On today’s program, Cru will stop using its current LGBTQ training program for staff by the end of this year. The change comes after facing accusations that the long-time campus ministry is compromising on biblical sexuality. We’ll have details.
Meanwhile, United Methodist churches in Liberia face protests and unrest as it deals with the fallout of the global denomination’s shift on LGBTQ issues. We’ll take a look.
And, American pastors are burned out and exhausted—but experts say that can change.
But first, a group of people affiliated with Morningstar church in South Carolina are calling for founder Rick Joyner’s resignation—and Joyner is not having it. A group of former MorningStar church members, students, and staff members have signed an open statement calling for MorningStar founder Rick Joyner to resign, among other accountability measures.
Until next time, may God bless you.
MANUSCRIPT
FIRST SEGMENT
Warren:
Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you this week from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, where I’m attending a conference on Bible translation.
Natasha:
And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. And we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast.
Warren:
On today’s program, Cru will stop using its current LGBTQ training program for staff by the end of this year. The change comes after facing accusations that the long-time campus ministry is compromising on biblical sexuality. We’ll have details.
Meanwhile, United Methodist churches in Liberia face protests and unrest as it deals with the fallout of the global denomination’s shift on LGBTQ issues. We’ll take a look.
And, American pastors are burned out and exhausted—but experts say that can change.
Natasha:
But first, a group of people affiliated with Morningstar church in South Carolina are calling for founder Rick Joyner’s resignation—and Joyner is not having it.
Warren:
A group of former MorningStar church members, students, and staff members have signed an open statement calling for MorningStar founder Rick Joyner to resign, among other accountability measures.
The statement, published by MorningStar Accountability Now on September 23, follows the filing of three lawsuits by victims who alleged child sexual abuse by Erickson Lee during MorningStar programs. The lawsuits also seek to hold the ministry liable for not preventing the alleged abuse.
Natasha:
How has the founder responded?
Warren:
In an email on October 5 to Emily Elston, a leader of the MorningStar Accountability Now group, Joyner said, “I am the one God gave to raise up MorningStar, and I will not abandon my post except by His clearly revealed will.”
The accountability statement has over 200 named signatories, some of whom are former teachers at the church’s Comenius School for Creative Leadership, as well as church attendees, Morningstar staff, and others affiliated with the Morningstar School of Ministry.
Natasha:
In addition to calling for Joyner’s resignation, the statement also calls for an independent audit of the MorningStar board, the credentials of its members, and its policies and procedures.
Warren:
MorningStar does not file an informational Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service where the board members’ names would be listed, nor does it have them easily accessible on its ministry website.
The accountability statement also calls for an independent audit of the ministry’s child protection policies and for the audit results to be released publicly.
The statement says MorningStar should implement mandatory training on sexual abuse against minors for all staff and volunteers who interact with children.
Natasha:
On September 24, MorningStar’s leadership released a statement saying they “stand with the victims” and are “fully committed to their healing and restoration.”
Warren:
The statement claims MorningStar is working with independent third-party investigators to examine its policies and practices. It does not name the investigators.
The ministry also claims to operate with “strong safeguards, including mandated training and compliance with legal standards.”
In response to criticism of its leadership, MorningStar said it is committed to accountability, integrity, and learning from past “challenges and failures,” but added that it will “resist unjust or unfounded accusations.” Again, no specific “unfounded accusations” were identified.
Natasha:
Next, Cru discontinues LGBTQ training program for staff.
Warren:
Battered by months of criticisms for controversial staff guidance on how to handle LGBTQ-identifying students, Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) will be removing its Compassionate and Faithful curriculum by the end of the year, according to reporting by WORLD.
In a leaked recording of a Sept. 26 staff meeting, Keith Johnson, Cru’s director of theological education and development, said “Our plan going forward is to integrate our LGBT+ equipping into existing developmental venues. Going forward, we think it’s increasingly important for us to speak in our own theological voice.”
Later, Johnson told WORLD that weaving sexuality training into Cru’s Institute of Biblical Studies for new staff and interns is the logical next step now that most current staff have already completed the training.
Natasha:
What was their curriculum like?
Warren:
Development of the Compassionate and Faithful curriculum began in 2021 in response to the skyrocketing number of college students identifying as LGBTQ. At one time, it reportedly included at least 13 videos by author and podcaster Preston Sprinkle. While Sprinkle affirms biblical marriage, he also advocates addressing LGBTQ individuals by their preferred pronouns and supports the “gay Christian” label for believers who struggle with same-sex attraction.
Natasha:
But critics were quick to respond.
Warren:
Ex-lesbian women’s studies professor Rosaria Butterfield and two former Cru employees, Uriah and Marissa Mundell, are among those who have spoken out.
The Mundells lost their jobs after publicly criticizing the training program and its push for “pronoun hospitality.” Butterfield called out Cru by name as a moral compromiser during her convocation address to about 10,000 Liberty University students in November 2023.
In the leaked audio, Johnson reiterated Cru’s commitment to the Gospel and biblical sexuality, but still did not explain the training changes and mixed messages that followed the public condemnation from Butterfield, or what the new lessons might look like.
Natasha:
Our next story involves Christian refugees.
