Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

John Piper has launched a needed salvo across the bow of the evangelical Christian pastorate. Far too many books penned in the past two decades encourage the pastor to be the worldly CEO honing skills that smack more of secular MBAs than of spiritual servant leadership.

"Brothers, We Are Not Professionals," as the subtitle suggests, is a plea for a radical change away from pastoral ministry as business management and back to first-century pastoral ministry as shepherding the Church of God.

Rewiewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," "Biblical Psychology," "Martin Luther's Pastoral Counseling," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

First, I like Piper and enjoy reading him in manuscript and online.
Second, this material may seem rehashed or repeated, but I like to think of it as re-conveyed. I specifically use repetition myself - especially to get the point to stick.

This volume calls the pastor to really, honestly, humbly reevaluate his motivation for entering the pastoral ministry. Our nation, thus its people are at a crossroad. They do not need more pontification from "expert professionals". Our people need sound Biblical leadership from called men who are willing to address LIFE in all of its decency and decadence.

Our people and the Church universal in general, are experiencing strife, stagnation and suffering each day. These symptoms are seemingly not as apparent in the US where our culture has concealed truth behind glitz, glamour, fortune and fame. The sad truth, though, is that folks are struggling to come to grips with downsizing, white-collar unemployment, outsourcing, loss of income, and marital strain. This is just in well to do communities. The outlook is even dimmer when considering lower economic communities where hopelessness is more visually and physically apparent.

Piper's challenge is for the called man to step forward and lead. If God had intended for the economy to save souls He most certainly would have sent an economist as Savior. If God had intended for politics to save us He would have sent a politician. Most assuredly science, medicine, technology, education... professionalism in all of its nuances has its place of domination. The church, however, has to be a people convicted and convinced that Jesus is the answer and by the foolishness of preaching souls will be saved and lives will be changed.

This book is simply a must-read for all pastors. Other church leaders would benefit from it as well, but pastors in America today NEED to read this title. Piper pulls no punches as he addresses the professionalism that is draining the godly passion and Biblical piety from clergy across all denominations. His candor is refreshing and reviving. His words are directed not to the minister's head, but to his heart.

I am aware of no equal to this book by any other contemporary authors -- I am not aware of anything even close! Not since Spurgeon's "Letters to My Students" has there been such a useful, practical and godly resource which addresses the devotional heart and habits of the minister of God.