Intentional Accountability
A critical key for life transformation
ac·count·abil·i·ty ə-ˌkau̇n-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē
: the quality or state of being accountable
especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions
A key component of Life Transformation Groups is the intentional process of mutual accountability.
Accountability is an incredibly powerful tool for achieving transformation and change in all areas of our lives—and our faith life is no exception! However, biblical accountability is something that seems to have fallen out of practice in our culture that seems to value autonomy over community.
At first glance, this might not seem accurate. What is “church” if not a community of believers? Let me explain:
Many Christians intentionally meet together for corporate worship, and of course, most of us like to attend the occasional potluck or coffee where we can “catch up” with our fellow church members. Perhaps, we even value attending extra meetings, hearing special teachings, and participating in extra worship events. All of these are done in community.
All of these are good things.
But no matter how good these community gatherings are, we need to occasionally examine how much change they are producing in our lives.
Hopefully, we are changed by the truth preached in sermons and our hearts are transformed as we worship our Creator with fellow believers.
These things are necessary, and should lead to change and growth, but if we only listen to the message and don’t apply it to our daily lives, or if we don’t develop a heart of worship in all we do, we can easily become “Sunday Christians”—whether we intend to or not.
This does not produce transformation.
These activities are a vital part of the Christian life, but they can’t be what we rely on to carry us through to the next gathering.
If we want to experience deep and lasting growth— tangible transformation—we need to:
take personal responsibility for daily time with God,
be intentional about applying His Word—both what we hear through trusted pastors and what we study on our own— to our lives, and…
open ourselves up to accountability to and with other believers.
Accountability is so crucial to our faith, that it has been called a “cornerstone of Christian ethics.”
Professionals in the business world know the power of accountability, and many seek out a coach to help keep them on track with their goals. The value of accountability is so significant that they are willing to pay a substantial amount for this service.
The payoff is worth the investment:
Studies show that having direct accountability with someone increases “success” by up to 95%.
NINETY-FIVE PERCENT! That’s a pretty incredible increase for such a simple practice.
If accountability can boost our chance of success by such a high percentage, shouldn’t we want to use it for what matters most in our lives?
And what should matter more in a believer’s life than intentionally walking in, and keeping the commands of our Father?
I think we all agree that this is the essence of Christianity, yet many of us struggle to translate what we read in the Word into what we do every day (please tell me it’s not just me!? 🫣).
We need help.
Thankfully, God knew that we would and has provided a pretty great support plan:
Biblical Accountability
God’s plan was not for us to be autonomous in our Christian Walk. Yes, we are each personally responsible and accountable to Him. Our relationship with Him is personal. But we’re designed to function in community.
God has given us the gift of His People—to encourage us (1 Thess. 5:11), motivate (Heb. 10:24-25), guide (Prov. 11:14), teach, (Col. 3:16; Rom. 15:14), laugh and weep with us (Rom. 12:15), and yes, even to correct us (Gal. 6:1).
Accountability is built right into God’s plan for His people, but we need to embrace it. We need to be willing to be authentic, vulnerable, honest, and humble with one another. We need to make it a priority and arrange our lives to accommodate relationships with the intention of accountability. This takes time and effort.
I believe that one of the reasons we aren’t seeing as much transformation as we would like from the truth-filled sermons we hear, is that no matter how much we agree with what was said, we quickly forget. We’re on to the next thing (what’s for lunch?) without having a plan for how the Word we just heard might take root in our lives.
Forgive me for being blunt, but for the most part (there are always exceptions!), we’re not asking each other the hard questions after church— “Hey, what’s one thing we can apply this week from what we just heard? Can we check in and see how that’s going for both of us?” Or “Hey, how well did you manage your tongue this week? Were you critical or unkind? Were your words filled with thanks or complaints? I know I struggled, and I thought maybe we could pray for each other.” Or how about this one: “Have you used entertainment (internet, shows, social media, video games) too much or inappropriately this week? How can you balance this better?”
How would you respond if you were asked questions like these? Would it make you uncomfortable? Would you tell the person to mind their own business?
If we’re honest, we’re probably uncomfortable just reading the questions.
But we need them. Desperately.
Admittedly, after church might not be the ideal setting for this, but if we’re not engaging in this way in our standard gatherings, we may need to be intentional about pursuing it in other ways (LTG’s are simply one avenue).
We all face temptations. We all struggle to apply what we’re learning, at least sometimes. It can be hard to do what the Word says.
We need support. We need encouragement and exhortation. We need accountability.
Without intentional biblical accountability, we’re less likely to experience the kind of transformation that’s available to us.
Through the Body of Christ, we have a built-in accountability system. We don’t have to hire a coach, although there can certainly be value there. But we don’t have to pay someone to help keep us on the Narrow Road if we “buy-in” to God’s system, invest consistently with our time and effort, in honesty and with humility.
As uncomfortable as it may feel at first—because it does for all of us, I assure you, the payoff is worth the investment. 🤍
Being accountable to others helps us gain character, have integrity, and live our lives on purpose. When we open ourselves up to being asked vulnerable, yet crucial questions, we are more likely to be intentional with our daily choices and behaviors.
It also fosters deeper, more authentic relationships with our fellow believers, and usually results in faster, more lasting transformation. The truth is most people will not change much without a plan, a process, and accountability.
→ Please note: Accountability is not an opportunity to unkindly criticize, condemn, or shame one another, and should always and only be done in love, with wisdom, prayer, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The goal is always to help one another uphold biblical standards and a commitment to God’s truth.
A Life Transformation Group can provide a structure for this accountability:
An intentional gathering of believers focused on pursuing God, His Word, and His People, is a natural setting for biblical accountability. It provides an opportunity for us to not only learn what the Word says, but to apply it to our lives, and to hold one another accountable toward growth and transformation.
Keep in mind, it can be difficult to go too deep in a larger group setting, and some accountability questions are better left for one-on-one accountability partners. However, one-on-one or smaller group accountability relationships can grow out of a larger group dynamic.
I encourage you to intentionally seek this out.
Find someone, or a smaller group of 3-5 people to invest in. Invite them to ask you questions on a regular basis (weekly is great) and offer to do the same. If you want to take it even deeper, consider hosting your own LTG and study the Word together using what you’re learning here.
Accountability Question Examples:
Typically, you only need to focus on a few questions at a time each time you meet.
(If you’re a part of my in-person group, we’ll mostly be using the questions in the peach portion in the larger group, and the other questions in break-away groups at the end of the meeting.)
In either scenario, take the time to consistently review and reflect on the questions, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal specific areas you need to address. Feel free to add questions that reflect areas for which you may need accountability that aren’t on the list.
A printable version can be accessed here.