Larry R. Evans, DMin, retired from being assistant to the president for Adventist Possibility Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, currently resides in Vancouver, Washington, United States.

We often hear, “We need to hold people more accountable!” We listen more closely to these voices when things are not going well, when leaders disappoint us, and when promises are not kept. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”1 He recognized that effective accountability starts with personal accountability, but what does that mean? Sam Silverstein suggests that “accountability is not a way of doing, but rather a way of thinking, and specifically a way of thinking about people and the commitments we make to them. One of those people is us.”2

This accountability must, of course, include us as pastors and church administrators as well.

Thinking differently

There are two critical dimensions to practicing accountability: holding yourself accountable and holding others accountable. “Leaders who generate trust do both.”3 Accountability is not just taking the blame when something goes wrong. Accountability is about following through on a commitment. It is taking responsibility for reaching an outcome and not just doing specific tasks.

Accountability is a three-dimensional term that includes to, for, and with. The person represented by each dimension may change depending on the particular role, but all three dimensions exist in every team. A pastor, for example, may be responsible to the conference in certain ways, but he or she is also responsible for the care of the church’s members. To end accountability at this point, however, would be incomplete. The with component brings together the conference, the pastor, and the church members for an accountable ministry. All have a role in accountability if it is to be complete and effective.

Relationships with both are essential, and they often overlap. Lawyer Marianne M. Jennings studied the ethical collapse of large corporations and concluded “that there is no such thing as ‘business ethics.’ There are personal ethics that are applied in every setting, from marriage to the executive suite. If such is the case, then the moral fiber of an individual matters if the company is to have an ethical culture.”4

The deceitful deeds that good deeds camouflage will eventually be discovered. This reality underscores the truth that an individual’s inner life should be congruent with their public life. Such is not always the case.

A man and a woman stopped at a fast-food restaurant for supper. “They bought two chicken dinners and took them to a picnic area. But when they opened the bag, they found much more than chicken. The couple found bundles of money in the bag! Honest guy that he was, the man drove back to the restaurant and returned the money. The manager was ecstatic as he explained what had happened. He had been working in the back and had put all of the day’s proceeds in one of the chicken take-out bags and set it aside, ready to go to the bank. When the woman working the counter reached for their order, she accidentally grabbed the wrong bag. The manager was so impressed with this man’s honesty that he said, ‘I’m going call the local newspaper and have them come over and get a photo of you two. Folks need to know there are still honest people around.’

“ ‘No, don’t do that,’ said the guy. He pulled the manager aside and whispered, ‘I’m married . . . and the woman I’m with is not my wife.’ ”5

Teachability and trust

No one is perfect. Mistakes happen. Team strength, however, depends on trust. And not just any kind of trust—vulnerable trust, the kind team members exhibit when they are willing to admit, “I don’t know the answer, I need help,” or “I made a mistake.” 6

How we relate to mistakes we and others make is crucial to building trust among team members. A sense of collegiality can develop when the leader is transparent and admits his or her mistakes.7 Such transparency is an encouragement to others. We need this transparency as well—even as or especially as a church.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, a leader’s vulnerability goes a long way toward building trust. Accountability that a leader or committee mandates is often short-lived. Enduring trust is inspired by example and naturally flows to relationships with others.

For example, some offerings were missing at a church I pastored. It was hard to believe that someone would have taken them. The evidence, however, was clear, but what should we do? Should the congregation be told, or should the incident be dealt with quietly? The local church leadership decided to inform the members what had happened and what changes would be made. Though a shocking announcement, it was also a teachable moment for us all. The local leadership’s credibility increased, and the implemented protocol helped create a sense of trust.

Also pivotal for both accountability and teachability is humility. Such an attitude, Scripture says, is to be aware of one’s weakness, conscious of blind spots, and slow to speak but quick to listen (James 1:19). We are to consider others more highly than ourselves (Phil. 2:3). Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni emphasizes that “humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player.”8

Scripture is replete with counsel for the accountable leader. In addition to humility, at least three other biblical insights stand out:

  1. Actively search for wisdom and instruction (Prov. 4:7–9, 13)
  2. Learn from wise and experienced counselors (Prov. 13:20; 12:6; 4:20–23)
  3. Be open to receiving correction as a blessing (Prov. 15:31, 32; 17:10; Heb. 12:7–11)

Teachability and trust are critical attributes of any leader. Leadership expert John Maxwell summarized this well when he wrote, “The more accountable you are, the more credible you become. The greater credibility you demonstrate, the more believable and trustworthy you are to the people you lead.”9

Possibilities

Accountability is not limited to commitment. It can provide an opening for realistic possibilities. Still, accountability builds confidence, and confidence brings the security of knowing that it is safe to present new thoughts and ways of achieving a shared vision. The vision of leadership can quickly die if the team is not connected. Foundational for team development and reaching an exciting vision is recognizing the inherent worth of every person, regardless of what they can or cannot do. “Our advancing ideas of what he may become are a help we cannot ourselves fully appreciate.”10

However, valuing people is not about just giving compliments to make them feel important. Seeing possibilities in each person opens the door for effective synergy—working or collaborating together. Accountability and team synergy are more than having a diverse team, although that can be helpful. It means empowering those working together to dream and collaborate.

The apostles “turned the world upside down” with their mission, not only because they had a passion for their mission but also because of the One who gave them that mission. No doubt, opposition will arise, but “the messengers of the cross must arm themselves with watchfulness and prayer, and move forward with faith and courage, working always in the name of Jesus.”11

In the end, whatever structure we are working from, especially as pastors, our accountability is ultimately to God and His mission. It is here, in our relationship with God, that we find our vision, motivation, and strength to fulfill our calling as pastors of the flock, a flock we are also accountable to.

  1. Quoted in John C. Maxwell, High Road Leadership: Bringing People Together in a World That Divides (Duluth, GA: Maxwell Leadership, 2024), 167, Kindle.
  2. Sam Silverstein, I Am Accountable: Ten Choices That Create Deeper Meaning in Your Life, Your Organization, and Your World (Shippensburg, PA: Sound Wisdom, 2019), 223, Kindle.
  3. Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything (New York, NY: Free Press, 2006), 200.
  4. Marianne M. Jennings, The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse: How to Spot Moral Meltdowns in Companies—Before It’s Too Late (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2006), 135.
  5. Charles R. Swindoll, Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 106, Kindle.
  6. Patrick Lencioni, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team OC,” Oct. 20, 2016, YouTube video, 40:57, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHpB1EBufFo.
  7. Silverstein, I Am Accountable, 144, Kindle.
  8. Patrick Lencioni, The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues (Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2016), 157.
  9. Maxwell, High Road Leadership, 156, Kindle.
  10. Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing, 1923), 281.
  11. Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1911), 230.
Larry R. Evans, DMin, retired from being assistant to the president for Adventist Possibility Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, currently resides in Vancouver, Washington, United States.

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