Church Accountability Confusion

September 2, 2009

By

“We need more accountability.” This is a comment I am hearing more and more as I work with churches. In follow-up I ask, “How so?” Almost always the response is directed at holding the pastor more accountable.

Interestingly, when I ask the people I interview if there is a need for more accountability of church members, their response is not as enthusiastic.

There is a great deal of confusion in the church regarding accountability. Mainly, accountability has been redefined and made synonymous with control. Let’s revisit the opening paragraph.

Usually “holding the pastor accountable” is translated into holding the pastor accountable for his or her actions. Digging deeper: “…for their actions” really means making sure pastors don’t do anything we don’t want them to do. In other words control!

There are all kinds of underlying issues here: Biblical worldview, consumerism, entitlement, inherited forms of church government… the list goes on and on. However, in wide-angle view, I think it comes down to one truth. Control is easier than accountability.

Voting yes or no (more often no) is relatively innocuous and takes very little time or commitment. True, biblical accountability, however, is messy.

It requires an investment of time. It requires commitment to very personal relationships with other believers. It requires vulnerable transparency of our daily spiritual lives.

Most of all, biblical accountability is not just for the pastor, it is for everyone.

For the record: I believe there is a need for more biblical accountability in the church, but there is also an equal need for diminished control.

What do you think?

Comments (1) - Post a Comment

definitely there is to be accountability on both sides. However the pastor has more responsibility to act properly and teach biblical doctrine since he is a teacher and Scripture tells us that teachers will have a higher level of accountability.However what seems to be the latest epidemic is pastors buying into the church growth models, where they line up leadership around them that simply agrees with them in their supposed 'God given vision' for the church, they get the bit in their teeth and go right ahead and manipulate through the changes that they personally want to make, in far too many cases. The lay people are left wondering what is going on and why everyone is unhappy and problems never get solved. When they try to figure out what is wrong they are told they are selfish and critical. When they see the pastor being unresponsive, unwilling to minister to his now slowly starving sheep, but more interested in catering to wolves who have not yet been regenerated by the gospel, they know something is wrong. However it is too late, because the pastor has already, step by step, insulated himself from accountability by weeding out and ostracizing members from leadership who ever challenged his 'vision' or any of his other teaching.Hence the need for accountability. The people in any church built on congregational polity HAVE the power to oust or correct a bad pastor. But they have been told over and over in many different ways that it is sinful to use it.

Paula at 1:19pm EDT - September 28, 2010

Post A Comment
Name:	(*Required)
Email:	(*Required) - Not Displayed With Comment
Website:
Comment:

« Back to Blog

Contact Information

Church Doctor Ministries
1230 US Highway Six
Corunna, IN 46730
USA
800-626-8515
Driving Directions

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Name:
Email:

The Jesus Enterprise: A New Church Doctor Website

Weblog Archive

Recent News

Release of Updated Sheffield Report!
February 3, 2011

January/February 2011 Church Doctor Report
February 1, 2011

Now Recruiting for 2011 Sheffield Travel Team!
January 25, 2011

From the Mailbag

"I believe the Church Doctor Ministries is a viable organization in the Church of Christ. I also give thanks to God that there is a ministry that equips people "to become disciples" in a world that is in desperate need of Jesus Christ."
~ Pastor Steve Bauerle, Zion Lutheran / Waterville, Ohio