Pastor's Circle - Darryl Starnes

Darryl Starnes serves as a bishop for the AME Zion Church. He appeared on The Matt Friedeman Show to address the issue of accountability. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Why is it so hard for us as American Christians to get accountability in our lives?

I think you're right that our culture privacy has risen to almost a godlike status. And because of that, we feel we have the right to keep things to ourselves.

But that is not the Christian perspective. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we become part of a community. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but also to those to whom we are attached.

How can we get that kind of accountability??

I think that we must be intentional about asking God to bring into our lives people who genuinely love him, and people who genuinely love us.

Love that speaks the truth and love that is willing to hear the truth. You have to ask God to bring that person into your life.

How hard is it for you, as a bishop, to find someone like that?

I don't think it starts when you're a bishop. It has to start early in the Christian life.

In my college years, God brought into my life some people who are to this day holding me accountable.

You must have that before you get to all these positions. Because they're not talking to the bishop; they're talking to Darryl.

Sometimes the accountability has to be on different levels. It's all about being vulnerable.

What happens spiritually if we don't have accountability?

Much of our healing comes through this intimacy with another Christian brother or sister.

If we don't have that, we don't get healed from many things in our lives. We don't experience victory in many areas of our lives.

What kind of person do you want to hold you accountable?

That's hard, because people present what they want us to see. They show a side of themselves that may look good at face value, and you're going to have to depend on your discernment.

Once the Lord brings someone into your life, you have to trust him to guide you to show you who that person is.

They should be a person of integrity. It doesn't have to be a person who's perfect, but it needs to be someone who is pursuing holiness.

It should be a person who cares more about what God thinks than what people thinks.