Tentmaking Tips

I want to share something with you that might sound crazy - I once shut down a profitable $25K annual revenue business. On purpose.

Let me explain why, and what it taught me about building real freedom through online courses.

The Business That Almost Worked

A few years back, I was running a hobby eBay store that was doing pretty well. I was only spending 1-2 hours a week on it (sometimes less), and it was consistently profitable with a $25-30k per year turnover. Sounds perfect, right?

But here's the problem - the only way to grow it was to hire staff. And having managed teams in my charity work, I knew I didn't want to go down that path again. I also needed that time to pursue other ventures. So I shut it down.

That experience taught me something crucial: if you want true freedom, you've got to start with scale in mind.

The Three-Part Formula I Discovered

Through multiple business attempts - a software platform, the eBay store, self-published books - I learned that sustainable o...

I’m continuing my 6 Month Update series today with an update on Flip Hacking.

I'm excited to introduce you to Jim Britts, a pastor-turned-real estate quick flipper who's living proof that tentmaking can transform both your ministry and your finances. Jim's journey from full-time pastor to successful real estate entrepreneur is exactly the kind of story that inspires our community.

We occasionally feature guest posts from tentmaking practitioners who are walking this path successfully, and Jim's story is one you need to hear. His transparency about the challenges, the faith required, and the unexpected ministry opportunities that emerged will encourage anyone considering their own tentmaking journey.

Over to Jim!

From Full-Time Pastor to Real Estate Success: My Tentmaking Journey

If you would have told me 6 years ago that I would make a living in real estate, I would have said you were crazy. First, I had been a full-time pastor for the past 20 years and was loving getting to lead the church God had called me to plant that was going really well and multiply...

Picture this: You're at a church gathering, and someone asks what you do for work. You mention your business or side hustle, and immediately feel the need to justify it. "Well, I'm really called to ministry, but I just do this to pay the bills..." Sound familiar?

If you've ever felt guilty about making money while in ministry, you're not alone. It's one of the biggest barriers I see holding back tentmaking pastors and Christian leaders. But here's the thing - this guilt isn't coming from God.

Where Does This Shame Come From?

Most of this guilt stems from a misunderstanding that's been passed down through church culture for generations. Somewhere along the way, we bought into the lie that there's a hierarchy of callings - with "full-time ministry" at the top and everything else as a necessary evil.

We've created a false dichotomy between "sacred" and "secular" work. But look at the biblical tentmakers we talked about in our last newsletter. Paul didn't apologize for making tents. He...

Ministry is incredibly rewarding, but let's be honest about the financial reality many pastors face. Recent research shows that one-third of pastors don't even use all their vacation days, often due to financial constraints rather than lack of time. Today's guest post comes from Tim Walker, a pastor who discovered how travel hacking transformed not just his family's ability to travel, but became a legitimate tentmaking opportunity. His story proves that with the right strategy, ministry leaders can break free from the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and create the margin they need for rest, family time, and ministry effectiveness. Whether you're skeptical about travel hacking or wondering if it's actually legitimate, Tim's transparent journey from financial struggle to earning over 3.5 million points will give you the real story. Over to Tim ...

For many years in ministry, my family barely made enough money to live on, and our paycheck-to-paycheck life meant that we never made enough mon...

I've been diving deep into some fascinating research about how ministry was funded for the early church lately, and I stumbled across something that completely shifted my perspective on tentmaking ministry. It's the concept of "Kingdom Investors" - and honestly, it's got me thinking about how we've been approaching this whole thing.

The Biblical Blueprint for Kingdom Investment

You know how we always talk about Paul making tents? Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The early church was actually powered by an incredible network of Kingdom Investors - people who understood that their resources weren't just for personal gain, but for advancing God's kingdom.

Take Lydia, for instance. She was a successful merchant dealing in purple cloth (think luxury goods of her day). But when she encountered Paul's message, she didn't just get baptized and call it a day. She immediately opened her home, provided hospitality, and essentially became the financial backbone for the church in Philip...

I recently shared a 6 month update on Travel Hacking and wanted to continue that theme today by sharing a 6 month House Hacking update.

It’s been 6 months since I’ve given an update on my tentmaking adventures, so I wanted to start with an update on Travel Hacking.

When the Apostle Paul made tents to support his ministry, he established a powerful model that's increasingly relevant today.

As someone who leads both a local church and a wider movement of 800 churches, while also running an online education business, I've discovered that tentmaking ministry offers some pretty amazing benefits that go way beyond just making extra money.

Here's what this journey has taught me about bi-vocational ministry in today's world.

It's such an honor to be joining Chris in shaping tentmakingpastors.com!