Volume 1 Number 17

You’ve probably never heard of John Baker. Baker had a special passion — collecting and cataloging the films of early jazz musicians. John was not a musician, he was a lawyer. He neither played an instrument nor read music. But he was a passionate amateur.

The word amateur comes from the Latin meaning “a lover.” Amateurs do things not for pay but out of sheer love and joy. We disparage amateurs, making them inferior to professionals. But people who love doing things without compensation are a blessing to the world.

Like many amateurs, Baker was obsessed. He became an expert about each of the musicians featured in his collection. He painstakingly tracked down film after film through letters, phone calls, and personal visits. His obsession was not without cost. Everyday after work, he would retreat to his den to work on his collection. “That was all he was interested in,” said his son.

Despite these flaws, John Baker was a magnificent amateur, amassing a collection for joy not for money. In the basement of an ordinary urban home, he meticulously put together a video collection that would become world famous. John Baker loved jazz like the Apostles loved Jesus.

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The Apostles were ministry amateurs. When a Jewish boy reached his mid-teens, the best and the brightest were recruited by the local rabbi for advanced study. For those who didn’t qualify, apprenticeship in a vocation was the next step. More fishermen were always needed. Jesus recruited religious amateurs (Matthew 4:19), not religious professionals, to be in the vanguard of advancing His Kingdom.

These religious amateurs created a stir. When the ministry professionals observed their boldness and confidence, they were amazed because “they were uneducated, common men [and] they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The early church was a movement of amateurs. Church historian Michael Green writes: “The great mission of Christianity [in converting the Roman Empire] was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries . . . they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing.”

God is looking for ministry amateurs — men and women with a magnificent obsession about loving Him and serving with Him in the great commission. Amateurs make disciples from the sheer joy of knowing Christ. They do this from passion, with excellence, and in the splendor of the ordinary.

Being a ministry amateur is not an excuse for sloppy or halfhearted efforts. Alongsiders are committed to excellence, “striving to excel in building up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12 RSV). Amateurs take advantage of all the training and experience they can get. They’re obsessed with doing the best they can, for Jesus, not for pay!

How about you? Are you ready to make a commitment to be a ministry amateur, an alongsider with a magnificent obsession about making disciples? God is looking for ministry amateurs. Are you ready to volunteer?