In prison ministry I was often asked if I was being paid to do what I did in prison. As I grew in my understanding I learnt that generally speaking they were suspicious of professional psychiatrists and counsellors. Their way of finding out if I was a real person I suppose. My answer was that. I was paid to be a youth worker but I chose to go to their prison – I didn’t have to [and neither did I earn any extra]. That answer seemed to satisfy them.

Adam committed his offence at 14 years old – there aren’t many armed robbers at that age so he was a bit of a celebrity and many professional people wanted to understand what motivated him and why he committed his crime. Adam, like many young people his age, resented their probing questions and fascination with him – so he played the game.

He answered their questions in the way he believed they wanted them to be answered [plus he added just a little extra spice as he went along]. He would almost giggle when he recounted the tales of his ’sessions’ in his previous placement. [Technically Adam wasn't old enough at 14 to be put into prison so he was housed in a secure unit].

Why did you do it Adam? they asked. Power was his usual reply; control; provoking fear – he told them he was motivated by those things.

What I find amazing is that the Adam I knew wouldn’t behave that way at all. the answer was far simpler [but less dramatic] – he needed the money to buy the drugs.

Why do I tell you this? It’s all in the perception – Adam perceived [rightly or wrongly] they didn’t care about him as a person but he was just a client, a rare client at his age.

With me he saw that I cared – if we can communicate care then our youth ministry will blossom and grow.

Way back in 2002 ….. two serial killers were
shooting in random fashion. One was the
older John Allen Muhammad who, with his
young 17 year old protégée Lee Boyd
Malvo, killed ten people and injured three
others in October of that year.
Malvo managed to get a call through
from his prison cell in Virginia to the daughter
of one of his victims, Jerry Taylor. He
apologised to Sheryll Witz, and she said
she was glad he had not got the death
penalty. He assured her that earlier Lee
(himself) and the present Lee, were two different
people. A New York social worker
said he ‘has freed himself from his mentor
Muhammad’s psychological grip. He has
evolved into a young man who really wants
to make amends, who is truly remorseful’.
How tragic it is that older mentors can lead
young people astray. A wise mentor is a gift
from God but young people need to be sure
they do not make a terrible choice such as
Lee Malvo did.

I find the article challenging – not so much from a personal perspective because I believe I am not leading young people astray but more that the influence one person can have on another. Challenging to know that God has given me giftings to shape the lives of young people, challenging in that I so want to get it right.

My first experience of youth group leadership (in the late 1980’s) did not give me a good example.experience of accountability in action. The theory was good in that I was accountable to the senior pastor of the church. The weakness was in the practical outworking of the theory. In the three years that I led the youth he (the senior minister) didn’t attend the youth group once. Now I realise that attending the meeting wasn’t the only was the minister could find out what I was doing (his daughter attended the youth group!) – but it was one of the ways that he could show that he cared about what was going on.

So – three questions for you:

1. What does accountability look like?
2. Who are you accountable to and how is it working?
3. Who are you accountable for and how is that working?

What does accountability look like?

As the dictionary states, it is being liable to account. In a church setting you are responsible to someone (if you are a volunteer or a staff member) and you should be able to provide an account of what is happening in your ministry and in your life. Don’t see it as a negative thing or a task to be avoided but more of a positive experience, a safeguard, a protection, a covering that you should no be without. In a Christian sense we are keeping each other accountable to our actions according to God’s law.

The way accountability works (beyond just a work setting) is that you have a partner that you meet on a (preferably) weekly basis and ask questions about their week. The only way it works is to be completely honest – you have to want a steady, deepening relationship with God. If you are weak in a certain area then it would be great to talk about it with someone you can trust.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one… For if they fall one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up”.

Who are you accountable to and how is it working?

Of course we are all accountable to God (Romans 14:12 – Each of us will give an account of himself to God) and to the leaders of the church/organisation we work in (Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them). Although accountability , in the sense we are talking here, can be wider than that. It would be good to form an accountability partnership or group if you are not already in one. It would also be good to regularly review how things are going.

Who are you accountable for and how is that working?

Many of us will have tram members that we lead or work with, volunteers that give their time to work with young people and of course, young people themselves. We need to make sure that we are proactive and show them we are interested ion what they are doing and how they are progressing – both in the work they and and generally in life.

• How often do you meet with your team?
• Do you only talk about the work?
• When was the last time you asked them about their relationship with God?
• Have you developed a structure where people can form accountability partnerships and groups? Is it working?

Summary

Let’s take accountability from a theory that should be there to something that is there. Let’s take it from something that is there to something that is actually working.