

People start the year with good intentions to earn additional income … but without a plan or with a bad plan. I know because I did it myself for many years.

Last week we talked about why vague resolutions don’t change anything and how direction beats willpower when it comes to your tentmaking goals.

So let’s take the next step:

How do you move from “I want to” to “I’m doing it”?

Because intentions without implementation are just wishes.

✅ 1. Clarify Your Income Target

Tentmaking isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Ask yourself:

• Do I just need a little extra each month?
• Am I aiming for a significant part-time income?
• Or do I want to fully replace my salary?

Knowing how much you actually need changes what you pursue and how you pursue it.

Write it down. Be specific.

✅ 2. Choose the Right Strategy (Not Just the Most Popular One)

There are dozens of ways to build tentmaking income - from house hacking and real estate to online ...

The start of a new year has a way of making us reflective.

What needs to change?
What do I need to take seriously this year?
What can’t be left vague anymore?

For tentmaking pastors, those questions often land in a very specific place: income, capacity, and freedom.

Not because money is the mission - but because money affects whether you can stay in the mission long-term.

Paul Didn’t Make Resolutions. He Made Room.

When Paul talks about his tentmaking, he never frames it as a compromise.
It’s not a fallback plan.
It’s not a lack of faith.

It’s wisdom.

“You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.” (Acts 20:34)

Paul didn’t set abstract goals like “trust God more” or “be more disciplined.”
He made practical decisions that created margin - financial, relational, and missional.

That’s the heart of tentmaking.

So as you think about goals this year, here’s a reframing that might help:

👉 Don’t ask, “What do I want to achieve?”
👉 Ask...

If you haven’t read the first two newsletters in the “Options Series,” check those out here:

Using Stock Options to Earn an Extra $1,000-2,000/mo

Selling Covered Call Options for Consistent Income

If you haven’t read the first newsletter in the “Options Series,” check that out first:

Using Stock Options to Earn an Extra $1,000-2,000/mo

Some of you read the title of this newsletter and might’ve gasped in disbelief.