has gained popularity, few of us
have experience with effective
mutual accountability in the church.
However, a team without powerful
accountability will fail. Jim Herrington is an author, former
pastor and conference leader. He
is the founder and team leader at
Faithwalking, and founding executive
director of Mission Houston.
Because we’re going after real
results, we hold each other
accountable for the work. Everyone
is answerable to everyone else on
the team. Each of us takes personal
ownership for the process and the
results. Even though it feels risky to
invite others to hold a mirror up to us,
we know that without it, we will get
stuck and ultimately stopped. Trisha Taylor is a counselor, minister,
author and consultant. She is a fellow
with the American Association of
Pastoral Counselors and is a co-
founder of Faithwalking, a spiritual
formation process that equips people
to live missionally.
The world is full of lone rangers,
well meaning Christians who get
ideas and then get busy trying
to implement their ideas—alone.
Sometimes that works, and we’re
grateful for the work of individuals
who get busy and make things
happen.
But when the stakes are high, we
need each other. Research clearly
shows that in most cases, we can
produce more together than any
one person can alone. You may
know the old saying, “To go fast,
go alone. To go far, go together.”
Often, we do not go far because
we do not know how to go together.
However, as teams, we learn how to
pursue the vision God had given us
collectively and see results we could
only imagine.
John Sparks is the Pastor of Discipleship
and Global Partnerships at Center-
point Church in Kalamazoo, MI.
Herrington and Taylor are the authors
and editors of Learning Change:
Congregational Transformation
Fueled by Personal Renewal (Kregel
Ministry) which includes contributions
from church leaders.
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