Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, Updated and Expanded Edition

This book should be read by all Christians, not just pastors. I first read it 10 years ago when it was new and am joyfully rereading it in its latest release. Though aimed at pastors, Piper's few dozen meditations are excellent thought-inducing matter for any Christian. I know in my own experience, several of them helped radically shift the way I view my life through a biblical lens, and I imagine it would do the same for others. For those who read the first edition, I will also mention that he added a new introduction and around a half-dozen new pieces for this release. I've only read the introduction and the first of them, but they've been no less impactful than the original material.

Excellent presentation of attitudes, priorities, and habits of a minister/pastor/elders/shepherd, naturally seen through the lens of Piper’s main thesis: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in us. My only minor gripe is that I wish he would have talked more about how his views work themselves out on a practical level in a church ministry staff. In other words, what does a medium to large church staff look like if nobody is a “professional.” How is it structured, how are people held accountable, how do you set goals, what is the leadership structure/sharing/responsibility, how should pastoral compensation be established, etc. How did Piper work all these things out at Bethlehem Baptist, for example? Otherwise, I believe his view of worship is mostly excellent, but a little over-spiritualized. Even though the NT certainly delocalizes worship, both the OT and NT emphasize a comprehensive worship-oriented lifestyle, and the importance of corporate expressions of worship following a “Gospel-shaped” pattern (a lá Brian Chappell.)

We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness (Matt. 18:3); there is no professional tenderheartedness (Eph. 4:32); there is no professional panting after God (Ps. 42:1). But our first business is to pant after God in prayer. This week I finished reading through the revised and updated version of John Piper's book Brothers, We are Not Professionals. Overall it was a good, worthwhile read. While I don't necessarily agree with all points Piper makes theologically, this book has a lot of practical application and takeaways. I would definitely recommend this to anyone serving in ministry to refine motives and theology of "serving" not as "professionals" but with a refined heart that seeks after God. Some of my favorite reminders throughout this book come from a few of the chapter like: Chapter 7- Beware the Debtor's Ethic For me, this chapter reinforces why we serve God. It is not to "pay back" a debt we owe God since we can never seek to do so. Good deeds does not pay back grace but borrows more. Chapter 8- Tell Them Not To Serve God Again this chapter helps refine motives for why we serve God and encourage others to do so as well. It is not about us but about God. Not for our glory but to glorify God. Chapter 10- Brothers, Let Us Pray This chapter reinforces the prayer life of a follower of Jesus, a leader and especially those called to ministry. Prayer aligns us with God and recognizes our dependency in Him as opposed to the other areas of ministry we can come to rely upon. Plus several more... So if you are considering going into ministry, just starting out in ministry or have been serving in ministry already for a number of years; definitely get this book and read it to refresh your motives and understanding.

This book is not only a great read for pastors but all in the body of Christ.

I’ll state it right up front—every pastor should read “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals” by John Piper. The pastor is called upon to do lots of things, some of which are considered by both pastor and parishioner to more “spiritual” or more “business.” But in reality, all that a pastor (or any Christian for that matter) does is spiritual, because it is all to be done for the glory of God. Over time, many pastors have lost sight of the sacred nature of their calling, turning what they do into a professional pursuit. Piper explains, “First, professionalism should always be marginal, not central; optional, not crucial. And second, the pursuit of professionalism will push the supernatural center more and more into the corner while ministry becomes a set of secular competencies with a religious veneer. … When I look back, my regret is not that I wasn’t more professional but that I wasn’t more prayerful, more passionate for souls, more consistent in personal witness, more emotionally engaged with my children, more tender with my wife, more spontaneously affirming of the good in others.” Every chapter is chockfull of biblical insights, personal examples from John Piper’s ministry, and historical sources that have stood the test of time. I’ll say it again: every pastor should read this book! I’ll add my own “amen” this prayer John Piper offers: “Banish professionalism from our midst, O God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremitting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord. In Jesus’ great and powerful name. Amen.”

This book esceeded expectations. I've read a lot of pipers stuff but this was particularly special. He engages some of the most important, deep, woldview-changing topics. He gives practicals on how to carry out each of the chapters, but he spends a great deal of focus on building our theology and thinking so that the practicals would jsut fall in line. phenomenal book, and i am no pastor. just a guy in college who wants to love and lead generations to come. very grateful for this and would recommend to anyone trying to go hard after god and his glory

I have read several books by John Piper and he always delivers a fresh word from God to equip saints in their walk with God. My husband is a Pastor and is faced with many challenges and concerned with the direction a lot of churches are taking with compromising with the world's standards. I bought this book for him and he read it twice in a row.

In a day when many fall to the temptation to shrink pastoral ministry to building an organization through an excellent weekend ‘experience’, Piper points the way to faithful shepherding through Bible-saturated exhortations concerning a wide array of subjects. With an unwavering view to the glory of Christ, Piper encourages and exhorts pastors to faithful, gospel ministry. If you’re an elder in a local church or aspire to the office, I highly recommend this book!

one of those books where one chapter takes you so far in one direction you are inspired and encouraged and challenged and not sure if that can quite be right, and then the next chapter takes you off in a different direction. an always timely corrective for anyone getting tangled in the worst kind of ministerial development

A must read, excellent

Challenging, humbling, frightening, inspiring... sometimes on the same page! This book is written for full time pastors, but it's just as useful for the person who wants to improve themselves and get closer to God. I really love Piper's writing style; it is accessible but doesn't mince words when needing to be impactful. Piper has a way with words that had me smiling at the ways God works in and through us, and cowering when presented with the gravity of the task/s at hand. I would go so far as to say even if you don't align yourself with everything in the book, it's a must read for Christians of all denominations - it's that good!

Ottimo libro. L’ho letto in inglese. Inglese abbastanza difficile. Non lo consiglio per chi è alle prime armi.

Another well-written book by John Piper