Brothers, We are Still Not Professionals

John Piper's book, Brothers, We are Not Professionals, has long been one of my favorite books on pastoral ministry. So, I was glad to see that Desiring God has recently put together an ebook as an extension to it: Still Not Professionals. It has contributions from some of my favorite pastors. And, its free!

Here is a quote from the first chapter (by Piper) that has me abiding in Christ as I prepare today for Sunday's sermon:

"Ministry is discovering how to live happily in the all-accomplishing hands of the risen Christ.This is a plea for pastors to put the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the power of Christ-exalting truth, and the purity of holy living, above the pragmatic considerations of organization, and above our concerns with compelling style."

Dangerous Calling

Pastors, run (don't walk) to buy this book. Church members, run (don't walk) to buy this book for your pastor.

I'm reading through it right now with a group of pastors and it is more helpful than I can say in a blog post. Paul Tripp is uniquely qualified to write this book of warning to pastors.

And BONUS: WTS has it on sale right now (48-56% off).  Along with the accompanying DVD (62% off).

The Four P's of a Faithful Pastorate

Mark Dever preached a pastoral installation service Sunday for Del Ray Baptist Church. It is a great meditation on the calling of a pastor. In it, Dever addresses both the new pastor and the congregation.

To the new pastor, Dever gives 4 exhortations:
-Preaching (make this your primary task)
-Praying (pray all the time)
-Personal Discpling Relationships (do others good spiritually)
-Patience (lead in light of eternity)

To the congregation, Dever gives 3 exhortations around these things:
-Money (pay your pastor as much as you can)
-Marriage (care for the pastor's wife)
-Moderation (be moderate in your expectations of your new pastor)

The Greatest Mistake

Dave Kraft's new book on leadership mistakes is fantastic. In the first chapter, he exposes ministry idolatry (allowing ministry to replace Jesus). Here is the first sentence of chapter 1:

"The first and greatest mistake, which in essence gives birth to all the other mistakes, is not allowing Jesus to have his rightful place in our life and ministry."

Very Greatest Blessing

"A good minister that has the presence of God with him in his work is the very greatest blessing that God bestows upon a people, next to himself."
-Jonatha Edwards

The Numbers Game

Here is a helpful post by Brian Croft about the unbiblical practice of evaluating our ministries on numbers.

The Cross and Christian Ministry

DA Carson's The Cross and Christian Ministry is must reading for all Christian leaders. This book is basically an exposition of the first 4 chapters of 1 Corinthians. Carson shows how the Cross of Jesus Christ must be the content and method of our preaching and ministry. The Cross stands as the test and standard of all vital Christian ministry.

In every generation, the gospel is in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy. Carson calls us back to the centrality of Christ and Him crucified.

One of the many things I have found helpful about this book is in the way it presses home some of the foundational characteristics of a Cross-centered leader. Here are a few examples:

• A Cross-centered leader focuses on the content rather than the form of preaching.
• A Cross-centered leader ties every subject to the Cross.
• A Cross-centered leader follows the crucified Messiah in to suffering.
• A Cross-centered leader primarily seeks to please Christ not people.
• A Cross-centered leader is empowered by the Spirit.
• A Cross-centered leader does not insist on his own "rights."
• A Cross-centered leader is humble.

Ministry Idolatry

Driscoll's second message at the Advance '09 conference a few weeks ago was the best message on idolatry I've ever heard. I would highly encourage you to listen to the audio or watch the video from that message. It is time for the church to begin identifying and repenting of the good things we've used to replace God. Here are the 11 types of idolatry Driscoll ended the message with, along with a penetrating question to help us identify these subtle idolatries (keep in mind he is talking to church leaders):

1. Attendance idolatry: Does your joy change when attendance at church goes up or down?
2. Gift idolatry: Do you feel as if God needs you because you are so skilled?
3. Truth idolatry: Do you consider yourself more godly than more simple Christians?
4. Fruit idolatry: Do you point to your success as proof that God loves you?
5. Tradition idolatry: What traditions are you upholding that thwart the forward progress of the Gospel?
6. Method idolatry: Do you worship your method as your mediator?
7. Office/Title idolatry: Are you motivated primarily by God’s glory or your title?
8. Success idolatry: Is winning (however you define that) what motivates you at the deepest level?
9. Ministry idolatry: Do you use the pressure of ministry to walk with God instead of love for Him?
10. Innovative idolatry: Do you have to be considered “unique”?
11. Leader idolatry: Who, other than Christ, are you seeking to be like?

A Practical Guide for Life and Ministry

I usually have a "light" book sitting beside the bed for those moments right before I go to sleep. For the past 5 months that book has been A Practical Guide for Life and Ministry by David Horner. It has been a refreshing and helpful read.

Here is the blurb:

If you have served on a church staff for any length of time, you've almost certainly dealt with unhealthy expectations. Too many pastors embrace a hard-driving ministry that borders on burn-out, convincing themselves they are being obedient to God's will. In reality, putting too much energy into one area of life or ministry causes you to neglect others.

