What should Saint John’s—or any congregation—look for in a new pastor? That’s a very important question that many of you have already answered in the forms filled out earlier this year. I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, and I thought I might share my thoughts on this topic of current interest to all of us as the call process intensifies this fall.

It seems to me that a pastor should be able to understand and preach the Gospel. This might sound obvious, and yet I know from first-hand experience that it’s very easy to confuse Law and Gospel, the result being that people are made to feel guilty rather than hopeful, confused rather than comforted, captive to spiritual performance rather than the life-giving promise of our Savior.

When I think about having my own pastor, I would like someone who is truly compassionate, a person who has a heart for the burdens that people bear. Jesus was often moved to deeds of healing and caring because He cared deeply about the welfare of those around Him. When this kind of pastor asks me how I am doing, I know he’s not just mouthing words. He really cares about me.

I want my pastor to be transparent. While the role of a pastor puts him in a special place, I still want him to be a real person, secure enough in his own skin so that I can relate to him as the person I really am because I know he is a genuine human being.

As a person who has gone through years of training and considerable sacrifice to become a pastor, it would seem to be a reasonable expectation that he would be a competent professional. By this I mean that he has the organizational and leadership skills necessary to lead the church and work with lay leaders to promote the welfare of the congregation.

I would like my pastor to have a healthy sense of humor. If laughter is still the best medicine, I would like to be around a church where happiness and laughter are woven into details of our life together, the kind of laughter that is neither cynical nor sarcastic but rather more like the salt of the earth, the kind that lifts us and lightens our load.

Since none of us can do well what we don’t enjoy, I would like a pastor who really enjoys being a pastor. While the ministry is full of challenges and difficulties of every kind, if I sense that my pastor is joyfully committed to what he does every day, I will respect him, be inspired by him, tell other people about him and follow where he leads me.

Finally, I want a pastor who challenges me to be a better Christian. While it’s nice to be comforted with a Sunday sermon, I also want to be reminded that I am a work in progress, that God expects me to use gifts He has given me to build His kingdom. So I don’t want my pastor to simply shake my hand. It’s ok if he also twists my arm.

This is the kind of pastor I want. May the Lord provide for us a faithful shepherd of his choosing.

Rev. Ron Nickel is Vacancy Pastor at Saint John’s Lutheran Church. You can reach him in the church office, by email at nickel@StJohnsFC.org or at 970-482-5316.