On February 4–6, 2013, we will gather, God willing, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the annual Desiring God Conference for Pastors. This time the theme is “Brothers, We Are Still Not Professionals: Reclaiming the Centrality of the Supernatural in Ministry.” Just days prior to the conference is the scheduled release of John Piper’s revised and expanded Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry.
This short new ebook Still Not Professionals: Ten Pleas for Today’s Pastors, available free from Desiring God, is a celebration and extension of that book — born not only from an effort to whet the appetite for the upcoming conference, but in a hope to bless pastors and other Christian leaders beyond the book and conference.
How the eBook Was Born
In October, Desiring God issued invitations to a handful of ministry friends — all of them seasoned pastors whom we deeply respect — to contribute to this ebook. As the chapters came in during the subsequent weeks, we posted them at the blog. Now that they’ve all arrived, and have gone through a few rounds of edits, we’re making them available all together in one place as a resource we hope might have a long electronic shelf life.
We asked the contributors to express in these chapter their “heart of hearts” for fellow pastors — what comes first, or most profoundly, to their minds when they think about influencing fellow ministers. Given their unique experiences and contexts, what one thing would they want to exhort early 21st-century evangelical pastors to hear?
We readily admit that the experiences and perspectives of our group is limited — the group is made up entirely of pastors in 21st-century North American contexts.
However, we believe that the substance of these chapters taps into profound human themes, in both the pastor and his flock, and will be of use for Christian leaders far beyond our limited North American context. Such is our prayer as we launch this ebook.
Why Not Sisters?
Some may ask why this ebook is addressed to “brothers” and not to “sisters.” Doug Wilson has something to say about that in chapter 3. But for now, here’s how John Piper addresses that question in his preface to the Brothers book:
To those who want me to write for “brothers and sisters,” I say, let everyone be fully convinced in his own mind. As for me, the biblical teaching is clear: God calls spiritual, humble, Christlike men to lead the family as husbands and to lead the church as elders (Eph. 5:20–33; 1 Tim. 2:12–13). I believe, and I have experienced for thirty years, that godly, gifted, articulate, intelligent, ministering women flourish in such families and churches.
We too, in addressing this ebook to the “brothers,” believe that it is not at the expense of our wonderful sisters, but for the sake of their undiminished thriving. We believe that as Christian men step forward to fulfill their callings as Christlike men in the family and the local church, Christian women will flourish in otherwise unattainable ways.
Free PDF, EPUB, and MOBI
To download Still Not Professionals, click on the following format options:
- Download ebook as a PDF file. This would be the format to download if you plan to print and read on paper.
- Download ebook as an EPUB file formatted for readers like Nook, Sony Reader, and Apple iBooks (iPad, iPhone, iPod).
- Download ebook as a MOBI file formatted for Kindle applications (this option works well on some mobile devices, but not well on others).
Note: To load the ebook on a mobile device, it may be necessary to view this blog post from within your device and then to click the download option.
Early registration for the Pastors Conference, with its special reduced rates, ends next Monday, December 31 at midnight (CST). More information is available at the event page.
The following are the six topics and speakers for the plenary messages.
Success and the Supernatural: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome— 26 Years Later
Kent HughesPastoral Transition After a 32-Year Ministry: Strategy and the Supernatural
Jason MeyerSovereign Grace, Spiritual Gifts, and the Pastor: How Should a Reformed Pastor Be Charismatic?
Tope KoleosoThe Pastor-Shepherd as Poet and Prophet: Thoughts from the Life and Poetry of George Herbert
John PiperDo the Work of An Evangelist: Evangelism, As Though Conversion Were Supernatural
Darrin PatrickSupernatural World Missions: “With Man This Is Impossible”
Mack Stiles