Warren:
The U.S. resettled more Christians fleeing persecution in fiscal year 2024 than it has since 2016, Open Doors and World Relief said in a report unveiled Oct. 14 as insight for policymakers and voters weeks ahead of the U.S. presidential elections.
The nonpartisan groups reported the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers the U.S. has accepted in recent decades, including Christians and others fleeing religious persecution, and explored how U.S. presidential platform policies will impact the ability of those persecuted for their faith to find refuge here after the November elections.
Natasha:
And what are their thoughts on that?
Warren:
World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene said, “President Trump has pledged to suspend the refugee admissions program, but we also hope that this report will be something that raises voices and attention to this issue, and will persuade him to change his mind if he’s elected.”
Natasha:
We have also seen that the Biden-Harris administration implemented very significant restrictions on the asylum program.
Warren:
That’s right. Both groups were clear in emphasizing that the report remained nonpartisan. Both administrations had done some things well, and both administrations had fallen short in significant ways, according to the report.
Open Doors U.S. President Ryan Brown pointed out the increasing need for the U.S. to provide a safe haven for Christians fleeing persecution, as the organization’s annual World Watch List has noted a multiyear trend of increasingly violent persecution that forces Christians to flee their homelands.
He encouraged voters not to confuse the issue of border security with asylum and refugee access.
Natasha:
Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, unrest breaks out in Liberian churches as they struggle to determine where they stand with a denomination they disagree with over gender and sexuality.
I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.
BREAK
SECOND SEGMENT
Natasha:
Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast.
Next, the story we promised before the break, unrest breaks out in United Methodist churches in Liberia.
Warren:
The United Methodist Church in Liberia has been roiled in recent days over its position on marriage for same-sex couples after the global denomination, based in the United States, voted to strike a 40-year-old condemnation of homosexuality from its governing document.
Clergy and lay members of the 150,000-member Liberian church have been calling for a special session of the annual conference to take a vote on the U.S. church’s decision, but Bishop Samuel Jerome Quire, the resident bishop of the Liberia Area, has refused, citing the importance of maintaining unity in the Liberian church.
Natasha:
Last week, Quire suspended a number of pastors and elders who have persistently asked for the special assembly.
Warren:
The tensions escalated Sunday (Oct.13), when protests broke out at the New Georgia United Methodist Church in Monrovia over the suspension of the Rev. Leo Mason, the church’s senior pastor and an outspoken proponent of traditional marriage. The protests spread to other churches in the capital, prompting riot police to intervene.
Quire later explained the protests were triggered by rumors that he was to go to New Georgia to preside at a wedding between two men. He was due there to install a new pastor.
Natasha:
Why are things so tense?
Warren:
The bishop said the issue of same-sex marriage has been lingering since the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 23-May 3, removed language banning LGBTQ clergy and restrictions on same-sex marriage from the church’s Book of Discipline.
The General Conference also passed measures to restructure the denomination, giving each region greater equity in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions, including an amendment that awards equal standing to its worldwide regions, including Africa, Europe, the Philippines and the United States.
Natasha:
Did that restructuring help ease the concerns for the African church?
Warren:
Quire said he had explained the General Conference’s decisions to church leaders at the time and urged the denomination’s membership in Liberia to remain calm. But many members want a special session to determine the Liberian area’s relationship with the global denomination.
Regarding churches that have threatened in writing to break away from the Liberian church, Quire said: “They have forgotten their identity. … No local church has the right to remove itself from the United Methodist Church. They have no authority.”
Natasha:
While churches within the U-M-C continue to divide over its issues, two churches in Washington are overcoming decades of disagreement to merge into one body.
Warren:
Across the U.S., churches are closing or merging by force — no longer able to maintain membership numbers or funds to support their buildings and staff.
But for Northside and Sunrise, that wasn’t the case. Both congregations were doing fine financially, Instead, their union was by choice, borne out of a love for each other and a desire to combine their strengths — and put aside their differences — to point more people to Jesus.
Natasha:
Can you share a little background on what brought them to this new point?
Warren:
In early 2020, newly hired Northside preacher Henry Holub — a graduate of Abilene Christian University — reached out to Sunrise preacher Troy Burns, just looking for a “preaching buddy” to talk to. Holub and Burns’ relationship led Northside and Sunrise to host their first event together, a trunk-or-treat, in 2021. They began to cooperate more and more, holding a joint Vacation Bible School, a sweetheart banquet, a picnic, a fall festival and a breakfast for the nearby elementary school.
As members of both congregations became friendlier toward each other, they began to notice each had complementary strengths and weaknesses, Payne said.
Natasha:
Eventually, the leadership from both churches decided to address what they called the elephant in the room: merging to become one church. Some members had already started asking about the possibility.
Warren:
They held their first service last Sunday. The benefits they cited included the ability to fully staff Bible classes for adults and children, twice as many volunteers for church responsibilities, increasing outreach to the neighborhood and providing “a tremendous witness to the world” of Christian unity.
Natasha:
While we’ve been talking about churches – experts weigh in on why so many pastors are burned out and exhausted.
