Tentmakers Prayer Support Network

A Ministry To, For, By and Through Believers in Business. 

What We Are About

4 Compentents to Tentmakers Network

Two quick points: The joyous Christian life must have 3 healthy components: The Inward, the Upward and The Outward.

Secondly, every ministry, to be the most impactful, must start with the individual. This is why we seek so many members--there are so many opportunities! This is an evangelical ministry as much as it is an encouraging and supporting ministry. (That is why we boldly ask for prayer for ourselves and TPSN members!) We see four components to working with believers in business...

1. Assurance of a Vertical Relationship

--Establish a relationship if none exists;

--Assurance of salvation;

--No unconfessed sin in our lives; 

2. Ensure Horizontal Relationships are Clear

--At peace as much as possible with family;

--At peace with others starting with our  

        local church family and employees;

--Local church involvement

3. Establish an Ongoing Personal Prayer Strategy for Business and Family Needs In an Atmosphere of Safety and Confidentiality and Accountability with Trusted Individuals.

4. Determine Ministry Opportunities in Light of Spiritual Gifts and Business Responsibilities

--Through our local church;

--Through established ministries;

--Through our niche business markets

--Through mentoring, coaching and consulting--one-to-one, II Tim 2:2 duplication

As to #4 above, Tentmakers is committed to instilling and inspiring the reading of the Bible, God's holy Word in every block, home and church through the The Miracle That Is Your Bible campaign. When doing prison ministry years ago with other businessmen, we were continually amazed at how spiritually mature the prisoners were--beyond us in fact in some cases! That is because they immersed themselves in God's word. At Tentmakers, we encourage you to 'salt the oats' in getting the 'real Scripture' read during this New Age 'scripture' outpouring by joining with us in the TEAM 1000 or Centurian Club campaigns.

Pastors: See our Confidential Letter to You 

(Click Here!)

One of our purposes is to remove the line separating the 'paid religious' and the secular in Christianity. We are all in this together! Pastors, have you ever stopped to think of the impact that Tentmakers (in this definition I mean believers who own a business of any type) have--and could have--in advancing our Lord's Great Commission?



Anecdotal research (the only kind we can find thus far) has shown that believers owning a business and who give regularly, account for anywhere from 26% to a whopping 71% of the revenue of a Christian organization's budget, This includes everything from the local church to regional to large nationwide ministries.



Accuracy of the percentages notwithstanding, the bottom-line point is that we believers in business, as entrepreneurs, contractors, service providers, retail merchants,bankers, physicians, dentists, farmers and more, impact the local chuch, community ministries to worldwide missions--often behind the scenes. Not a big surprise there. But how comfortable are you in asking for prayer for serious business needs to goal-fulfillment requests at prayer meetings?

Our Mission

To identify, build, promote and inspire the widest possible support, in both prayer and resources, for Christians in businesses of all sizes, surrendered to and used of the Lord, in building their resources available for use in the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) starting with their local church and community.

 Blogs—
We desire to be a communicating body both in our local Chapters and in the national office and therefore look to have blogs shortly.

Tentmaker Marketplace—Our policy is that a Christian-owned/managed business should be as excellent as any of their competitors. This being equal, we want to give all Tentmaker Supporters (starting with our friendly pew-packers!) to be able to make their choice based on that distinction--and do business with you! (After all it is more effective for a third-party to remind folks of the good things you have than for you to do it, yes?)

Redeeming Your Time for the Kingdom

One of the most sacred resources of the business owner is time. We tend to give our money before we give our time. Yet outside of our family, church and our own business, there is a world of eternal-gain prayer opportunities--possibly starting with developing your own ministry of what the Lord has laid on your heart! We encourage you to share what the Lord has done in your life and thereby encourage others.

 
Your Own Ministry--Developed

On that above note, one of the things we ask TPSN members about is if the Lord has laid on your heart a specific market, mission or method to reach for the Kingdom.

As business owners, we tend to exist in the background of our local churches not wanting to bask in any so-called limelight but simply getting done what needs to be done according to our own resources. We often do tasks covertly and confidentially. We like it that way.

