Weekly Review

Samaritan’s Purse Falls Into ‘Withhold Giving’ Category

And other notable ministry happenings from this week.

Christina Darnell October 31, 2025

Here at MinistryWatch, one of our goals is to equip donors with the information they need to make wise decisions with their giving. That’s why we manage our database, which rates more than 1,000 of the country’s largest ministries based on their financial efficiency, financial transparency, and their donor confidence score. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes, plus a brief explanation about why it matters.

A few notable changes in the database this week:

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association dropped to a 7 out of 100 for donor confidence due to the fact that it does not file a Form 990, resigned its membership from the ECFA, and does not meet board composition recommendations.
Similarly, Samaritan’s Purse dropped from a “Give With Caution” to a “Withhold Giving” designation after it resigned its membership from the ECFA. It also does not meet board composition recommendations.
Heartbeat International and YMCA both rose in financial transparency after posting audited financials on their websites.

We also highlight stories from our podcast, where you can catch up on the week’s news in less than 30 minutes—perfect for a commute or walk. We highly recommend ministries join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which is why we list organizations that have either joined ECFA in the past week or been removed. Check it all out below.

With that, here are three top stories on the MinistryWatch website from this past week:

Ohio AG Sues Addiction Recovery Ministry for Misuse of Funds

By Isaac Wood. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit on Oct. 23 against Lamb’s House, a nonprofit in Columbiana County that claimed to be a ministry supporting addiction recovery. The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the nonprofit, alleging it has not served any charitable purpose since at least 2017. It also accuses Board President Mark Altomare of using charitable funds for personal expenses like food, gas and Hulu subscription payments.

As Autism Diagnoses Rise, Christian Ministries Adapt

By Tony Mator. A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2022, autism diagnoses among young children reached the highest rate since the agency began tracking the data in 2000. With a prevalence of 1 in 31 children, autism (or at least the diagnosis) is on the rise. Against this backdrop, many Christian leaders are striving to make Sunday morning worship a more welcoming and accommodating experience for neurodivergent members.

Tulsa PCA Pastor Placed on Leave After Arrest in Prostitution Sting

By Stacey Horton. On October 23, authorities in Glenpool, Oklahoma, carried out a multi-agency sting operation at a local hotel, leading to five arrests on solicitation of prostitution charges. Among those detained was Jeremy Fair, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, a congregation affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

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Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.

MinistryWatch Database Changes

MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $44-billion in total revenue, most of that donor revenue from evangelicals. The following ministries have their profiles updated with the most recent year’s financial data. The Financial Efficiency rating of each ministry is in parenthesis. If this rating represents a change from the previous year, that change is noted:

Ministries recently added into the database:

Bethel Music (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 17)

Christian Military Fellowship (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 100)

International Servants (0 Stars, Transparency Grade: F, DCS: 33)

Pure Desire Ministries International (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 98)

Restoration of America (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 63)

Right Response Ministries (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 59)

Unbound Now (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95)

Ministries with upgraded ratings:

Heartbeat International (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: Up D to C, DCS: 66)

Files a Form 990 with the IRS, and makes audited financials available on website.

YMCA of the USA (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: Up D to C, DCS: 64)

Files a Form 990 with the IRS, and makes audited financials available on website.

Ministries with downgraded ratings:

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (0 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: Down 27 to 7)

No longer a member of the ECFA.

Crown Financial Ministries (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 80)