If you're a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, yesterday was a tough day. Coach Nick Saban, the greatest college football coach of all time, announced his retirement. He’s won 7 national championships, 10 SEC titles and amassed an overall record of 292-71 -1.  His Tide team lost in the semi-finals to eventual champions Michigan this year. At 72 years of age, fans knew it was just a matter of time before he hung up his whistle.  We also knew that whenever it happened, things would be forever changed for Bama. There’s just not going to be another Nick Saban. At least, there won't be another one in my lifetime.

Now, the internet is blowing up with everyone’s predictions of who will be the next coach at Bama. The usual candidates have been named and press conferences are being held as coaches tell their fan bases and most of all, recruits, they aren’t going anywhere. Of course, somebody is lying. Somebody is going to take the job.

Every Bama fan has their list of what characteristics, abilities, and skills the new coach will have to have. This new coach will need to be committed to defense because, we all know defense wins championships. He will need to be committed to a high flying offense because — again, we all know — scoring points wins championships. He will have to be able to smooze donors and alumni. Most importantly, he’ll have to recruit the high quality athletes required to play at a championship level.

Listening to all the experts about the kind of coach Bama needs reminded me of all the conversations I’ve had with various church leaders when they describe the kind of pastor their church really needs. Of course, the new pastor will need to be an excellent communicator, love senior adults and spend all their time with students. They’ll have to be able to manage the complex organization of the local church and raise money to accomplish all the church wants to do. They’ll need to spend 24 hours a day in prayer while going on visitation seven days a week. The new pastor will have to be able to lead a staff, perform funerals and weddings, handle social media, preach, counsel and teach. They will have to handle the intricacies  of local politics and be an expert on the moral and ethical issues of the day.

SMcK: Can I hear an Amen!?

Finding good pastors has become so difficult and complicated most churches are now hiring search firms to find their next pastor. These firms will put the prospective candidate through a stack of test and diagnostic tools to assure the pastor’s personality and leadership style will match the congregation. This is a process with mixed results. Most of all, the church will say, all we want is a proven leader.

And what do they mean by “leader?” When you hear the responses, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a pastor and a candidate for CEO of any Fortune 500 company. Most people assume a good business leader would be a good pastor and a good pastor would be a good business leader. Maybe. Maybe not. Here’s what I know — the jobs couldn’t be more different.  Therefore, the person you're looking for is going to be very different than the person being sought by a corporate board of directors.

One of the problems in finding a pastor is that most churches have a secular definition of leadership. Why? Go into any pastor's study and you'll find books and books on leadership.  Because when church's talk about leadership, these are the books the congregation will quote. But would Jack Welch make a good pastor? Would Jeff Bezos make a good pastor? I don't think so.

So, what's your point, Mike? If churches keep looking for the wrong person, they will keep finding the wrong person. In the Scriptures, leaders are chosen by how close they are to God.  Abraham had dinner with God. Moses regularly disappeared into the mountain to talk directly to God.  The Apostle Paul validated his entire ministry on the fact he had seen the Lord.  Have you ever heard someone ask a pastoral candidate about their last conversation with Jesus?  Sure, there will be the expected questions about the candidate's testimony and Bible study habits, but these questions rarely get past the most superficial answers.  No one will ask about the last time the pastor wept for the people in their congregation. No one will know about the last time the pastor walked through the dark night of the soul. We asked the wrong questions. We look for the wrong things. As a result, we end up with the wrong person.

We shouldn't feel bad. The prophet Samuel did the same thing. He looked at every one of Jesse's sons before he finally asked if there was anyone else. Only then did Jesse remember David.  God doesn't choose a leader the way humans do. He studies the leader's  heart.  We live in a time when this authenticity and honesty is more important than ever. Sooner or later, the world will squeeze out whatever is in the pastor's heart.

It's a glorious moment when Christ is revealed in that testing. People are changed. The church is strengthened and the world takes notice. What happens when the world squeezes the pastor and Jesus isn't revealed. We know the answer to that question all too well.

David is described as a man after God's own heart. Moses was considered to be a friend of God. These are the leaders God chose. The church shouldn't settle for anything less.