The leadership of tomorrow doesn’t necessarily have to be defined by the past. Many people are willing and able to disentangle their local pastors from broader narratives of irrelevance or corruption. But they are also looking for a new type of pastor: spiritual leaders who are at least as focused on connecting over the day-to-day realities of life as they are on the Sunday morning sermon.

Above all, our research suggests that people want pastors to be real.

When Barna asked people what they hope to see portrayed by Christian leaders from the pulpit, the most popular answer by far is honesty, outranking qualities like knowledge, compassion, confidence and relevance. This holds true across all generations, regardless of whether people self-identify as a Christian.

Moreover, our research finds that people think it’s more important for a pastor to be honest about their doubts than certain about their beliefs. This also holds true across age demographics, regardless of belief. It’s fair to assume that most people are aware pastors don’t have all the answers and don’t even necessarily want them to. They’d rather have someone who can relate to them as they process their own questions and uncertainties.

There is a personal, powerful way forward for pastors in this country to lead their churches and their communities. Perhaps it is helpful to see that pastors’ collective obstacles in cultural leadership may be solved not by focusing on the culture at large but by attending carefully to a pastor’s own immediate sphere of influence. The opportunities are as real as the challenges for those churches that are willing to change course as needed, empower their pastors to do good for their communities, and reach the people around them with compassion and authenticity.

This is an excerpt from a Resilient Pastor series produced in partnership with World Vision, Brotherhood Mutual and Gloo. Get Barna Access Plus to explore the full series and research.