Cont’d…

The Need for Accountability

One of the best ways to overcome the problems of fame is having good friendship and accountability structures. Friends have an amazing way of filling up what is lacking in our lives and preventing us from crashing (see Eccles. 4:9-12). They help give us a security that helps us avoid the pitfalls related to our own insecurity.

Fame and power creates a dangerous distance from people that makes an adequate accountability structure difficult to forge. This is especially true for pioneers or those who grew their work into huge ministries from small beginnings. The ministry depends on them to survive. They are the parents, the teachers, the source of attraction, the source of authority, the brains, and the public face of the ministry. Such ministries often don’t have a system to deal with the pioneer’s problems.^[5]

All Christians, new and mature, must flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness. But the Bible teaches that we do that “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). We all need people who confront us about our sins and weaknesses and help us to live holy lives (see Heb. 10:24). Our accountability partners can help moderate our ministries so that we avoid unhealthy excesses. We need friends who help us in our personal lives and those who exercise fiscal controls on us, like a Board. Here are some ways in which accountability groups can enrich our lives and help us avoid some of the pitfalls of fame and power. Of course, a lot of these decisions can be made personally, without the intervention of friends. But friends help implement good decisions and by keeping us accountable.

• Restricting our public ministry involvements so that we can spend good times alone with the Lord and with family, with colleagues and with those we minister to personally.
• Declining invitations to events which buttresses our status as celebrities, but which clash with our more basic commitments like a school programme in which our child is taking part.
• Having someone to report to regarding our weaknesses which, if left unchecked, could ruin our lives and ministries (e.g. internet behaviour, losing our temper at home, indiscipline with personal finances).
• Declining a wonderful opportunity for speaking in a prominent gathering because our accountability partners have placed a temporary restriction over us as a discipline.
• Deciding on the most responsible and effective ways to raise funds.
• Having a group that will critically analyse the pros and cons of a pet project which we have dreamed up.

The huge amount of funds raised by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association came in because of Graham’s powerful ministry and personal credibility. But in the use of those funds, Graham submitted to the leadership of his Board. When I was a member of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelisation in the 1980s, we were always short of funds. At our meetings, the question was often asked, “Why don’t we ask Graham for some funds.” Graham was Honorary Chairman of the Committee. Those close to him told us that he would love to give funds to Lausanne, but his Board would not allow him! The most famous Protestant at the time was not allowed to do what he wanted to do with money that came in because of him. That is accountability at work.