Warren:
The decline of organized religion, the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic, political polarization — and the burden of caring for their congregation’s soul — have left many pastors feeling burned out and wondering how long they can hang on.
The title of a 2024 report from the Hartford Institute for Research summed up what pastors are saying: “I’m Exhausted All the Time.”
Natasha:
Why is that?
Warren:
Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute said that Racial divides and political issues have disrupted faith communities, which have undermined the relationship between religious leaders and their congregations, leading to clergy burnout and discouragement.
Natasha:
And mental health is really challenging for pastors
Warren:
While burnout and poor mental health for clergy may often be gradual, the recovery process requires a lot more intentionality, said Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, director of the Duke Clergy Health Initiative at Duke University.
That’s why it’s important for pastors to monitor feelings of being overwhelmed so they can be addressed before becoming a larger issue.
Natasha:
What can pastors do to keep themselves healthy and refreshed?
Warren:
Making plans for incorporating intentional practices can help pastors decrease stress and regain spiritual well-being. During the pandemic, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative partnered with the United Methodist Church for a study on mindfulness practices.
Clergy took eight classes on mindfulness techniques. They participated, on average, for 28 minutes a day for six months. They saw a reduction in stress and an improvement in their heart rate variability — the heart’s ability to recover.
Proeschold-Bell recommended that clergy try a practice called the Daily Examen, which has been practiced by Catholics and other contemplative Christians.
Other intentional practices include exercise, taking time to eat nourishing foods and getting enough sleep. Experts say, The most important thing is taking time away from work and its stressors so clergy can connect and meet their physical and psychological needs.
Natasha:
Warren, we’re going to take another break. When we return, our lightning round of ministry news of the week.
I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith. More in a moment.
BREAK
THIRD SEGMENT
Natasha:
Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch Podcast.
Warren, we like to use this last segment as a sort of lightning round of shorter news briefs.
What’s up first?
Warren:
The MinistryWatch Index inched up slightly during September but has remained mostly flat for the third month in a row.
That said, the less than .2 percent increase represents a new record for the index, which tracks revenue for 38 large Christian ministries in the nation. On October 1, the revenue of these ministries was approximately $9.9 billion.
Though there was no growth during September, this number represents 8 percent year-to-date, and up about 10.6 percent from its February low this year.
Though the organizations in the MinistryWatch Index have continued to grow this year, almost all of that growth took place in the first six seven months of the year. And this year’s growth significantly lags last year’s rise. In 2023 the Index grew 24.1 percent. The relatively slow growth of the MinistryWatch Index for 2024 could suggest concern about the future of the economy.
All the major indices have seen significant volatility this year. The Dow has seen two corrections this year greater than five percent, and the NASDAQ fell 12 percent from mid-July to early August, though it has since recovered most of those losses.
Natasha:
What’s Next?
Warren:
MinistryWatch, in collaboration with the Trinity Foundation, each month publishes a list of the private planes belonging to pastors and Christian ministries.
The list also includes basic information about their usage by pastors and ministries.
This month’s list is below. Here are a few highlights:
- The Trinity Foundation currently tracks 65 ministries that have airplanes.
- During September, these planes made a total of 495 flights. This is a significant increase over August total of 428.
- Operating costs were approximately $2 million for the month. These costs do not include the cost of the plane itself.
- Liberty University remains the biggest user of private aircraft. It typically holds that position month in and month out. Liberty University has an aviation program that uses aircraft for training purposes. We do not include these aircraft in this list.
- The Assemblies of God denomination came in a close second, with 29 flight segments.
If you find this information interesting or helpful, you might want to follow The Trinity Foundation’s daily X feed. You can find that account, @PastorPlanes, here.)
But we think that for most people this monthly list will be more digestible and easier to read.
Natasha:
And who is in our Ministry Spotlight this week?
Warren:
Chosen People Ministries, based in New York City, recently saw a drop in its Donor Confidence Score—falling from a 56 to a 51, which means “Exercise Caution.”
The organization does not release Form 990s and does not make its audited financial statements available to the public.
“We’re organized under the IRS as a church—our letter says we’re exempt from preparing a 990, so we don’t have one to disclose,” Chosen People’s CFO David Lee told MinistryWatch. “[Our] audited reports are available if anyone asks, we will release it to them.”
Chosen People is part of a growing number of ministries that have petitioned the IRS to be reclassified as a church, although Lee says that in their 130 years of ministry, they have always been classified as a church under the IRS. “We have congregations, we do mission work,” he wrote.
According to limited financial information from its ECFA profile, in 2023 the organization brought in revenue of $21.6 million, and its total expenses were $19.2 million. The ministry also has $27.1 million in net assets.
Natasha:
Warren, any final thoughts before we go?
Warren:
Webinar: October 24. Understanding MinistryWatch’s Rating System.
Faith Based Fraud
Natasha:
The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kim Roberts, Tony Mator, Diana Chandler, Fredrick Nzwili, Calvin Cockrell, Genevieve Charles, Brittany Smith—and you, Warren.
A special thanks to Baptist Press and The Christian Chronicle for contributing material for this week’s podcast.
I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado.
Warren:
And I’m Warren Smith, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Natasha:
You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.
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