AbleLight Jumps into ‘Give With Confidence’ Rating

Plus, other notable ministry happenings from this week.

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. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes.

A few notable changes in the database this week:

• Four ministries fell into the bottom 40% for financial efficiency in their sectors, also affecting their Donor Confidence Scores: Barnabas Aid International, Christian Community Action, Cornerstone Ranch, and GoServ Global.
• In contrast, two ministries rose into the top 60% for financial efficiency in their sectors, raising their Donor Confidence Scores: AbleLight and Evangelical Christian School of Memphis.
• Donelson Christian Academy, in Nashville, Tenn., rose into the top 20% for financial efficiency in the K-12 Schools/Academies sector.

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. Check it all out below.

With that, here are this week’s three top stories on the MinistryWatch website:

EPC Votes to Allow Ordination of Celibate Same-Sex Attracted Pastors

By Kim Roberts. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) voted last week at its General Assembly to approve a “pastoral letter” to churches that opens the door to ordaining celibate, same-sex attracted individuals — a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from within the denomination.

Baltimore Church Sued Over Youth Pastor’s Sex Crimes

By Tony Mator. More than 15 years after Thomas Pinkerton Jr. left Central Christian Church, the Baltimore congregation is facing legal action for crimes he allegedly committed while serving as its youth pastor.

Protestia Founder J.D. Hall Found Guilty of Embezzlement

By Tony Mator. Two years after losing his pulpit and popular polemics ministry due to “serious sin,” J.D. Hall has been found guilty of embezzling his former church, Fellowship Baptist Church (FBC) in Sidney, Montana.

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

 MinistryWatch Database Changes

MinistryWatch now has more than 1,500 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $55 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:

Brazos Christian School (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 54)

Central Bible University (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)

Christian Sharing Center (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 58)

Churches United for the Homeless (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)

Conference of National Black Churches (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 68)

Crown Point Christian School (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)

Door of Hope (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)

Global Hope Partners (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A)

Greenwood Christian Academy (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 78)

Ministries with upgraded ratings:

AbleLight / formerly Bethesda Lutheran Communities (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 55 to 75)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in the Advocacy sector, also raising its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Christian Medical & Dental Associations / CMDA (1 Star, Transparency Grade: Up C to A, DCS: Up 73 to 75)

Makes audited financials available on website.

Citygate Network / Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.

Donelson Christian Academy (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 71)

Now in top 20% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector.

Evangelical Christian School of Memphis (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 78 to 98)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also raising its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Ministries with downgraded ratings:

Barnabas Aid International (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 96 to 76)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Relief & Development sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80)

Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.

Cherry Street Mission Ministries (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 50)

Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.

Children of the Nations (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)

Now in top 60% (down from top 40%) for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector.

Christ in Youth (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: Down 91 to 89)

Does not make audited financials available on website.

Christian Community Action (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Christian Community Foundation, dba WaterStone (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 75 to 73)

CEO/President’s compensation is not within one standard deviation of the median compensation.

 Christian Healthcare Ministries (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 58 to 56)

CEO/President’s compensation is not within one standard deviation of the median compensation.

Cornerstone Ranch (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 90 to 70)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

GoServ Global (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 95 to 75)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

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On The MinistryWatch Podcast

Truett McConnell University, Ed Young, Saeed Abedini, Barnabas Aid

On this week’s program, a former Truett McConnell president is suing, claiming the university breached his employment contract when it fired him amid claims that he mishandled sexual abuse allegations. We’ll take a look.

And, Ed Young retired as pastor of Second Baptist Church of Houston after nearly 50 years. Now, he’s launched a new teaching ministry drawing from his decades of sermons and writings. But church members say the new ministry’s formation raises questions about who controls the church’s assets. We’ll have details.

Plus, former Iranian prisoner Saeed Abedini — once an international symbol of a Christian being persecuted for his faith — is being accused of abducting his 5-year-old daughter.

But first, Barnabas Aid — a ministry that serves persecuted Christians around the world — is now under direct oversight by regulators in the United Kingdom. The Charity Commission of England and Wales appointed two interim managers on June 19th — removing the charity’s trustees from governance entirely.

Listen here.

ECFA Membership Changes

Additions

Central India Christian Mission (Indianapolis, IN)

Drop A Dime On Us.  Do you have a story idea for MinistryWatch?  If so, send us an email.  A lot of the stories we do originate from our readers and listeners.  They send us news tips, press releases, emails, questions, and links.  So, if you have a story you’d like us to cover, or a ministry that you think needs a closer look, please email us.  Our email is [email protected].  That will come directly to the desk of MinistryWatch President Warren Smith, and we’ll take it from there.

MinistryWatch and Sex Crimes. We write a lot about pastors and ministry leaders involved in sex crimes. That’s why we thought it might be a good time to re-post this story, which explains why we think covering these crimes are necessary: Why MinistryWatch Reports on Sex Crimes.  As always, your feedback is welcome.

MinistryWatch Video.  In closing, a reminder that we have created a short (3.5 minutes) video that explains what we do here at MinistryWatch, and why.  If you’re new to MinistryWatch, we hope you’ll check it out. To find it, click here.