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.