With thirty years of pastoral experience behind him, David Horner knows the many challenges pastors face. In A Practical Guide for Life and Ministry, Horner shows how to

-balance the demands of your calling
-sharpen your vision
-grow a team
-cultivate humility
-learn through failure
-embrace change
-fight spiritual dryness

Developing a well-balanced approach to responsibilities and passions will equip you to thrive in the face of the many challenges of ministry. This book can show you the way.

Battling Jealousy in the Ministry

If we are honest with ourselves, all of us battle the temptation of jealousy. This is a particular temptation that pastors face regularly. We tend to look around and want what other pastors have: a large congregation, a loving congregation, a particular location, a particular budget, a particular building, a particular gift for preaching or leading, etc.

Examine yourself:

• What do you feel when you hear of another pastor in your town who has failed?
• What do you feel when you hear of another church in town outgrowing their large facility?
• What if someone planted a church right down the street from your church and within two years they have 500 people coming (some of them are members of your church)?
• What do you feel when you hear that another pastor has been given a large gift by their church as an appreciation for their faithful labor?
• What do you feel when one of your members tells you that they are growing so much by listening to someone else's sermons online?
• What do you feel when a friend from seminary is hired by a church you would love to serve?

I have found the example of John the Baptist to be extremely helpful for battling this temptation. In John 3:26, John's disciples come to him with a complaint full of envy and competition. They noticed that Jesus' ministry is cutting into their popularity and they want John to do something about it.

John does not respond by reinforcing their shattered egos. John doesn't stroke their pride and develop a way to reach more people so that his disciples can feel good about their life.

John responds by proclaiming the unrivaled centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ. Pay careful attention to how John responds in 3:27-30. From his response, we can gather some helpful principles for our own battle with jealousy:

1. My role in the Kingdom is determined by God (v. 27).
2. I must not pretend to be someone I'm not (v. 28).
3. I must find my joy in something outside of myself (v. 29).
4. My mission is to point people away from myself to Christ (v. 30).

Resist the spirit of competition when you see God using someone in different ways than He is using you.

Let's get practical:
-If you are in the ministry for your own popularity, get out now. If your desire is not to make much of Christ, find something else to do.
-Find ways to speak well of other churches and other pastors every chance you get.
-Never speak negatively of another church or pastor simply to make you and your church look better to someone else. Call them out for theological errors or unbiblical practices, but don't use them to elevate yourself.
-Rejoice when you hear that God is blessing someone else's ministry.
-Surround yourself with people more gifted than yourself.
-Never forget that you are just here for a short time. Soon, very soon, someone else will occupy that chair (unless the Lord returns). As William Carey lay dying, he looked over at a friend and said, "When I am gone, don't talk about William Carey; talk about William Cary's Savior."

The Opressing Avalanche

"Jesus’ blunt words—“None of your business, follow me”—are sweet to my ears. They are liberating from the depressing bondage of fatal comparing. Sometimes when I scan the ads in Christianity Today (all ten thousand of them), I get discouraged. Not as much as I used to twenty-five years ago. But still I find this avalanche of ministry suggestions oppressing.

Book after book, conference after conference, DVD after DVD—telling me how to succeed in ministry. And all of them quietly delivering the message that I am not making it. Worship could be better. Preaching could be better. Evangelism could be better. Pastoral care could be better. Youth ministry could be better. Missions could be better. And here is what works. Buy this. Go here. Go there. Do it this way. And adding to the burden—some of these books and conferences are mine!"

(A small excerpt from this article by John Piper)

Spring Planning Retreat

My incredible wife and my incredible church are allowing me to go on my first ever personal retreat. I was convicted of my need for such a retreat from listening to this talk by Mike Bullmore. I will be spending a few days away from the office, away from the internet, away from the news, away from the phone, and away from the norm.


Among my goals are to:
1. Evaluate my life and identify weaknesses.
2. Spend unhurried time alone with God in His Word.
3. Divide the Gospel of John into preachable units and plan the rest of the 2008 preaching calendar for Christ Baptist.
4. Do some thinking/planning/praying for the church.
5. Read.


Among the books I'm taking are:
1. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul Tripp (for personal reflection).
2. Christ-Centered Preaching by Brian Chapell (for growth in preaching).
3. The Cross and Christian Ministry by DA Carson (for refocusing on the Gospel).
4. Sex, Romance, and The Glory of God by CJ Mahaney (for strengthening my marriage).
5. A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent (for preaching the Gospel to myself).
6. Lots of John commentaries (for studying the Gospel fo John).

I know, I know. I'm lacking old books. On future retreats, I will make sure I take some older books. I just couldn't get away from the first three of these and probably won't have time to even read these well. Pray for me.

Monday Musings on Faithfulness

I've been pondering this line for a few days now: All That is Gold Does Not Glitter.

It is so true isn't it? The really sweet things in life, ministry, and faithfulness are not glamorous. Often, those things that please the heart of God do not get published in the newspaper or commemorated by a plaque. How many faithful, gospel-loving missionaries are out there right now doing what God has called them to do, without one ounce of "glitter."

Hospital visits do not glitter.
An hour on your knees in private does not glitter.
Sharing the gospel over a cup of coffee does not glitter.
Memorizing a chapter of Scripture does not glitter.
Building a church for a poor village does not glitter.
Holding a sick orphan does not glitter.
Ending this blog post to feed my son does not glitter...