Ministry can be lonely at times. What does it take to build honest, accountable, and encouraging friendships?

Everyone says you ought to have it. The word accountability has become something worse than a cliche. Despite the talk, though, most pastors still struggle to find authentic accountability.

Two pastors and a Christian artist from Nashville, Tennessee, have it, though they eschew the word.

Scotty Smith is pastor of Christ Community Church (PCA) in Franklin, Tennessee. In 1986, he led a team of ten couples to plant the church, where many Christian artists in the Nashville area attend.

Scott Roley is an associate pastor at Christ Community. He oversees about fifty small-group fellowships spread throughout three counties. In addition, he is a Christian musician who began his career in the mid-seventies with the folk/rock group, Albrecht, Roley & Moore.

Michael Card is known as Christian music's resident biblical scholar. He has sold more than two million albums, including the gold-certified ...