On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian talk to Darrin Patrick about community and accountability.

Darrin Patrick is a teaching pastor at Seacoast Church. He is the founding pastor of The Journey Church and is the author of multiple books including the Dude’s Guide to Marriage.

Darrin is the former chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals and former vice-president of the Acts 29 church planting network. He has appeared in the New York Times, The Today Show and Fox and Friends for his innovative approach to reaching the un-reached.

Darrin is married to Amie and they have four children. He enjoys reading, writing and coaching his kid’s sports teams.

Questions:

* From the outside, you were a very successful pastor, chaplain of the Cardinals, head of a church network. What was happening on the inside during all of this?

* What did community and accountability look like for you when career and reputation were at the perceived peak?

* What happened when those friendships were suddenly gone?

* In the sense of accountability and community, is there a limit to the number of people you really want to be in contact with?

* What role did having healthy community around you play in your eventual restoration?

* What advice would you give to leaders who may be heading down the same path that you were on?

Quotes:

* My ministry was growing, but my soul wasn’t growing.

* What really brought me back was community, and I’ll never do ministry without that again.

* Ultimately, I wasn’t willing to slow down the pace to develop those relationships.

* Always err on the side of reaching out.

* It was like God said, “I’m perfecting you through this imperfect process.”

* You’re moving into that “sage” stage and having a hard time moving on from “warrior.”

* A lot of leaders have failed to develop those soft-side leadership skills, and it’s mainly related to them not engaging their emotional life.

* We’re really good at following Jesus as God, but we’re not good at following Jesus as man.

This Episode’s Sponsor: The Overcomer movie has inspired the creation of several resources. For small groups, there is the Overcomer Bible study. For individuals, there is a book called Defined. Both are based upon powerful insights from the Book of Ephesians. Learn more about all the resources at Lifeway.com/Overcomer

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Leading Small Groups.