God is writing a fantastic global story, and you can be part of it.
Tentmakers began in 2021 seeking to answer the question, how can we more effectively connect ourselves and our peers with faith-based organizations working to advance the Great Commission?
We first leaned into what it might look like to connect the skills and expertise of the global church with the needs of those serving on the ground to fulfill the Great Commission.
After analyzing the problem and looking to see if there was someone else solving this problem, we kicked off the pilot in October of 2021. The following summer, we launched a concierge service to match believers and missionaries around specific needs. This experience helped us understand how to best facilitate Great Commission engagement.
As we’ve worked to test and iterate on a possible MVP (Minimum Viable Product), we’ve learned that connections are the critical ingredient in Great Commission engagement. For those on the field, knowing someone who can help really is mission critical.
We saw connections clearly at the center of the story God was inviting us into. And this insight is what led us to launch the Switchboard platform this summer.
Our goal continues to be Great Commission impact, and we have taken a tighter focus on helping people make personal connections that move the mission forward.
Switchboard is changing how everyday believers reach the world as we build a platform for connecting missionaries and the global body of Christ around Great Commission impact.
The reality is many Great Commission Organizations or Individuals (GCOs) need help but struggle with where to find it. Their personal network doesn’t include people from all the areas where they need help.
And at the same time, many believers want to be part of the Great Commission but don’t see a clear path other than writing a check or buying a plane ticket.
They have experience and skills they would love to bring to the mission field but don’t know how or where.
But what if we could connect these two?
That connection is the heart of Switchboard.
Because relationships are so central to mission sustainability, we believe these connections and initial conversations will be seeds that grow into more.
Many on the mission field feel isolated, and many believers need help finding clear paths to Great Commission engagement. We’re excited to see how the Lord will use this year and the coming years to unite his people in his mission.
This July, Switchboard will launch with the primary focus of connecting people for conversations that match believers’ skills with ministry needs.
The mission remains the same. We’re still connecting the talents of faithful and available Christians with Great Commission efforts worldwide.
The only change is our branding and our focus on conversations as we launch. We expect that the platform will grow in the coming year, both in the breadth of conversation topics and the depth of engagement.
In May, we will open the platform to another round of beta testers. And by July, Switchboard will launch and open broadly to new KCs and GCOs.
We will initially launch with five available categories for conversation topics. But we expect to expand as our user base grows. And we’ve already prioritized the next round of topics.
The launch is just a few months away, and you can play a role in two key ways.
If you’ve already been a part of the testing, we’ll contact you shortly with opportunities to test the current connection process.
If you’re interested in helping us test before launch, you can sign up to be a beta tester.
You probably know a lot of potential Kingdom Consultants or people in Great Commission Organizations. You can help them connect with Switchboard by sharing the website or inviting them to follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Speaking of social media, be sure to follow us as we’ll be sharing more about how you can have a Great Commission impact.
We’re really excited about what God is doing and are thankful to be a part of it. If you haven’t already, sign up and begin making an impact.
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