It Goes Without Saying

I was asked the other day what type of pastor Richview should look for when I'm gone. It's always dangerous to answer this type of question. I found myself thinking about some of the qualities that they should look for in a new pastor.

I found myself responding something like this: "The things that go without saying really shouldn't." In other words, it's usually easy to assume that the new pastor will of course have a deep and growing relationship with God, a sold grasp on God's Word, and be a competent preacher. Those are givens. But they're so important that they really shouldn't be assumed. The things that go without saying are often the most important.

I was encouraged to one list I have on the attributes of a church planter. Usually we begin with things like an entrepreneurial spirit, passion, and vision. Those things can be important, but they aren't what matter most. This list has these as the top three characteristics:

1. Spiritual Vitality
2. Strong Marriage & Family Life
3. Theological Clarity

These are the things that matter most. There are more, but these are the most important. They are the things that go without saying but really shouldn't.

Comments

[Michel Savard]

Great post. At risk of stating the obvious, I wanted to emphasize that your top three characteristics are important not only for a church pastor or planter, but for anyone who calls himself a Jesus-follower, including the lay-persons among your blog-readers (if I can still use the term lay, which sounds so bad, implying that nasty and false dichotomy between lay and clergy).