Dear all,

As promised last week here are more details on the “accountability person” role that the groups will have.

Firstly, I would emphasise that everyone has responsibility for sound doctrine and godly behaviour. Just because a person has been assigned to be the “accountability person” does not mean that the other group members absolve their responsibilities in this regard.

As a result, I would see that the accountability person is not an auditor or a regulator. The accountability person’s role includes:

• picking up accountability issues within the group, either by the person’s own observations or being notified by other members of the group
• drawing the issue to the group’s attention
• facilitating (with assistance where required) the resolution of the issue
• where appropriate, escalating the issue to the group leader, me or Alex

I would expect that everyone in the group, other than non-Christians or new Christians, would be able to act as an accountability person for a group meeting. I also ask that, like last year, everyone take turns to be the accountability person at each meeting.

Hopefully that clarifies the situation for everyone.

If you have any more questions, feel free to talk to me.