ISO Authentic Joy

As congregations seek new pastors, I read through a lot of church profiles and many of them sound the same. The dull ones merely want a preacher, a teacher, and a person to officiate at weddings, baptisms, and funerals. The more interesting ones want a pastor who will inspire and lead them. They want someone with charisma who will love them.

But – interestingly enough – I’ve recently been asking Search Committees directly what their dream candidate would be like and I keep hearing the same word: joy. “We need a joyful leader.“

Now more than ever, I see a search for joy in the midst of every dark thing happening right now. And here’s the thing about “joy” – you have to be a deeply faithful and hopeful person to have authentic joy in these days. Not all joy is real.

There is Clueless Joy. Some folks are great at smiling their way through life and not thinking about bad things. This is a misunderstanding of Philippians 4:8. It’s the kind of outlook that says – after a church conflict – “Let’s pretend this never happened.” The world is burning and the joyfully clueless deny that there’s even a camp fire.

There is Insincere Joy. Something wonderful has happened but some people only seem to be happy with us. It’s expected to congratulate people when the surgery is successful, the baby is healthy, and the wedding is celebrated. But there’s no twinkle in their eyes with us. There’s no genuine full-body smile. There are no tears of gratitude as if the trials have been their own. Sincere joy alongside God’s people is one of the best parts of ministry but I see some pastors seem nonplussed by Good News.

And then there is Authentic Joy. This kind of joy is based on a deep faith that trusts God to work in the midst of devastation. God is not magic. God does not grant a carefree life to the faithful. But the faithful weirdly experience deep authentic joy nevertheless. Only the Spirit can help us with this and if I can’t pull up authentic joy in the throes of overwhelming shock or grief, maybe you can stand with me and bring it.

I am consistently feeling ruined by the truth of immigrants living in terror and the vulnerable faced with no food, no healthcare, no shelter. Every day government officials seem to relish in abject cruelty with no concern for the poor. A steady diet of this can drain any of us of hope.

And so we need leaders with authentic joy who can nourish a culture of community and belonging and unconditional love. Yes, solid preachers and teachers educate us and – we hope – inspire us. But who we are at our core – human beings with that deep, real joy – brings people together in a common Body. That Body is glued together to fight darkness in the name of the one True God.

Photo of our sweet Spense who exuded joy most days before passing away in February 2025.