Brothers, We Are Not Professionals

John Piper has written a challenge to all of those that care about the ministry of the church entitled, "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals."  You can order the book here.  I felt the need to share a few quotes from the opening chapter (which shares the title of the book):

"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."

"I think God has exhibited us preachers as last of all in the world.  We are fools for Christ's sake, but professionals are wise.  We are weak, but professionals are strong.  Professionals are held in honor; we are in disrepute.  We do not ry to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be ill-clad and homeless."

"The aims of our ministry are eternal and spiritual.  They are not shared by any of the professions.  It is precisely by failure to see this that we are dying."

"The world sets the agenda of the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man.  The strong wine of Jesus Christ explodes the wineskins of professionalism."

Quoting E.M. Bounds, "The preacher... is not a professional man; his ministry is not a profession; it is a divine institution,  a divine devotion."

Dear God, please save our churches from professionalism.  Return a heart for raw, rugged pursuit of your Kingdom.  Help us to move past the business of running churches and get to the heart of being the church.  Plant your seed among us so that you might grow.  Forgive us when we are not about God glorification and sin mortification.  Save us from the professionalism of your Church!  In Christ's most holy, unprofessional name I pray, Amen.