Brothers, we are not professionals

With a truly prophetic tone, the author makes a general call to recover the spiritual dimension of Christian ministry, which, due to confusion of terms and roles, is endangered by a misunderstood professionalism. Improvisation, superficiality, and neglect characterize many church activities, whether it's putting together a radio program, organizing an outreach campaign, or presenting a plan of action to civil authorities, when what is needed is professionalism, diligence, and mastery of the subject. In these areas of community activity, it is indeed essential, indispensable, to be professional, to handle pertinent matters appropriately. The error is to extrapolate virtues necessary for social, political, or administrative activities and apply them to Christian ministry, the preaching of the Gospel, and pastoral care. Here, professionalism, far from remedying ills, creates problems; instead of giving life, it kills.

The Christian minister is not an executive or a manager of religious organizations; for that, there are elders, a secretary, and a church council. They are, above all, a servant of God for the expansion of the Gospel and the edification of believers. God's work is very different from human work. It is a work from person to person, inspired and guided by the sublime person of Jesus Christ. It is beyond professionalism because, paradoxically, it must be more than professional. It demands complete dedication in thought, word, and deed. For this, no technique is sufficient, except intimate communion and fellowship with God and with people.

"The goals of our ministry are eternal and spiritual. They are not common to any profession. It is precisely because of the inability to see this that we are dying." The author of this book states and defines with ample reason and pastoral weight for current Christian ministry, and continues: "We pastors are dying by professionalizing pastoral ministry. The mindset of the professional is not the mindset of the prophet. It is not the mindset of the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of Christian ministry. The more professional we become, the greater the spiritual death we will leave in our wake."

"The world sets the agenda for the professional man; God sets the agenda for the spiritual man. The strong wine of Jesus Christ bursts the wineskin of professionalism."

Pages: 299

Dimensions: 14 x 21.2 x 1.9 cm

ISBN: 9788482674643