I was just prompted by a question to re-read John Piper’s first chapter in Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. Here’s a taste of Piper’s prayer at the end of the chapter:

Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh 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.

I suppose one question to ask is this, does the kind of “prophetic” ministry that Piper calls us to somehow stand in contrast to “expository preaching?”  To put it another way, is expository preaching a form of “professionalism?”  I would say not, although definitions are critical.  If by “expository preaching” we mean some kind of insipid, weak, fear-filled, irrelevant but technically satisfactory ministry, then of course there is a contrast. By “professional” does Piper mean “effective expository preaching” or something else?

I think Piper is going after the pastor pursuing the comfortable, dignified role in society, respected like a medical doctor, kind of professionalism – a profession.  If only our churches were led by men who were radically committed to uncomfortable spirituality, to sacrificial response-to-God kind of living.  I suspect that while such leadership would make some uncomfortable, it would give many of us more excitement and willingness to “follow” spiritual leaders, rather than just “fill” the pews kept in order by good and godly managers.

Can a “prophetic” ministry avoid professionalism, but still communicate well, as encouraged on this site?  I don’t think anyone would suggest the OT prophets were poor communicators?  They were master preachers, but they weren’t comfortable preachers.  They weren’t the socially respectable acceptable.  They weren’t nice, or insipid, or predictable, or fearful.  They spoke the Word of God with power and pointedness and precision and pluck (courage didn’t begin with a “p”).  I don’t read Piper ch.1 and think, ‘oh no, there’s no room for expository preaching anymore.’  Actually, I read it and say, “Amen!  If only we had more men of God preaching in our churches!”  What’s missing in contemporary preaching?  There’s a vibrancy, an urgency, a spirituality that is generally missing.  Piper is calling for the kind of radical sold-outness that often drains away in the professionalization of ministry.

We don’t want to sacrifice the authority of the text for the passion of the presenter, nor vice versa.  I suppose most of us preachers should hold our hands up and say “too much too safe too adequate preaching – my bad!”  Time for radical brokenness in our approach to ministry and our view of our own preaching.

Thank you Piper for the prod.  Let’s ponder.  Let’s pray.