“Support without accountability promotes moral weakness; accountability without support is a form of cruelty.”~ The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2013-2016, Part I, Pages 68-69.
What is the responsibility of the church with regards to social reform in the kingdom of God? If the church is truly going to be the church, then the church must stand in solidarity with God regarding justice, righteousness, and peace. For if the church fails to act, then the church is irrelevant. For the church to act without accountability from the community is a moral failure; if the church functions without the community’s full support, this is a form of cruelty, and failure is inevitable.
In our personal lives, the same holds for us. We must have accountability in our lives to maintain obedience to God’s design for living; without it, we stray and fall short. In the same manner, if we receive accountability without the love, mercy, grace, and acceptance necessary to stay the course, then that is cruel and unacceptable. When asked to be an accountability partner to someone, they must have our full support. The support we give must be grounded in love; without love, it’s another form of cruelty. Please take the need for accountability and support seriously. If we are to be our best in the kingdom of God as individuals and a community, we need both accountability and support to be effective and to survive.
Lord, thank You for the spiritual principles of accountability and support. Please allow us to engage them both at a level that is acceptable to You. Please help our community of believers embrace these principles for the good of the church, our community, the world, and especially the Your kingdom. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May You will always materialize, now and forever, Amen.
Leave a Reply