To whom is the church accountable in terms of evangelism, outreach, social justice, discipleship, and leadership development? Clearly, it is primarily accountable to God in obedience to the instructions of Scripture. Do conference boards and leadership have a right to speak into this area of the life of the church? My answer is yes, as we cherish the value of the community of faith, and the wisdom that comes with it. What about the nearly 100 mission workers and church planters who are employed by the conference…who are they accountable to? I believe that if the relationship between the sending church and the conference is strong, then the work of accountability can be shared between everyone.

Accountability often brings up thoughts of intimidation and defensiveness, but it doesn’t have to if done purposefully. Ellen Livingood, who leads Catalyst Services, a resource for churches around mission work, says that accountability is to “give a reckoning, to furnish a report.” It includes the idea of keeping others informed, which is followed by holding people to their commitments. This obviously involves an element of evaluation. She writes that missions-related accountability has three goals: 1) stimulate worshipful celebration, 2) maximize results, and 3) confirm wise stewardship. These goals lead us to focus on God and fulfilling His kingdom purposes.

Back to the question of accountability in the church, I believe the responsibility of obeying the Great Commission lies not only with individuals who feel called to go out, but with the church which identifies, equips and sends its workers into Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. It is God the Father who will call the church to give a reckoning, and to furnish a report on how faithfully we have held to our commitments of being ambassadors to the world around us. This includes, of course, areas of responsibility in how we support our cross-cultural workers.

Livingood goes on to write that while the mission worker needs to be held accountable for the ministries they are doing as they represent their church from far away, the local church must also take their responsibility seriously. She includes things such as clarifying expectations between the sender and the one sent, clarifying what is considered success, learning about the country or culture that your worker is serving, requiring and using helpful reporting mechanisms, investing in the growth of the one sent, and being flexible in changing dynamics on the ground.

In the EMC, our model is to support missions in partnership with churches, and the Board of Missions is keenly aware that we are accountable to the church. This includes the three goals Livingood expresses above, as we resource the workers you send our way, before, during and after their service It also includes resourcing individual churches in practical ways such as teaching and reporting from workers and staff on engaging cross-culturally, creatively fulfilling the Great Commission, understanding church planting models, the importance of partnership and collaboration, how to equip the called, the value of prayer, and contextualization.

May this continue to be the mark of our churches and our conference some 500 years later!