Articles for tag: Accountability

July 28, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Don”t Lead Alone!

By Michael C. Mack How many people can you effectively lead, shepherd, and disciple? Let me ask the question another way: If you want to see true transformation of people”s lives, into how many people can you invest your life? How about Jesus? How many people did he disciple? Three of his four disciples, Peter, James, and John, became Jesus” inner circle or what could be called his core team. Jesus poured his life into these three men, investing into them and modeling a life surrendered to the Father. He took these three away with him to pray and heal, as well

March 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Lead with Style!

By Rick Chromey Leadership happens when we move people toward desired insights, attitudes, and behaviors. We all lead somebody, but in the church our skill to enact change, instill confidence, and reduce conflict often spells the difference between success or failure, promotion or termination, trust or skepticism. Naturally, the real question is how will you lead and flex your leadership style? Tom enjoys the spotlight. His winsome charisma captures his congregation”s heart. He enjoys risks, but Tom”s hasty decisions betray trust and create insecurity. His lack of discipline keeps Tom unfocused and unproductive. Rob also enjoys risk and change, but

February 13, 2012

Christian Standard

What We Learned

By Brad Neal I remember feeling the anguish surface again. The pain of dealing with a fractured ministry, and the resulting fallout, all came rushing back when it came time for public restoration. Was this the right course? Would members trust us? The easy path would have been just to leave it in the past.   Take sin seriously. The restoration process takes time. In our case, two years. It takes time for the seed of repentance to bear the fruit of a changed life. It also takes time for those who are hurt to be ready to trust again

February 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Celebrating the Restoration of a Broken-World Brother

By Don Green About two years ago one of the ministers of the church I attend was asked to resign following a confessed sin and an acknowledged act of deception. Within days of his confession and resignation, he initiated conversations with some of his ministry friends that ultimately led to the creation of a restoration team. The minister was Todd Parmenter who served with Lincoln (Illinois) Christian Church. I was privileged to serve on this restoration team. We served together for 20 months in one of the most rewarding experiences in my more than 40 years of ministry.   Resources

January 23, 2012

Christian Standard

So You Want to Plant a Church?

By R. Paige Mathews For 19 years, I have committed myself to an assessment process that determines if a candidate is suitable to be a new church planting leader or team member. To as few as 10-12, or as many as 70-100 candidates in a year, I have asked the question, “So you want to plant a church?” The question usually comes on the second day of assessment, after I have read their documents and after getting to know them, albeit not fully. Therefore, I have sometimes asked the question cynically, “So, YOU want to plant a church?” Other times

December 16, 2011

Christian Standard

The Impact of God”s Word on My Heart

By Dean Trune I desperately need daily input from the Bible. Because it is “alive and active,” according to Hebrews 4:12, I can examine the same verse or passage from time to time, and the Holy Spirit will “speak” truth in applicable ways for what is happening in my life at that particular time. God”s Word is so powerful! Since I need a steady flow of God”s Word into my life, God has orchestrated four ways for me to receive its input.   I read God”s Word from cover to cover each calendar year. It is not simply a goal,

October 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Commonsense Suggestions About Elders

By Chuck Sackett “A Parable of Two Churches“ (a sidebar) is my attempt to capture the past 37 years of observations and experiences. I”ve been privileged to be the preacher in three very different congregations. And while serving as a Bible college and seminary professor, I worked in various capacities with dozens of congregations. What follows are practical suggestions for how congregations can have healthy, effective elderships. These are simply reminders of the obvious. I”ve seen them work in a variety of settings, expressed in various ways, ending with varied results. Every church I”ve seen believes it is doing church

August 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Volunteers and Paid Staff Are in the SAME Battle

By Susan Lawrence I”ve been a paid ministry staff member and a volunteer ministry leader, and there are things we need to understand about each other. Ministry isn”t a territorial war. Our battles are side by side, not head-on. ________   I”m a volunteer. I”d like paid staff members to understand . . . I want to be included. Invite me to occasional staff planning meetings. Let me be a part of the decision-making and planning process. It keeps me motivated to do ministry. If you simply tell me what has to be done, or assume I already know, I

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Smaller Groups, More Disciples

By Michael Mack How many people can you effectively lead, shepherd, and disciple? Eight? Ten? Twelve? Twenty? Let me ask the question another way: If you are to bear much fruit, fruit that will last . . . if you are to see true transformation of people”s lives . . . if you are to see people develop into leaders so that you are multiplying your leadership . . . into how many people can you invest your life? Jesus formed a small group that would eventually change the world. But first, he called two sets of brothers: Simon Peter and Andrew,

November 5, 2010

Christian Standard

Marks of a Successful Discipler

By Rick Lowry Personal Life “¢ Models servanthood before group members. “¢ Is in the Word daily, along with being in prayer and practicing other spiritual disciplines. “¢ Feels a sense of personal spiritual growth and passes on that challenge toward growth to members of group. “¢ A spiritual leader outside the group meeting. “¢ Accountable in life to another spiritual leader outside the group. Passing on the Faith “¢ Prays for individuals in the group. “¢ Places a high priority on the group and the people in it. “¢ Is spiritually, emotionally, and relationally open to group members. “¢

May 16, 2010

Christian Standard

Leading People Toward Redemption and Restoration (Part 1)

By Ken Swatman As ministers and church leaders, we see sin every day in our communities, congregations, families, and in ourselves. We are called by God to recognize sin, confront it, and bring it into the light of Jesus. We are no more on the front line of sin”s personal battle than anyone else, but as servant-leaders in Christ”s body, we often must assume the roles of confrontational authority and navigator of the deep waters of redemption, repentance, and restoration. In this three-part series, I will look at some practical issues we face as we lead people down this path.

March 7, 2010

Christian Standard

How to Help

By Darrel Rowland Read the main article, “Balancing Grace and Truth with Homosexuals,” by Darrel Rowland There’s sin. There”s sexual SIN. And then there”s HOMOSEXUAL SIN. At least that”s how we Christians often act. And that”s a big reason why Christian leaders” struggles with homosexuality (1) are more prevalent than many believe and (2) go unaddressed for so long. Many times the inner battle remains secret until the all-but-inevitable blowup or crisis. That”s usually when Dr. John Walker gets a call. For more than 15 years, Walker, a licensed clinical psychologist, has run Blessing Ranch, a sprawling facility on 166

March 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Accessibility, Affordability, and Accountability: A “˜Spellings Report” for Our Schools

By Tom Tanner Consider these three numbers: 184 million; 14,075; 33. Is this some kind of new DaVinci code? No. These are figures that factor into any conversation about the state of Christian higher education among Christian churches and churches of Christ. Based on data from this year”s annual college report (see chart on pp. 16, 17), these churches support 33 different schools scattered from Alberta to Atlanta, and beyond the Atlantic to Austria. Collectively these 33 schools last year enrolled 14,075 students and spent just over $184 million. What do these numbers mean? Are they good numbers or bad?

March 9, 2008

Doug McCulley

confidentiality in church counseling

Confidentiality in a Counseling Setting

A Christian counselor explains why confidentiality matters, when accountability requires broader involvement, and what church leaders should know. Practical policy recommendations help protect pastoral care while encouraging healing, trust, and healthy communication.

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