Tentmaking 6 (Jeff Cook)

The Other Job: Tentmaking 6

The Apostle Paul made tents in order to fund his ministry, often receiving nothing from churches he was serving. Some present day pastors likewise divide their time between ministry and another job. A problem that has been hinted at in previous posts is that many of us actually “like” our other job. Some of us, in fact, see better work for the Kingdom taking place in our secondary vocation than we do through our church.

As such, when our other job and the church pull us toward themselves how do we choose? Is it okay to step out of our church role for the sake of our other job? Is it appropriate to give better effort and energy to our secondary job and allow our part-time church work to pay for our ministry outside the church?

On another front, what is the secret to finding a good, healthy second job? What kind of work is best for a tentmaker? Who out there thinks of themselves in a healthy position bivocationally and why?