Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. —James 5:16

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. —Hebrews 3:13

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. —Hebrews 10:24–25

How to Do Accountability

The time you set aside for accountability has the potential to be some of the most fruitful time you spend together, or it can be the most unproductive. Here are four ways to keep accountability time meaningful:

Make It a Priority

Give it the time it deserves. Make sure you manage your coed discussion time to reserve 30-40 minutes for breakout time. When you break out, guide that time to include meaningful sharing, not just surface-level conversations.

Cast Vision Often

Talk about transparency and confidentiality often. Occasionally, begin your accountability time by sharing your heart about lowering masks and being authentic, committing to accept and not judge one another, and reminding what is shared in the group stays in the group. To get to a deeper level of transparency there must be confidentiality (a sense of equal level of trust) and mutuality (a sense of equal level of sharing). The best way to get deeper transparency in your group is to model it yourself!

Get Specific

Get to specific evaluation ("How are you doing with...?") and action steps (What will you do this week with...?"). Accountability is more than someone identifying some spiritual growth points, as important as they are. Encourage people to move beyond vague generalities to where they're at with specific issues and commitments. Ask: "How can I pray for you specifically this week?" Most of the time people haven't thought through specific steps they need to take. And if they haven't thought it through, they will never take those steps.

Follow Up

Faithfully follow up in prayer, through a phone call, and at the next group meeting. Follow up by adding the request to your daily prayer list. Follow up with a phone call to encourage them as you run alongside of them. Follow up by reviewing specific commitments and prayer requests from the previous week at the next small group time.

The Heart of Accountability

• Focus more on Christ than on someone’s sin.
• Focus more on present identity than on past behavior.
• Focus more on gracious exhortation than on failure.
• Focus more on pursuing Christ than on avoiding sin.

Levels of Accountability

As relationships in your group grow, you'll want to pursue deeper levels of accountability.