Statistics show that as many as 64% of church-going men of all ages and 34% of church-going women ages 18-30 look at porn regularly.1 Unfortunately, accountability is largely absent from the church today. Most Christians are not accountable to their churches or anyone in them. According to Barna, only 5% of Christians in the USA have accountability at their churches.2
Is accountability in the church really that important?
If you do not see the importance of accountability in the church, you are among most Christians in the United States. But I want to convince you that accountability is important for the church and even necessary for us to carry out our God-given mission.
Accountability, correctly understood, connects directly to Jesus’s command to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). This is not some optional program or methodology for some believers. Properly understood, accountability is part of the blueprint of the church. The lack of accountability in the church signifies a problem that church leaders must address.
1. Accountability Strengthens Church Leadership
Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
The first part discusses submitting to church leaders but notice the second part. Leaders in the church are “those who will give an account.” By voluntarily seeking out accountability in the here and now, church leaders acknowledge that they will give an account before God for their leadership in the church.
An article in the Organizational Psychology Review looks at the importance of “an internalized sense of accountability.” When leaders feel that they are accountable and even take steps to make themselves more accountable, it gives everyone in the organization a greater sense of ownership and responsibility.3
The wife of a pastor who uses our Screen Accountability service recently told us, “My spouse is a pastor and this has been great for our marriage, but also to set an example and recommend for our church.” Accountability actually strengthens the leadership in an organization!
In a time when churches have been rocked by scandals, accountable leaders are more important than ever. James 3:1 warns, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.” With that stricter judgment in mind, pastors, elders, and other ministry leaders should earnestly seek out accountability!
2. Accountability Encourages Real Fellowship in the Church
Accountability can seem frightening, especially when it runs counter to our typical interactions at church. However, far from hindering fellowship, a culture of accountability deepens the real experience of fellowship in the church.
In his book Refuge: How Hospital Church Ministry Can Change Your Church Forever, pastor James Reeves challenges the traditional concept of small group ministry. Instead of simply “doing life together,” Reeves says an effective group is one “where complete and total transparency can be practiced, where toe-curling honesty is the norm, where no secrets are kept.”4
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
Does your congregation “provoke love and good works”? The Bible teaches that this is essential for real fellowship.
3. Accountability Fosters Personal Growth in the Church
Self-help gurus and performance consultants have long recognized the value of personal accountability. One oft-cited study found that scheduling a meeting for personal accountability can make people 95% more likely to accomplish their goals!5
More importantly, Scripture prescribes personal accountability as a key instrument of growth and healing from our brokenness. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”
We all need to practice confession to one another—it’s critical for our continued growth in godliness. What James has in mind is a deeply engaged fellowship marked by confession and prayer. Confession is one aspect of accountability and prayer is another.
This is vital for personal growth.
4. Accountability Safeguards the Mission of the Church
In Galatians 2, the Apostle Paul recounts a story where the mission of the church was threatened by cliquish behavior among the leadership. The Apostle Peter, it seems, was bowing to peer pressure from the in-crowd.
What did Paul do? He held Peter accountable to the Gospel. He reminded Peter that the Gospel is inclusive, not exclusive, and that believers are called to love and fellowship regardless of class, race, or background.
This is just one example among many. In fact, one way to think of the epistles of the New Testament is a series of “accountability letters,” where the apostles are reminding churches of the mission of the church and warning against distractions.
Hebrews 3:13 says, “Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” There are all kinds of things that deceive us and distract us from the church’s true mission.
Churches need accountability to stay on track!
5. Accountability Is Required by Love
Lastly, Jesus said that love was the defining mark of the Christian. John 13:35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Love is so critical following Jesus that in Romans 13:10 Paul says, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Later, in Galatians 6:1-2, Paul clarifies that a genuine demonstration of love will include holding people accountable. “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
The law of love is the law of Christ, and it requires accountability. So, the question is: Do we really love one another?
Why is accountability unpopular in the church?
For those who are held accountable by their church community in some way, the most common approach to accountability is through a small group. But even so, among those who attend a small group, only 7% say it’s an accountability group. There are many reasons for this, but here are some of the most common.
1. People hate conflict.
The Barna Group states church leaders don’t often engage in accountability (either through following up on members’ tasks, home visits, or church discipline) because they don’t want to be confrontational. The same is true among church members. Few people want to call out others for their sin.
2. Christians do not understand community.
Many texts in the Bible assume or state outright that one of the ways we grow as Christians is through gospel-centered conversation with one another. The New Testament places great importance on motivating one another to love and do good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25), bearing each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-2), and instructing one another (Romans 15:14). Many Christians are never taught that sanctification is a community project.
3. People like their privacy.
Accountability is about confessing sin to one another, but few today like the idea of divulging their temptations, sins, and the state of their heart. This is far too personal for some.
4. Christians are not taught about biblical accountability.
We need a proper understanding of what biblical accountability really is. James 5:16 is not a suggestion but a command. “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Moreover, this is a command tied to our health as Christians. In this text James mentions cases where personal sin leads to a serious physical or emotional illness, calling for the church’s elders to administer healing. Before we get to that point, however, we should practice the regular “preventative medicine” of confessing our sins to each other and praying for each other.
5. Christians believe accountability is only for behavior modification.
Some reject the idea of accountability because they believe it is all about fear or shame-based change. Accountability for them is about staying away from certain taboo sins so they can avoid an awkward conversation in the future. But the Bible says there’s a kind of conversation that addresses the heart—not just outward behavior (Hebrews 3:13).
6. Some Christians have experienced unhelpful (or hurtful) accountability.
For some Christians, accountability partners and groups simply did not “work” for them. They experienced no change. In some cases, overbearing leadership or spiritual abuse was disguised as “accountability.”
But what if we used this excuse for anything: listening to sermons, praying together, taking communion, engaging in service projects? We don’t give up on any of these things because at times they don’t seem to “work,” or are done badly. Rather, each time we strive to do them better, with a true heart, and with careful thought.
7. Christians believe accountability is only a crutch for when things get really bad.
Often we seek out accountability when things have come to a head in our lives when we are facing a grave consequence. But the various “one anothers” of the New Testament are not just for those facing specific consequences for their sin, but for all Christians.
8. Christians are not discipled.
Accountability makes the most sense in the context of discipleship: being personally mentored, guided, and directed by spiritually mature individuals, and in the context of a community of disciples. In a church culture that makes true disciples, accountability is the most natural thing in the world.
9. Christians lack quality friendships.
Accountability is also most natural in a gospel-centered friendship. We need the kind of friends mentioned in the proverbs: men and women who stick with us through thick and thin, who aren’t afraid to confront us, and who compel us to do what is right. Accountability is not only giving an account of my sin to another but receiving an account of God’s grace in return from a Christian friend.
10. Christians have not tasted gospel-centered accountability in the church.
The gospel of Christ is what guides and protects good accountability. Informed by the gospel, a good accountability partner will not be condemning, but gracious. Informed by the gospel, a good accountability partner will treat sin seriously because Christ took sin seriously. A good accountability partner will use the eternal promises of the gospel to motivate us to a higher standard. As Christians, we need to be taught how to do accountability partnerships well.
Get a Step-by-Step Plan to Develop a Church Culture of Accountability
More than ever, accountability is essential for the church. To help you get started, we’ve created a free downloadable PDF with a step-by-step plan for developing a culture of accountability in your church.
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