Ask Jack

<< Back Next >> Recent questions Ask Jack a question
Questions about: Money and Missions
Charles: (03/17/06) Hey Jack, I just wanted to thank you for helping folks out with the answers to their questions on missions. One answer you gave about a person with several thousands of dollars in educational debt left a glaring ommission however. A wonderful option for a person who needs to earn an income and would still like to be involved in missions is Tentmaking. A person with a college education (or higher) has wonderful opportunities for serving God abroad while earning a living. Tentmaking, if properly done, can result in the Gospel penetrating many nations as well as providing a living for the missionary. I recommend "Working Your Way to the Nations" as a great workbook to start with, as well as Global Opportunities tentmaking resources at http://www.globalopps.org. Cheers from a tentmaker. Charles

Jack: Thanks, Charles, for your kind words and also for calling my attention to “tentmaking” as a source of income as a missionary. Since you are a “tentmaker” (sometimes called “bi-vocational missionary”) you have the authority of experience. Thanks for the website for Global Oppportunities (http://www.globalopps.org/).

I have never investigated the subject, but I would guess that there may possibly be some foreign jobs which would pay sufficiently so that an individual would not only be able to support oneself but could also pay off a high accrued financial debt. My experience in Latin America, however, is that many jobs, particularly teaching ones, pay very little and often payments are in arrears. I’d be interested to know how many tentmakers would be able to both be self-supported by working and still be able to pay off a $70,000 school debt.

One detail I should mention is the organization Project Med Send (http://www.medsend.org/). Their concern is to help students in the medical field who are interested in missions pay their educational costs.

Again my thanks, Charles. Blessings on you in your ministry.

Jack

<< Back Next >> Recent questions Ask Jack a question
 
 

MSearch

 
 

Next Steps