Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry [Paperback]

John Piper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2002

Brothers, We Are Not Professional

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

 John Piper is pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He is the best-selling author of more than 40 books including Don’t Waste Your Life and Desiring God.

Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group (September 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805426205
• ISBN-13: 978-0805426205
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John is the author of more than 30 books, including Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, What Jesus Demands from the World, and Don't Waste Your Life.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#34 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate, Practical, Powerful November 9, 2002

By Brian G Hedges

Format:Paperback

This may be the most important book written for pastors in the past decade. Piper sounds a clarion call for pastors to chunk professionalized ministry for the radical and humble, self-denying and soul-satisfying, culture-threatening and person-redeeming ministry commended in Scripture. "The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake," Piper warns. This comes from the first of thirty chapters that chart for us how to cultivate radical, biblical ministry. Piper tells us to make God's glory central, pursue our joy in Him, go hard after God in prayer, labor over the Scriptures, read great books, study great lives, and emphasize soul-saving truths. This book is full of clear-thinking about both doctrinal issues (like eternal security) and ethical issues (like abortion), and the clear-thinking is joined with a hot-hearted passion for God, holiness, the Word, eternity, and the perishing. Brothers, this is a great book. If you want to be God's man for such a time as this, then get it, read it, meditate on it, pray over it, and above all, live it. God help us.

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Radical? Then Let's live this way. August 27, 2003

By D. Weber

Format:Paperback

It made me sick to read the other reviews of this book by people who most likely struggle in the areas that Piper is calling all Pastors to engage more radically in. Like prayer, reading, etc... If more of us pastors lived our lives devoted to prayer and reading of scripture we would certainly make a mark on this world. Unfortunately most of us don't have the robust, dare I say "radical" faith that Piper calls us to and so we take our spot on the powerless sidelines of the cultural dialogue. Piper is calling us to something great if we only lived what we believe about prayer and scripture then maybe we would be empowered to engage and penetrate our hurting world. But I suppose this to will sound trite and simple to those with no character. Let's buck up, get on our horse and live like Jesus, This is what Piper is calling us to, Highly Recommended.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brothers We Are Not Professionals May 22, 2003

By Greg Bailey

Format:Paperback

After reading one of the reviews that claimed this work was not radical, I had to add my two cents worth. The entire text is radical if actually put into use. But Chapters 4-7 are life transforming. Not that it is entirely new stuff, but as is John Piper's gift, he gives us (pastoral workers and hungry Christians of all callings) new ways of seeing. The chapter on the "begger mentality" is worth all the treasures of earth. I have already given it to a young man pursuing seminary.
Greg Bailey

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Godward Life, the pastor's version. October 28, 2002

By Matthew Westerholm

Format:Paperback

Those familiar with Piper's work will find no surprises in this book. That is not disappointing, but wonderful.

This is a collection of 30 articles, some of which were written for the GBC magazine, that Piper has written to church leaders. Those of us who have subscribed to his email sermon series and read his "fresh words" will see some old friends here. All the better. This material deserves to be seen by everyone in vocational ministry.

Powerful and pithy, Piper delivers 30 easy-to-read, important-to-do challenges from the bible for today's Pastors. Challenge, reminder, encouragement all find healthy dosage within this book.

If you can't wait to read his forthcoming "Counted Righteous In Christ" book, there's a teaser in one of the chapters.

The book also represents a slight shift as Piper uses the English Standard Version as his main bible. Those with their ear to the ground on such matters saw it coming.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Pastors November 24, 2002

By Kevin J. Navarro

Format:Paperback

This is a must read for pastors. I have taken every chapter to heart. Preach justification by faith. Query the text. Read Christian biographies. Be a student of the Biblical languages. Realize that serving is a gift from the Lord. Be a Christian hedonist. This book has radically altered my perspective of my calling as a pastor. It will bless you as well. John Piper, you have brought glory to Christ by writing this book.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rehash of Familiar Material, But Still a Good Read March 26, 2004

By Michael Taylor TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Piper's book focuses on the call to pastors to see the ministry as a calling instead of a business. While I have read similar material in other books, Piper's book is still a good read.

Among the topics he covers include:

1. Do not put your trust in man. Fear God instead.
2. We are dependent on God - our job is to wait for Him and let Him work mighty things through us as He chooses.
3. We cannot produce fruit apart from God. Time spent in prayer is not wasted time.
4. Good thoughts on the importance of reading good books.
5. The dangers of legalism.
6. Our afflictions can be used to comfort others.
7. Live a simple lifestyle so that others may simply live.
8. Pastoral ministry is serious business.

While the book's contents may be familiar to several readers, it doesn't hurt to be reminded periodically of the basics, lest we stray from the faith.

All in all, a good read.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, it's about the Basics, but by no means "Ho Hum." March 1, 2005

By Benjamin Tidwell

Format:Paperback

This is mainly a response to other reviews I have read of this book...

What John Piper has written in "brothers, we are not professionals" is a very needed book, especially in Westren Christianity. And his address "brothers" is clearly a reference to the New Testament expression "brethren", and so, calling it sexist is unwarrented, unless you view the Bible as also being sexist.

A friend once told me that some of Martin Luther's hearer's derided him for teaching the plain gospel, the basics concerning salvation in Christ; they were of the attitude that "we've heard this all before" and yet, Martin Luther's response was something like this, "When you start acting this way, I'll stop talking this way." And I think that is a good illustration for what I see John Piper doing today.

It is obvious that the majority of the American Christian Culture is not dominated by and founded on the basic principles upon which this pastor speaks, but rather is more and more dominated by worldly practices and attractions. We are not called to imitate the world as we engage God and Christ in worship, we are called to imitate Christ as we engage this world on God's behalf. But... too many of us do just the opposite, and I thank God that there are men like John Piper who are able to see that, and grieve over it, and speak against it. It's not a wasted talent: talking to people right where you find them. This is always the method of a great teacher, how else will people understand, unless you begin where they are? Even the apostle Paul grieved that he had to remind his churches once again of the basic things, that he was not able to speak to them as mature men, but as babes!

With that said, I think that this book is definitely fit for a "first-year seminarian".... It is fit for anyone who takes to himself the name of Christ, as it serves to be a healthly reminder not to be like the world, but to be set apart for the work which God has truly called us to: namely, living and preaching the whole counsel of God. Read more ›