The secret that there are no scandals in my pastoral ministry

Moral failure among leaders has been rising like a flood lately – not just in the past week, but unfortunately on a regular basis. It breaks our hearts when we learn of a pastor of a church large or small who is behaving immorally. After 53 years of ministry without scandal, I am happy to report that there is an antidote to the poison of moral failure. A preventative antidote that is practical, regular, and non-negotiable. It is called “man-to-man accountability.” As a pastor myself, the regular practice of accountability has kept me from every kind of moral failure for the past 53 years.

On Sunday, June 27, 1971, I prayed to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The following Friday night, I was invited to and attended a Bible study for military personnel stationed in San Diego. The man who led the study afterward came to me and said firmly, “Devlin, until you go to the Vietnam War, you will be here at this study, giving an account to me.” As a new born Christian and 19-year-old going to war, this man taught me the value of accountability. In Vietnam, in a unit of 250 men, there was only one other follower of Jesus: Smitty. For the next two years, Smitty and I met every week, and I was accountable to this non-commissioned officer in my unit. My one-on-one accountability relationship with other men, which was non-negotiable for one hour a week, continues to this day, June 2024.

As a Christian leader and pastor, I am often asked, “What is the recipe for your godly success in your marriage, your family, your children and grandchildren, and your pastoring of the persecuted church?” I answer, “The grace of God and long-term accountability.” My current prayer partner for accountability is Brother Jeff Howe, with whom I meet for an hour every Friday morning at 8 a.m. For my life and ministry, accountability is defined by a non-negotiable hour with a trusted brother. In other words, out of my 168 hours per week, I spend one hour with Brother Jeff, holding him accountable for what I call the 5 Fs: family, faith, finances, fitness, and fasting. Each of these Fs has practical, measurable, and objective meaning.

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Do I love my wife of 45 years as Christ loves the church? Do I continue to teach our five children, their spouses, and our five grandchildren by example and words? Is my faith in Jesus up to date? Is my faith fresh, exciting, and relevant in the midst of a spirit of brokenness as I serve the persecuted church? Are my finances in my personal life, our marriage, and my ministry always in good standing? Do I work hard to keep my finances compliant and accountable to my ministry investors/donors and the reports the government requires of me? Do I stay healthy by eating the right foods and keeping my weight at a level where I can run fast for Jesus? And since God requires His people to abstain from food privately and publicly, do I adhere to the regular discipline of fasting? Jesus reminds us that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and then follow Him.

Pastor, what is your accountability structure? Are you living the 5 F’s? Family, faith, finances, fitness, fasting? Run, don’t walk – live those 5 F’s.