Gravitas and Knut

It’s funny that at the same time our country is in the middle of picking a leader for the next four years (in addition to house/senate seats), our church here in Davis is going through a transition of its own. Pastor Gee is moving on to a congregation in Oakland, so we are now in search of a pastor to replace him. The recent buzzing around elections and new leaders makes me question: what makes a good leader? We often ask this questions of our civic leaders, as well as our church leaders.

Over the last few months, a group of people from our congregation have been meeting to discuss what we would like in a new pastor. This is an important step, as the church elders need input as they put together a set of criteria as they begin the search. During this series of meetings, a lot of different factors needed to be considered. Pastor Gee’s strength was the relational aspect of his job. He was a people person, and while he was interesting to listen to on Sunday mornings, he was better at interacting and checking up on folks at the church. This is something we need to consider as we embark on our search. As a family-oriented church, I would like to think that this is something we want in a future pastor. Other aspects of PG’s job includes being able to interact and relate with other pastors, not just in our church, but with pastors from other churches in Davis. Often, city-wide initiatives like iCare coordinated between churches start with these kinds of meetings. These are just some of the things that we need to consider as we look for someone to replace our pastor.

To a certain extent, there are unquantifiable qualities I look for in a leader. There has to be a balance between being well spoken and confident and being able to handle him/herself well with other leaders. The best way of summing up what I look for a leader is the Roman virtue gravitas. There is no direct translation from Latin to English, but basically it conveys a sense of dignity, duty, and seriousness, and gives a sense of substance or depth of personality. It's a quality that I can't measure, but it's one that, if I see it, I'll just know.

1 Timothy 3 sets forth strict qualifications for deacons and overseers, pointing out that they ought to be above reproach and worthy of respect. These qualifications are good and necessary, and are there to guide us in finding a leader. Such qualities in a pastor are honorable. I look to my pastor to lead and be an example, but I know full well that he is not perfect. Having a clear understanding of one's own limitations is also a big one for me. While this applies to civic leaders as well, it is especially important for church leaders. Often times we put our leaders on such a pedestal that they seem perfect. This not only gives the leader a false sense of invincibility (which can be a huge stumbling block), but it takes away from what God is doing. There was an 11th century Viking king named Knut (or Cnut) who wanted to show his people that his powers as king are limited, and that he was a mere mortal like everyone else, so he took his people with him down to the sea and commanded the tide to stop rising and go back out to sea. It did not.

I wonder if I'm setting too high a standard for what I'd like to see in a new pastor. While these are characteristics I'd like to see in a pastor, it doesn't mean that if we get someone who doesn't fit these characteristics, that I wouldn't like him. Through this whole process, the best thing to do from a congregational perspective is to pray for God's guidance through the transition period, and trust that God will lead the right person to us. Everything else would just be the icing on the cake I guess.