11 Accountability Tips for Pastors

In the wake of recent high-profile allegations of pastoral misconduct, accountability has become a much-discussed topic on social media.

Las Vegas pastor Vance Pitman tweeted several tips at @VancePitman for pastors seeking to maintain accountability and avoid temptations.

1. Give someone other than yourself passwords to all email, phone, & social media accounts. Ask them to check messages periodically.
2. Always seek counsel when making decisions. Your perspective is always limited, your input is never enough, and your flesh is always deceitful.
3. Never travel alone. One hotel hallway can destroy years of testimony.
4. Be in a small group.
5. Have someone who does life with you regularly ask you hard questions about your devotion to Jesus and your family. This should not be an out-of-town “board” to which you can easily lie.
6. Have all email go through your administrative assistant.
7. Regularly check your work-life balance. If you are unsure, ask your wife—she’ll know.
8. Don’t do ongoing counseling with the opposite sex. Meet once and connect them with someone who can walk with them.
9. Don’t counsel opposite sex alone. I invite their small group leader to join. If they’re not in a small group, invite a leader who can connect with them after the counseling.
10. Involve your wife when hiring your administrative assistant. Give her absolute veto authority—no questions asked.
11. Never handle money. I cannot sign a check at our church. If someone hands me a check on a Sunday, I walk them to an usher or offering bin.

Accountability in leadership matters for your sake, your family’s sake, for your organization’s sake, and most of all for the sake of God’s glory.

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