The Holy Spirit as Our Ultimate Guide

Yet there comes a time when something becomes a burr in our spiritual saddle that will not let up--where we 'must' involve our own selves (there are many, many examples besides myself that can serve as Exhibit A for you)

Bruce Wilkinson, as do many others, has AIDS as a quest. Joni Erickson has the physically challenged, James Dobson has God-centered families as his quest and so on. Others may have crisis pregnacy centers or micro loans in mission countries. What is yours? Fill in the blank with your own word or words

"When I ______, I feel God's smile upon me."
(Remember Chariots of Fire?)

Some believers in business see the homeless and poor as their God-inspired quest and go on to buy whole city blocks to set up food distribution centers, health clinics and/or sponsor community home building or home repair.,,to go about doing good.

Still others see their focus in whatEVER they do to attach the Gospel to that whatever they do. As one told me, "Steve, it doesn't matter how many houses I cause to be built or repaired, or how many bellies I fill if I do not also provide them with the Message of the Living Water that only Jesus provides in empowering them to secure their eternity, it is all for naught. If this is all I do it is all only a 'feel-good' exercise that robs people of their choice for eternity. After all. we are spiritual beings temporarily living in this physical body..."

You--As a Business Coach to Others


As the person who created and co-founded the National Association of Business Coaches (and sold it in 2002), I know what a good business coach can mean to the positive cashflow of a company--yea verily, any organization. I have seen it many times through NABC members. (Also, you'll have to see the Founder's Backgrounder for more info as I don't like to talk about myself, but I realize it must be done.) This site is NOT about one person; it is purposely others oriented!



I trust that you not only will see that Tentmakers Support Network is not 'just another org for Christian business folks' and that you not only will join but also provide fellow TPSN members with resources and contacts that you found highly rewarding in your field and refer others who will refer still others.



It is also my quest that as our Lord has allowed you to lead a successful business or organization, you will be willing to coach others--in a kind of B to B version of II Timothy 2:2.

 

A Scriptural Foundation



There are a number of 'proof texts' we could use of course. But remember in Exodous 17: 8-13 where Aaron and Hur held up Moses' staff so that General Joshual could win?


What if you could array your own 'army' of righteous men and women to hold up your 'staff' on whatever is causing your business sticking point to take that request to the Father with you? All things being equal and right in your spiritual relationship in allowing the Lord to accomplish His will in your life, we are excited about the possibilities! Christianity to be fully experiences must have three components: The Inward, The Upward and the Outward. This is why we want YOU to also 'bear one another's burdens' as the Lord leads.



[Personal Note: I acquired both a believing wife and a believing CPA in 1975 to God's glory. While Homer, my good friend and accountant for 26 years (talk about the lifetime value of a client!) went to be with the Lord because of cancer in 2002, my wife and I continue to look to our Lord daily for His leading. Homer had a ministry to, as he put it, 'hurting Christian business owners' (that's why we got along for so many years!) whom the Lord was leading through a 'wilderness experience' or 'brokenness' or 'black hole' experience in their lives. Tentmakers Prayer Support Network is in large part, an out-growth of Homer's ministry.]

 
The Executive Summary of TPSN

 
TPSN is building a business-to-business community of believers for the purpose of prayer, encouragement and marketplace support. This means those in Tentmakers will 1) Call on the Lord on your behalf, 2) Other believers in business will lift you up; and 3) Work with you to help you to find ways to win in your business marketplace with your customers, employees and/or clients.

Business to business is our fit; Obedient in prayer for Tentmakers' success in their marketplaces for the Lord’s glory and will in lives is our call. In turn, growing a praying army to pray for other surrendered B to B believers is tough; but it is the single greatest ‘success secret’ in the world for profitable productivity.



Join with us in Tentmakers Support Network International (TPSN) to get serious about supporting the least prayed-for and yet one of the most vital segments in all of Christianity: believers who are the owners and managers of businesses. Yet this group is one of the most mission-minded (next door to worldwide) in history (just think how many times you have observed a Scripture verse and/or a salvation message on the back of an owner-operated truck on the highway to name just one group!).

