2013
Maurice Leroy Strong III
Tentmakers: Changing the Variables in the Equation of Economic Viability for Congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
A viable Christian faith community is created whenever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name. The value of a congregation to itself, its diocese and surrounding community stems from its ability to participate in God’s mission and the mission of the Church, not the size of its budget. In struggling congregations finances can become the primary variable to measure success. When money becomes a congregation’s primary focus for sustainability, its members may overlook additional variables or relationships that create sustainability and the congregation’s mission and ministry suffers. In congregations where most of the budget is required to pay the traditional clergy stipend, leaders should consider creative models that reduce the emphasis on money. One creative ministry model is that of the tentmaker, an ordained leader who makes a significant portion of his/her income outside the traditional church setting. When money is not the primary emphasis of a congregation for sustainability, Spirit-guided currencies or Holy Currencies– relationship, truth, time and place, wellness, gracious leadership and money–can flow and a congregation’s vision and actions can transform from maintenance to mission. For the tentmaker ministry to be truly transformational, the ministry needs to be understood as complementary to the traditional ordained leadership model, not as a replacement, for it: it can broaden opportunities for congregational development within a diocese. When appropriately deployed, the tentmaker ministry can provide a congregation with the ability to focus on the flow of all the Holy Currencies, which allows them to find relationships that result in new vitality and sustainability.