Tips for Bible Reading Accountability Groups

Bible reading becomes so much richer when you’re able to meet with people and share together what you’re getting out of the Word. Forming an accountability group where you set a reading plan and meet each week to share from the reading and check in on each other is a great way to grow with God, grow in spiritual discipline, and grow with the people in your group. Accountability groups can be great for reading through the Bible in a year (use a reading plan or aim for 4 chapters a day, 6 days a week, with the 7th day being your meeting day) or reading a chapter or two a day of a specific book of the Bible and going deep in the book (rereading each chapter twice, taking notes, reading commentaries on it, etc).

Here are some tips for Bible reading accountability groups followed by some of my thoughts about accountability groups for purity…

• I recommend having 3 or 4 people in the group. I’ve found 3 to be the optimum number if the group is all peers. 4 is good if one person in the group is considered the leader (someone in more of a facilitator/mentor role). 5 can be a bit much and beyond 5 it can be hard to get much out of the group. 2 people can work but it’s nice to have 3 to get more variety in feedback/sharing.
  
• I do not recommend romantic partners or married couples being in the same accountability group. A strain can be put on the relationship if one of the two has to hold the other accountable for falling behind in the reading. It’s better that other friends/peers/leaders hold the person accountable.
  
• Share with each other when you plan to read the Word each day and try to make it a regular part of your life. For me, when I worked as an engineer I found the best time of day for me to read was later in the evening (I was too groggy in the morning). I also tried to take one lunch break every week or two to spend time in the Word and prayer (usually in my car or a quiet place, away from my co-workers). While in college and here in Korea, reading over breakfast has worked best for me. There will be days when things happen and you have to read at a different time or not get to read, but those days should be the exception and not the norm. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two, just try and set time in the coming days to catch up.
  
• Before you read, say a short prayer such as, “God, thank You for Your Word. Grant me understanding and help me know You more.” Consider underlining or highlighting verses that stand out to you, journaling anything the speaks to you deeply, and jotting down questions regarding anything that confuses you. If something stands out to you as you read then try and make it a prayer, such as: “God, I want to be like a tree planted by streams of water. Help me delight in Your Word” (Psalm 1:2-3).
  
• When you meet as a group go through the reading chapter by chapter (preferably not in a scattered way) and let people share what stood out to them, what God spoke to them, and whatever questions they may have. Don’t be discouraged if your group can’t answer all the questions brought up. Instead pray and ask God for wisdom. You’ll be surprised how God will speak in the coming weeks, whether through sermons or through other people.
  
• Set penalties to help your group develop discipline…
  
  • Consider a media fast (avoiding TV, movies, video games, surfing the net other than for school/work) for the whole group if someone falls behind until that person is caught up. The number one excuse for people who fall behind is, “I didn’t have enough time.” You’ll be shocked how much time you’ll have if you do a media fast. If the Super Bowl or some other big media event is coming then an exception for that event can be made. Don’t be too strong handed or someone in the group may become bitter.
    
  • Other fasts could be doing a meat fast (going vegetarian), a coffee/caffeine fast, or a sugar fast (such as a strict keto-diet). All of these fasts only work if they involve giving up something that the group genuinely enjoys. A coffee fast is meaningless to me since I’m not a coffee drinker. The threat of a meat fast though is highly motivating for me.
    
  • One accountability group I was a part of at Virginia Tech had to run three laps around the drill field together (~2.3 miles) late at night if someone fell behind in the reading. The guy who fell behind was in good shape and actually looked forward to doing the penalty together. But another guy in the group wasn’t in as great of shape and despised running. He asked for a head start, and as we watched him struggle through his first lap conviction fell deep into each of us. The group never fell behind in the reading for the rest of the year (as far as I can remember).
• The purpose of accountability is not to guilt/condemn/intimidate people, but rather to encourage and help discipline one another (Proverbs 27:17). As spiritual disciplines grow, usually people no longer need the threat of penalties to help keep them on track.
  
• If one person keeps falling behind, isn’t honest with the group, or clearly wants to quit then graciously remove the person from the group or allow the person to continue to meet with the group but no longer include the person in the accountability. There definitely needs to be commitment and honesty for accountability to be effective. If commitment and/or honesty is lacking in someone then they shouldn’t be included in the accountability because they will only discourage the rest of the group.
  
• Sometimes seismic moments in peoples’ lives can affect their spiritual discipline (marriage, moving, having a baby, death of a loved one, being fired or starting a new job). It’s important for the group to be gracious to the person during this time and consider a grace period for accountability regarding their spiritual discipline. The hope is that the person doesn’t completely neglect their relationship with God during that time, but to hold the person to a specific reading plan or specific expectation could be burdensome and even cruel. Accountability isn’t meant to be militaristic. It’s meant to be done in love.

Accountability for purity (in gender specific groups) can be helpful as well. Usually in these groups it is good to ask questions regarding each other’s physical health, emotional health, prayer life, work life, and sexual purity. There needs to be willingness in the group to open up and be honest regarding each of these areas. If there isn’t willingness in someone then they shouldn’t be pushed to share.

For purity, developing healthy spiritual disciplines helps so much (Psalm 119:9). For some people just developing a committed walk with God in the Word and prayer helps free them from sinful ways/wrong ways of thinking. For others, continually sharing, committed prayer from the accountability group, and changes in lifestyle can help bring true change. Repentance involves turning, and people who struggle with different sin (whether purity or other things) need to confess to God and ask for grace/wisdom in turning. For some people it may mean not going to certain places anymore, ending certain relationships, and/or removing media devices from their bedroom. I’ve found that invoking penalties regarding sexual purity (similar to the Bible reading penalties) can sometimes invoke guilt and striving that don’t bear fruit.

It is important to be led by the Spirit. Sometimes doing a media fast or a different type of fast can help bring grace to overcome sin, but such fasting should be led by the Spirit rather than being done in blind hope for deliverance. In the end it is the Spirit who enables us to overcome sin, not the works of the flesh. Thinking (apart from God) “If I just do this, then I’ll overcome the sin” shows a reliance on the flesh/works rather than a reliance on God. There is no specific worldly method that works for everyone to overcome sin; only the blood of Jesus and the leading of His Spirit. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

And for those of you who have struggled with addictions all your life and feel captive to your sin, remember the demoniac who had the legion of demons (Mark 5). Despite this man having so many demons in him, he still was able to run to Jesus’ feet. No sin, no addiction, no demon, no whatever is too great for God. We just need to turn to Him.

For more on healthy repentance, I encourage listening to this message: https://www.comequicklyministries.org/blog/dt_portfolio/repentance-vs-remorse/.

Here is a blog I wrote about going deeper in the Bible: https://www.comequicklyministries.org/blog/going-deeper-bible/.

And here is a Bible reading plan I recommend: https://www.comequicklyministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Bible-Reading-Plan.pdf.