When I first started in ministry, I was afraid of the word “accountability.”
I thought it meant punishment, that I wasn’t doing enough or doing things well. I didn’t embrace the idea of “holding the rope” with someone; I thought it was about someone going to strangle me with it!
This was until I realized that leaders must be accountable.
Accountability is simply setting a course, making it known, and then receiving feedback as you chart that course. It’s not designed to hold you back; it’s designed to help you move forward.
This was until I realized that leaders must be accountable.
We all get off course at times; that is inevitable. Accountability for leaders helps us continue to make the right decisions to adjust and achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves.
These are three areas ministry leaders should be accountable:
Spiritual Growth
Ministry leaders must be growing spiritually. We need to be hearing the voice of God and obeying Him. We need to be developing our personal relationship with Jesus Christ (John 15:1-8). This relationship must be deepened in ministry. Having trusted people ask us questions like, “How is it with your soul?” or “What has God been speaking to you lately?” help us be accountable for the deep inner spiritual growth that should happen in a Christian leader’s life.
Personal and Family Life
On top of our spiritual life, we must be accountable for what is happening in our personal and family life. We need to be talking about our physical and mental health. We need to be talking about our marriages and our children. All these things affect a leader’s ability to lead in ministry, and accountability in these areas is one way we can care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:24-26). The question here is, “Are you being the best version of yourself in these areas?” And if the answer is “not really,” then the next question is, “What gaps do you need to close?” We’re not talking about a scorecard here; we’re talking about aligning our personal and family life with our very best intentions and prioritizing these areas of life.
Ministry Development and Direction
Everyone gets better when they are coached. Accountability in ministry development and direction is designed to help leaders set and maintain a steady course in ministry. Too often, our level of accountability is, “They showed up, and nothing bad happened.” This isn’t sufficient. In ministry, we should focus on three areas of development and direction:
- Discipleship growth. How is the ministry growing in terms of people becoming disciples of Jesus? What is the plan for discipleship? How are people coming into the ministry and going deeper in their walk with Jesus?
- Evangelism growth. How are people finding and following Jesus in your ministry? Where is that happening? How are you focused on the Great Commission and seeing more people making decisions to follow Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)?
- Leadership growth. How are you growing as a leader and growing other leaders in your ministry? How are you developing leaders to serve alongside you in this ministry? How are your leaders developing more leaders?
Leaders must regularly meet with a trusted advisor to navigate these areas of life and ministry. The goal of accountability isn’t to create barriers but to come alongside leaders and help them be the best versions of themselves.
About
