On today’s program, a lawsuit against Hillsdale College has been dismissed after students alleging they were raped sued the college for Title 9 violations. We’ll have details.
And, the nonprofit Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment—known as GRACE for short—turns 20 years old. We’ll look back at where they started—and where they’re going.
Plus, those subscriptions you forgot your paying for?…A new law will make it easy for you to unsubscribe, but it could also impact the recurring gifts to Christian ministries.
But first, Operation Underground Railroad…who continues distancing itself from its embroiled founder Tim Ballard…is moving its headquarters. Operation Underground Railroad Rescue is moving its headquarters from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to reporting by Twin Cities Business.
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, Jessica Eturralde, Paul Clolery, Richard Levey, and Christina Darnell.
A special thanks to The NonProfit Times for contributing material for this week’s podcast.
Until next time, may God bless you.
MANUSCRIPT
FIRST SEGMENT
Warren:
Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina.
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, a lawsuit against Hillsdale College has been dismissed after students alleging they were raped sued the college for Title 9 violations. We’ll have details.
And, the nonprofit Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment—known as GRACE for short—turns 20 years old. We’ll look back at where they started—and where they’re going.
Plus, those subscriptions you forgot your paying for?…World Vision is encouraging donors to cancel those and give to people in need around the world. They’re calling it Subscribe to World Change. We’ll take a look.
Natasha:
But first, Operation Underground Railroad…who continues distancing itself from its embroiled founder Tim Ballard…is moving its headquarters.
Warren:
Operation Underground Railroad Rescue is moving its headquarters from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to reporting by Twin Cities Business.
Tammy Lee, OUR Rescue CEO said about Minneapolis. “There is such a strong foundation here, in the legal community as well as the philanthropic community and the survivor support community,”
The global headquarters’ relocation is planned for January 2025. Lee also said the mission of the organization will adjust to focus more on domestic trafficking and rescues.
Natasha:
How do they plan to do that?
Warren:
Lee said, “In this coming year, we’re going to be building out direct services for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation,” “We’re also looking at supporting key populations that are really underserved, looking at the indigenous populations and partnerships with other non-governmental organizations to do that work.”
Lee joined OUR Rescue as CEO in February 2024 with the task of rebuilding and rebranding the organization.
OUR Rescue was founded by former homeland security agent Tim Ballard in 2013 as Operation Underground Railroad. In April, Lee and the board renamed the group OUR Rescue.
In the MinistryWatch database, Operation Underground Railroad has a 1-star financial efficiency rating, a C transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 45, meaning donors should exercise caution when giving to this group.
Natasha:
Next up, A lawsuit against Hillsdale college has been dismissed
Warren:
Last October, one present and one former student of Hillsdale College filed a federal lawsuit alleging the institution failed to adequately investigate their claims of rape and misrepresented how safe they would be on campus.
Hillsdale prevailed in getting the lawsuit dismissed by U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering last month.
According to the lawsuit, Grace Chen, a current Hillsdale student, claimed she was raped by a fellow student in November 2021 in a Hillsdale dormitory. Danielle Villarreal, a former Hillsdale student, claimed she was raped by a fellow student in August 2021. Both women reported the assaults to members of Hillsdale administration.
Natasha:
What happened next?
Warren:
Well, Chen and Villarreal asserted that Hillsdale had failed to comply with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any program that received federal funding. Hillsdale argued that it is not subject to Title IX because it does not accept federal funds at the school.
The plaintiffs asserted that Hillsdale receives a federal benefit by way of its tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code and therefore ought to be subject to Title IX.
Natasha:
How did the court respond?
Warren:
The court disagreed, however, concluding that “Defendant’s § 501(c)(3) status does not implicate the terms of Title IX’s proposed contract with educational institutions” and dismissed the claims under Title IX.
Because the plaintiffs had already amended their complaint once, the court dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning they cannot bring the claim again.
The plaintiffs have filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
In the MinistryWatch database, Hillsdale College has a 1-star financial efficiency rating, a C transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of only 30, meaning donors should withhold giving.
Natasha:
Our next story is also in the world of Christian academics.
Warren:
After what Fuller Theological Seminary called “a comprehensive and deliberate review of alleged misconduct,” it has fired associate professor Vince Bantu.
According to Christianity Today, Bantu’s termination came five months after members of his accountability group reached out to the seminary with claims that Bantu was secretly married to a second wife and had engaged in sexual misconduct.
Fuller hired an outside investigator to conduct the inquiry, but the seminary did not disclose the results.
Natasha:
When was his termination?
Warren:
On Wednesday, October 23, Fuller President David Emmanuel Goatley sent an email to its students announcing Bantu’s termination.
