I wanted to share 3 more lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Lesson 4: Not trading time for money allows for more flexibility to do ministry
Some require you to report to a certain place at a certain time & you get paid based on the length of time you’re there. Nothing wrong but that, but it certainly is less flexible than some other tentmaking options.
I intentionally tried to choose income sources that would free me up for ministry. I wanted to make income in ways I could hire employees to manage so that I could replace my ministry income in a few hours each week.
These kinds of tentmaking approaches can take more time to develop, but in the end they provide much more flexibility to pursue your ministry goals.
Lesson 5: Lowering your expenses through hacking allows you to accomplish your tentmaking goals more quickly
It’s not just about how much you make. It’s about how much you spend.
If one family spends $60k and another family spends $160k, the first family is obviously going to have tentmaking replace their income far more quickly.
On this journey, we not only added income streams, we also decreased our expenses through hacking things like travel and various housing costs.
It’s easier & takes less time to reduce your spending than it is to add income streams. Do yourself a favor and work both sides of the equation.
Lesson 6: “Preaching the gospel free of charge” is so rewarding (1 Corinthinans 9:18)
I’ve written before about how it was a dream of mine to return my salary to the church.
I can honestly say that I’ve felt like Paul so many times along the way.
During times he was tentmaking, he considered working for free a “reward.”
It’s hard to understand the joy of this until you’ve experienced it, but I can tell you first-hand that the journey is so rewarding & full of joy.
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I could go on & on about all the lessons I’ve learned along the way but these are the 6 that first came to mind.
I’d love to hear more about the lessons you’ve learned along your tentmaking journey.
Feel free to shoot me and Simon an email and let us know the lessons you’ve learned.
I’m praying for you as I write this that God would continue to lead you as you navigate your own tentmaking journey.
