Spiritual Accountability Policy
City Church Network’s mission is to equip individuals and churches to understand and participate in the Great Commission (Acts 1:8). We have always been a family on mission.
Our strengths have historically included flexibility and adaptability. We have made it easy for people to join City Church Network (CCN). However, when our disciples have experienced normal growing pains, we have not always guided them with sufficient care and wisdom.
We want to learn from our mistakes and make improvements in order to grow in the Christlikeness of our community. We also want to remain nimble and flexible.
An area for improvement for which we have developed a solution is the area of spiritual accountability. Together with the oversight of the board of directors, the leadership of CCN has developed a spiritual accountability policy which we believe will promote the health and well-being of our ministers and their ministries while preserving their freedom to minister according to their unique gifts and callings.
Before summarizing the spiritual accountability policy of CCN, it is important for us to express clearly that we do not believe this is an exhaustive solution to all of the potential problems that can emerge in the character and ministries of the ministers of CCN. Any person that is committed to hiding his or her sin or struggles from other human beings will be able to do so.
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
The only exhaustive solution to the spiritual problems of wayward and independent human beings is the conviction of the heart that is enabled by the work of the Holy Spirit.
However, developing a culture of confession, transparency, healthy relationships of spiritual authority and submission, mutual support, and interdependence can go a long way for preventing spiritual strongholds from emerging within the hearts and relationships of our ministers. It is also deeply important for the protection of the reputation of Jesus, the well-being of the minister, and the longevity of the minister’s ministry and fruitfulness.
With these things in mind, below is the spiritual accountability policy of CCN:
All CCN ministers who raise funds through CCN for their personal support or for ministry they are conducting or overseeing must have 2 people (at least 1 of them should be male) who are guiding, counseling, encouraging, and acting in a role of spiritual authority over the minister (we will call them overseers). They can be elders from the minister’s local church, leaders from the minister’s mission agency, or other trusted friends who are spiritually mature. They should not be family members. They should be physically near the ministers if possible.
The minister should be in regular contact with both overseers.
The overseers should have the freedom to ask any questions of the minister.
The minister should honor the overseers’ role as their spiritual authority.
The CCN board of directors should be provided meaningful (but not necessarily exhaustive) access to the missionaries’ overseers in order to understand their view of the health and well-being of the minister(s) for whom the overseers are caring.
Spiritual Accountability Guide
Spiritual accountability is a tender process which must be full of love and grace. The apostle Paul understood this well. He wrote deeply gracious letters to the churches he cared for, comparing himself both to a father and a mother:
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (I Thessalonians 2:7-12)
In the same way, it is important for those who provide spiritual oversight to be gentle, to be affectionately desirous of the spiritual sheep entrusted to them, to share not only the Gospel but also their own selves, to exhort their spiritual sheep, and to encourage them.
Here are some questions which can be used to enhance spiritual accountability between the receiver of spiritual care (sheep) and the provider of spiritual care (shepherd). These questions can also be used to evaluate one’s self; however, the greatest fruit will be borne (and dangers averted) if they are discussed openly and honestly between the shepherd and the sheep.
The questions are asked from the perspective of the sheep:
What are my areas of greatest joy in my life right now?
What are my greatest unsatisfied desires and longings in my life right now?
What are the areas of my life that I do not like talking about with my friends or my spouse?
What are areas of my life in which I feel ashamed? What causes the shame? What do I do when I feel the shame?
Are there parts of my life in which I regularly feel fear? What causes the fear? What do I do when I feel the fear?
Are there any areas of my life in which I regularly feel anger? What causes the anger? What do I do when I feel the anger?
Am I resting spiritually and physically enough?
Am I making decisions about how to spend my time in a healthy way?
Are there any particular things (foods, drinks, media, or other physical pleasures) which I struggle to go without and which are not necessary for living?
Are there any people in my life with whom I do not have a peaceful relationship? Am I doing all that I can in my power to have a peaceful relationship with them? Is there anything else I can do?
What is my posture toward the people in my life that I see most often (spouse, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc.)? Am I seeking to serve them as Christ serves me?
What is my communion with God characterized by? What does my time with Him look and feel like? What do I long for in my relationship with Him?
Time Management Guide
In order to maximize the benefit of your ministry time, acknowledge your own limitations, acknowledge the need for God to establish the work of your hands, and recognize that God is able to produce GREAT FRUIT in us as we acknowledge our need for Him, practice the following time management structure:
Never make decisions out of fear, guilt, or laziness. Always be purposeful in deciding how to spend your time. Always make decisions which are motivated by joyful obedience.
Designate 1 day per week as your household Sabbath. On this day, do not do any ministry or any other tasks which take away your energy. Only plan for things that fill your heart with joy and energy (time with God by yourself or with others, time with family and friends, time for hobbies). Sabbath-keeping is a declaration that:
We are not God; we need God
God is the Provider (not me); He is working while I rest
I trust God’s promise to meet every need of mine
God is good and loves to bless us with things that bring us joy
Determine how many total hours are available for ministry in each week, based on family and other existing commitments. Identify which hours these are throughout the week, specifically (e.g. 8AM to 9PM on Monday; 2PM to 6PM on Tuesday, 8AM to 6PM on Thursday, 10AM to 10PM on Thursday, Friday Sabbath, 10AM to 6PM on Saturday, 10AM to 3PM on Sunday). General expectation of a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 60 hours will be regularly available for ministry on a weekly basis.
Of these available ministry time slots, ensure that you have set aside time for the following example commitments:
Regular pastoral care meetings
Coaching meetings
Your ministry team fellowship meeting
Other existing ministry commitments in your ministry field
When ministry opportunities (e.g. Bible studies, appointments, etc.) present themselves in an available time slot, go for them!
When ministry opportunities present themselves outside your available time slots, do both of these things before agreeing to them:
Pray and ask God to tell you if He wants you to take the opportunity. He will tell you.
Ask someone in your life (spouse, team leader, etc.) that has the courage to tell you no if he / she believes you should not take the opportunity. This person should be identified prior to the opportunity presenting itself so that you / they know ahead of time that they will do this for you.
If you sense the Holy Spirit encouraging you to take the opportunity AND the person you asked also says yes, you should take the opportunity. You should also re-organize your available time slots so that your total available time remains the same.
Pray regularly that God would provide ministry opportunities within your available time slots and that God will show you how to move your time slots around to promote ministry and rest.