The seminary’s message did not include the exact reasons for Bantu’s termination, but said, “Fuller Seminary has high expectations and standards of conduct for all members of our community, especially for those in positions of authority.”
Bantu has taught church history and Black theology through Fuller’s online program and at its Houston campus since 2019.
The accountability group also contacted Meachum School of Haymanot where Bantu serves as president. According to a statement on the school’s website, Bantu has been placed on leave.
“We, the Meachum community, have been disheartened by these allegations, yet we take them seriously. As promised, investigations are under way,” the statement says.
Natasha:
Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return GRACE celebrates 20 years of equipping the church to prevent and properly deal with abuse.
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, GRACE celebrates 20 years.
Warren:
Attorney and sexual abuse advocate Boz Tchividjian founded the Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) in 2004 to equip faith communities to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse more effectively. According to the GRACE website, the organization “exists to equip the Church with a vision for authentic community, where responsibility, accountability, and compassion are second nature and caring for children and adult survivors of abuse are non-negotiable.”
As part of its anniversary, GRACE held an online panel, bringing together the original GRACE visionaries to discuss its mission and impact over the last two decades.
Natasha:
What were some highlights?
Warren:
Tchividjian recounted how he and others came together with a vision to address abuse within faith communities. Tchividjian, grandson of famed evangelist Billy Graham, described how he experienced a significant disconnect between the ideal of a faith community as a place of refuge and the reality he observed as a prosecutor, where faith institutions often failed to protect victims of abuse.
Natasha:
Tchividjian stepped down as executive director of the organization in 2019 to return to full-time law to directly assist survivors of sexual abuse, but has remained supportive in the ministry.
Warren:
Boz Tchividjian also noted a shift in the church’s approach to abuse, with some progress in recognizing child abuse issues but a widespread lack of awareness around adult clergy abuse
Tchividjian said many are leaving traditional church institutions due to perceived corruption and lack of accountability, making it crucial for GRACE to adapt its mission to reach these communities outside formal church settings.
The conversation closed with a call for the church to “convert to Christianity” by embracing Jesus’ radical message of caring for the vulnerable.
Natasha:
Next, new FTC rules could aid donors in opting out.
Warren:
Nonprofit managers are scrambling to get clarity on how to proceed regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) new “click to cancel” provisions requiring businesses to make it easier for consumers to cancel enrollment in recurring billing, such as memberships.
In the case of nonprofits, it could mean anything from making it easier to cancel recurring gifts, to getting out of gym memberships or membership of any type to any pausing ongoing donor relationships. Most of the final rule’s provisions will go into effect 180 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
While nonprofits are referred to in the FTC rules as not being directly impacted, businesses with which nonprofits contract are subject to the regulations.
Natasha:
Can you tell us what The new rules prohibit?
* Misrepresenting any material facts while using negative option marketing;
* Require sellers to provide important information before obtaining consumers’ billing information and charging them; and,
* Require sellers to get consumers’ informed consent to the negative option features before charging them.
The final rule is part of the FTC’s ongoing review of its 1973 Negative Option Rule, which agency officials said is being modernized to combat unfair or deceptive practices related to subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring-payment programs in an increasingly digital economy.
Natasha:
How does this impact nonprofits?
Warren:
Nonprofit managers contacted by The NonProfit Times did not know the ramifications of the new rules. None would speak on the record but only for background when contacted. The challenge, they said, was formulating language that would not entice a donor to no longer allow monthly debiting of a credit card for donation.
A poll conducted by C+R Research found that the average consumer underestimates their monthly spending on subscription services at only $86, while actually spending $219 a month, more than 2.5 times their initial estimate. At the same time, 42% of consumers admit they’ve stopped using a subscription service but forgot they were still paying for it.
Natasha: Next, a church musician and youth pastor gets sentence to 50 years.
Warren:
Authorities have sentenced a former youth pastor to 50 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four minors, including impregnating a 14-year-old girl.
According to the Ellis County District Attorney, Marvin Scales, 53, of Waxahachie, Texas, pleaded guilty to two counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child. The investigation began after a local hospital alerted police that a 14-year-old girl was in labor. According to hospital staff, Scales was present with the child and was “overly involved” in the delivery process.
Detectives obtained a warrant for the baby’s DNA and confirmed that Scales was the biological father.
Natasha:
And there’s more to this story.
Warren:
The DA’s statement says Scales had acted as a youth pastor at a local church. Once the congregation learned about the first victim, more victims came forward, the press release says.
He often took the congregation’s children on overnight trips and let the children sleep over at this house. Victims disclosed that Scales would regularly have sex with them on these trips and overnight stays, according to the statement.
