In my day I have seen too many Pastors behave like loose cannons! I could write a book from my days in Christian radio and being a Pastor myself. I have witnessed the destruction. I have been called upon in the past to help rebuild Churches.
We just had our FGGAM Board meeting last month. We have a great board that holds me accountable, Bill Ruhl Vice Chairman, Wanell Pate, Chuck Akeley, and Sonja Haylet. My partner in life Sharon is right with me. Our adult children also hold their dad accountable.
I am also blessed to have the following folks around me, Pastors such as 89-year-old Claude Cone, Pastor Ed Solis, Pastor Jerry McCullah, Rob Ramsmeyer, Ethan Carr, the late Mike Fisher. I just returned from Minnesota from Mike’s funeral. I miss him so very much, it hurts.
More precious role models and accountability partners include Angel Murchison, Shari Hardaway Johnson, Kelly Snelgrove, Connie Keyohara, Mindi Schneider and John Belew, Kay Lawrence and many others.
I love it that I can confer with many. I know what all expect from me, most importantly GOD ALMIGHTY!
I just think of God and all those around me, and those like my Mom and dad who have passed on. When I think of them and what they stand for, it keeps me in line with God. I preach that we all need accountability partners and role models.
As Sharon says, it takes a large village to keep me in line! HA!
Baptist Press
By Chuck Lawless, posted January 10, 2025
As I began ministry decades ago, few people were talking about accountability. More are using that language today, but we still have much room for growth. Here’s why every church leader needs accountability:
- It’s biblical. It is through iron sharpening iron that we grow (Prov. 27:17). We are to challenge each other to live in godliness (Heb. 3:12-13), confronting one another when necessary (Matt. 18:15-17, Luke 17:3). We are to carry one another’s burdens, including provoking each other to good works (Heb. 10:24) and picking each other up when we fall (Gal. 6:1-2).
- We are all prone to wander. As soon as we think that we’ve “arrived” in our faithfulness to God, we’ve just fallen far back. The problem is that we often don’t recognize this sin in ourselves.
- We’re in spiritual warfare. The principalities and powers of Ephesians 6:12 particularly aim their arrows at church leaders on the front lines. Satan and his forces find us most vulnerable when we minister alone, with no one genuinely walking beside us and provoking us to good works (Heb. 10:24). More Here
