Since the 1990s, the concept of accountability partners has been prevalent in the Church. The idea that you would partner with one or more others to keep each other accountable in life and in your walk with Christ became the norm. Having an accountability partner grew to be an essential part of developing into a mature Christian.
But as accountability has increased in prevalence in ministry, it has pushed true discipleship aside. Where accountability should be used to support disciple-making, it has taken the place of building disciples.
What’s the difference between accountability and discipleship?
Accountability is defined as “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” The purpose of having an accountability partner is to help you own up to the decisions you make, both the good and the bad, and to help you move forward.
But as Justin Gravitt notes in his article “Accountability vs. Disciple Making: What’s the Difference,” accountability on its own doesn’t result in discipleship and focuses on behaving a certain way rather than on becoming something new.
Because accountability emphasizes how you act instead of who you are, it is easier to implement. If accountability is put before discipleship, it becomes easy to check all of Christianity’s boxes without experiencing the life-changing, soul-saving transformation that the Gospel is meant to be.
Accountability isn’t a bad thing, but it can be distracting and potentially disastrous if it replaces healthy discipleship practices. So here are 3 ways you can include elements of accountability without sacrificing genuine disciple-making.
#1: Relationships
Successful accountability requires at least two people who mutually agree to support one another and hold each other accountable for their actions and decisions.
Typically, the accountability partners are more or less “equals” on a level playing field. No one is in charge or taking the lead in the relationship.
Disciple-making, on the other hand, requires a leader. The discipleship process needs someone further along in their walk with Christ encouraging, supporting, rebuking, and correcting.
In order to prioritize discipleship in accountability relationships, encourage your congregants to have three different types of accountability partners.
The first could be the generally accepted way these relationships work with both partners in similar places in their faith journeys. Having someone in the same boat will help your members feel comfortable and confident in sharing their struggles and successes.
Having the other two types of relationships will be essential, though, in keeping the typical accountability partnership from stagnating.
In addition to having a peer relationship, each of your members should have one accountability partnership with someone who is more mature in their faith and one with someone who is less mature. (Notice we used the word “mature” rather than “older,” as spiritual maturity doesn’t always coincide with physical age.)
In equal accountability relationships, if one or both partners are struggling or stuck in sin, they may not know what to do or what steps to take to get back on track. Having someone more mature will give your members a guide through the discipleship process. This will function as a mentor/mentee relationship, with one leading the other to grow spiritually.
The inverse is true of having a partner who is less mature. This kind of partnership will give your members a sense of responsibility as they become mentors to someone else and partner with them to see spiritual growth. They will become disciples who make disciples, fulfilling their role in the Great Commission.
Having a partner is one key to successful accountability. One partnership with a leader to guide them, one with a peer to walk alongside, and one with a follower to pour into will emphasize discipleship rather than box-checking.
#2: Goals and Milestones
Setting goals and reaching milestones are vital in both accountability and disciple-making, but there are two major differences between the targets set for typical accountability purposes and those set for disciple-making.
The most obvious is simply who is setting the goals.
In terms of accountability, objectives help keep you on track and heading in the direction you want to go. You set your own goals, and your progress is measured solely based on where you are in relation to those specific targets.
The goals in the disciple-making process, however, are the same for every person: to produce good fruit. How a person reaches those targets may look different based on individual life circumstances and sin struggles, but we’re all striving to run the same race toward Jesus, passing the same checkpoints along the way.
The second, and arguably more important, difference between the goals and milestones in accountability and discipleship is the ultimate purpose of setting them.
The purpose of setting goals in the disciple-making process is to track your progress on your journey to becoming more like Christ, while accountability doesn’t have the same requirements. Accountability is satisfied with lifestyle improvement and reaching the objectives you’ve set, regardless of whether those accomplishments produce fruit.
To help your congregants understand how this should work within the discipleship process, they need to see that the results of each of their end goals shouldn’t be developing new habits or becoming a better person. Rather, the outcome of reaching each of their discipleship checkpoints should be to become a more mature follower of Christ.
In their journeys toward spiritual maturity, milestones should be set with a more mature accountability partner or with another spiritual leader who can guide them toward genuine growth. The various accountability partnerships can then be used to spur the believer toward success.
Becoming a disciple doesn’t happen overnight. Aiming for progress is beneficial for ensuring positive growth when walking with Christ, and the accountability relationships within the discipleship process should keep the focus on spiritual growth.
#3: Honest Reflection and Genuine Growth
Having accountability partners and setting productive goals are meaningless in discipleship if they aren’t accompanied by honest reflection and genuine growth.
Incorporating accountability into the discipleship process encourages and inspires real growth as followers of Jesus.
If the accountability partnerships your members participate in don’t lead to spiritual maturity, they’re missing the mark. The same is true of the goals that are set.
Partnerships must provide safe spaces for honest reflection, acknowledgment of sin, repentance, and redirection. For accountability to contribute positively to disciple-making, your congregants have to feel comfortable and confident looking critically at their actions and decisions and be willing to accept correction.
Encourage your congregants to strive for honest reflection to achieve genuine growth and offer a safe place for each of their accountability partners to do the same.
Conclusion
Having an accountability partner isn’t a requirement for progressing in your spiritual journey, but it can make the process easier.
Incorporating intentional accountability into the discipleship process can help your congregants build relationships with other disciples, make steady progress in their discipleship journeys, and achieve genuine growth as followers of Christ through honest reflection.
Becoming a disciple isn’t always easy, but it helps when you have someone to walk alongside you!
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