The release also notes that Scales installed a security system at his home. Scales used the security system to record a collection of his sexual assaults, which led law enforcement to discover more of Scales’ victims.
Natasha:
This was also not Scales’ first crime against children.
Warren:
Authorities said a simple background check would have alerted church leaders to his past crimes of sexual abuse.
Scales has been a registered sex offender in Texas since 2006 when authorities sentenced him to 10 years in prison for abusing an 11-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl back in 1998.
While the press release states Scales was a youth pastor at a local church, it does not disclose the church’s name. Several people claiming to be associated with the alleged church commented on social media that Scales was not a youth pastor but an active musician at the church.
MinistryWatch contacted the church requesting clarification on Scales’s association. At the time of publication, we had yet to hear back.
Scales is not eligible for parole and must serve all 50 years of his sentence.
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:
A new study from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that giving declines due to the Covid pandemic were much steeper than originally forecast.
The Giving Environment: Giving During Times of Uncertainty found that the share of Americans who give to charity declined from 50.9% in 2018 to 46.9% in 2020, following the onset of the pandemic.
This drop was part of a longer term decline in giving. In 2000 about two thirds of households gave to charity.
The study results showed a significant increase in the average amount given by donor households, which increased from $2,792 in pre-pandemic years to $3,116 in 2020, an increase of 11.6%.
Natasha:
What’s Next?
Warren:
It’s a new month, which means we have some new lists.
We’ve got a list of the 50 largest Christian ministries in the MinistryWatch database based on their revenue, which ranges from $77 million to $1.5 billion.
This list does not include colleges and universities nor Christian foundations. You can find the list of the largest Christian colleges and universities in the front page of the website, posted Friday morning.
These 50 Christian ministries represent a total of about $14.3 billion in annual revenue, and is based on revenue from the most recently available Form 990 from the IRS.
The top five groups remained essentially the same as last year. Please note that MinistryWatch removed last year’s 4th largest group, Catholic Relief Services, from the database because it is not an evangelical organization.
Several groups moved into the top 10 this year: Convoy of Hope moved from 11th to 6th, Mercy Corps from 12th to 7th, and Feed the Children from 13th to 8th. All of these fall under the “Relief and Development” category.
World Relief and YMCA of the USA were some of the “biggest movers” this year. World Relief’s revenue grew by about $36 million to over $163 million, moving it up to number 22 on this list from 35 last year.
YMCA of the USA moved 14 spots because its revenue grew from $118.5 million last year to almost $153 million this year.
Three other notable jumps were Wycliffe Bible Translators, which jumped seven spots from 21st to 14th and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which jumped 16 spots from 33rd to 17th. Gideons International also moved up 10 spots. None of these groups file Form 990s, but we gathered updated revenue numbers from their ECFA profiles, which likely accounts for their large movement.
To learn more about these institutions, click on the ministry’s name and read the complete MinistryWatch profile on this organization.
ALSO, AD LIB: Mention Top 10 list.
Natasha:
And who did Christina Darnell highlight in our Ministries Making a Difference column?
Warren:
Christian World Outreach operates two Feminine Training Centers in Haiti, where inflation is compounded by crushing gang violence and rampant poverty. Women in Le Jeune and Mirabalais can learn sewing, cosmetology, baking, cooking and handcrafts (the center in Port-au-prince closed temporarily for safety reasons). The women also hear the Gospel. The women pay what they can to participate, but there are scholarships available, also.
Churches from various denominations in the Irwin, Pennsylvania, area have partnered to offer free home repairs through the nonprofit The Carpenter’s Apprentice. Nazarenes, Presbyterians, Methodists, Assemblies of God, and Catholics work arm in arm to build decks and patios, and repair stairs for residents who have filled out an application. All projects are funded by donations.
KFUO Radio in St. Louis turns 100 this year. Launched in December 1924 from a cramped attic room on the campus of Concordia Seminary, KFUO has since grown from limited programs and air time to national coverage spreading “The Gospel Voice,” including its flagship show “The Lutheran Hour.” In the 1990’s KFUO fought and won a lawsuit defending its right to hire employees with knowledge of Lutheran doctrine.
This fall, Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida, celebrated its third consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment. More than 950 first-year traditional undergraduate students enrolled in the 2024-2025 year, bringing overall enrollment to 4,147 students. In June, the 56-year-old university also ranked third in the country for application growth, compared with pre-COVID numbers. PBA has 3 stars and a “C” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 68 (“Give With Confidence”).
Natasha:
Warren, any final thoughts before we go?
Warren:
Webinar: November 14. Ask Me Anything.
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, Jessica Eturralde, Paul Clolery, Richard Levey, and Christina Darnell.
A special thanks to The NonProfit Times 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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