Working With and Through Other Organizations


As our Lord calls individuals to support TPSN in their own TPSN membership, and from local churches and business groups, we also strive to make others aware of the ministries of other groups dedicated to supporting all Christians in the marketplace. We need to support each others as per Galatians 6. There are some excellent groups that TPSN will be partnering with in the coming months and years to the benefit of all of our members.

Each of us building up the other's 'sphere' in ministry and our marketplace as (II Cor 10:13), "within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us..." (NASB)

Purpose

"...another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done..."
--Judges 2: 10b

This is one reason we also seek to have Christians in business become authors and even publishers of their testimonies of what the Lord as done for them!

We are looking to help you pull down the strongholds that are holding you and your business back within God's will (Col 1:9-12), and to encourage and to build each other up in our most holy faith.


A contactor confided in me the other week, "I can't even talk to my pastor about this..."


Prayer is the believer's most powerful 'secret' asset for business success in the Lord. Have a major presentation or a must-succeed marketing campaign? How about an employee or family situation, IRS issue or the white-knuckle siutation of thinking you may not make payroll next week? We've all been there, done that.


The sad part is that many business owners simply do not believe in the power of prayer...oh, they spout the religious cliches, but you hear them say something akin to "If I can't see it, feel it, touch it or manage it, what's the use? I live in the 'real' world!"



Remember the hymn with the words, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear; All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer?"

Get the Inward and Upward Right and the Outward Comes Fairly Naturally

Prayer just doesn't flesh out on a spreadsheet--or does it? Think of the answers God gives us. Yet prayer is fellowship--with God and for others. That is why we stress that we need to pray for and encourage other believers in business as our purpose.



As a lot, we business types do suffer a lot of needless pain because we keep everything so close to our proverbial vest and do not share with others what we are going through. We also silently suffer what many call 'testing' or 'wilderness experiences' or 'black hole' times in our lives. This is when we have a clear conscience before our Lord--yet the wheels fall off of our well-planned strategies and nothing goes 'right' in our eyes. Plus, our local church is counting on our stepping up to the plate financially as we've done in the past on their next project. Yet now, in this 'wilderness time,' we don't know if we can earn enough money to pay the mortgage/rent. It is in these times--and well as the good victories for praise--that we should covet prayer from others



You also need a platform to be sharing with other Tentmakers as to what you have learned--in a practical, step-by-step format that has increased your revenues. Forget writing a book. How many of us have been eternally blessed by a believer in business who told part of their story in a small tract read in 3 minutes?!



As surrendered Tentmakers, we supply from 22% to 71% of the budgets of the world's Kingdom-focused organizations to local churches (our own research--Barna, Gallop and even ECFA do not have research on business giving yet). Does it not make sense, as to 100 years from today, to provide each other a forum where we can provide informative resources and tools to help other Tentmakers increase their revenue streams and, hopefully, profits--with eternity's values in view?



Of course it does. As we grow this site, we are looking for a growing body of knowledge of free and low-cost proven resources (software, reports, how-to, etc) you can actually use in your business--because you and other members are continually supplying the resources. We cannot survive as 'Lone Rangers' in our marketplace in the coming months and years to come--even though that is our desire at times.

As to TPSN Current Needs


Tentmakers Support Network is looking for help for ourselves in a technical sense and one-to-one help with other believers. Others are seeking a one-to-one business coaching with other believers. If you coach other believers in business, we insist that you be paid something for your time. Tentmakers is establishing initial guidelines in that direction (as per ..."a laborer is worthy of of their hire...").



If you, as a TPSN member, have written books, monographs and/or problem-solving reports on certains aspects of business or developed software or other business tools that would make members' jobs result in greater productivity (and you own the copyright and marketing rights), that you would be willing to give or share at no charge (possibly shipping) with other TPSN members, let us know. We want to build a huge resource of accessible business tools we can give away with our members and supporters.


We are allowing the Holy Spirit to lead Christians in business to TPSN who catch our vision and want to add to it with their spiritual and natural gifts and abilities in support of all believers in business.



"As iron sharpens iron..." I realize that praying for another is hard work. But we intend to keep this up until the end--or until He comes--that others may be benefited through you to His honor and glory.



--Steve Lanning

May, 2008