Over the past several years, I have written about this topic several times. What is missing in many churches today is accountability. Lack of accountability explains why church members drop out, why church members do not live lives worthy of the gospel, and why church members are at times uninvolved in kingdom activities.
According to a Barna report, only 5% of Christian adults say their church has a program or plan to help hold them accountable for integrating biblical beliefs and principles into their lives. Even among those church groups who were most likely to have some accountability structures, less than one in six local churches had such in place as a part of their church programs and shepherding efforts. Among those Christians who affirmed some level of accountability, the most common method was small group involvement.
When one reads what the Scriptures say about the nature of the church, and then compares the message of the Bible to these statistics, one must be impressed with the fact that one of the cornerstones of the biblical concept of community is mutual accountability. Church leaders will be held accountable for how they helped the members they lead experience accountability (Hebrews 13:17). That is, church leaders are accountable for whether the church members are accountable. Paul affirms to the Roman church that church members belong to one another (Romans 12:5). That is, our lives are to be so connected that we are experience integration. This is natural when we consider the church as a body. When one part of the body suffers, all suffer (1 Corinthians 12).
Whether a person is a Christian is demonstrated as much (or more?) by living transformed lives than by church attendance. Christians are transformed people–no longer selfish individuals living for self, but rather those who have surrendered control to God. Accountability is essential to that transformation and helps Christians, especially new Christians, make correct life choices which lead to healthy behaviors.