On today’s program, another congregation is leaving the Hillsong fold…leaving only 5 Hillsong churches in the U-S. We’ll have details.
And, T.D. Jakes filed an affidavit in response to allegations that he made sexual advances toward two other ministers decades ago. We’ll take a look.
Plus, the Presbyterian Church in America issued an apology and removed a webpage with advice on how immigrants can avoid being detained.
But first, after months of turmoil, Calvary Chapel Cary in North Carolina is closing. Months after Calvary Chapel Cary discovered its lead pastor, Rodney Finch, had secretly listed the church for sale, the 9.8-acre property in Apex, North Carolina, is back on the market, and weekly services have ceased. The real estate scandal was not Finch’s first controversy. Rather, it brought to a boil years of tensions and demands for greater transparency and accountability.
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 Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Adele Banks, Marci Seither, Bob Smietana, and Christina Darnell.
Until next time, may God bless you.
MANUSCRIPT:
FIRST SEGMENT
Warren:
Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you today from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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, another congregation is leaving the Hillsong fold…leaving only 5 Hillsong churches in the U-S. We’ll have details.
And, T.D. Jakes filed an affidavit in response to allegations that he made sexual advances toward two other ministers decades ago. We’ll take a look.
Plus, the Presbyterian Church in America issued an apology and removed a webpage with advice on how immigrants can avoid being detained.
Natasha:
But first, after months of turmoil, Calvary Chapel Cary in North Carolina is closing.
Warren:
Months after Calvary Chapel Cary discovered its lead pastor, Rodney Finch, had secretly listed the church for sale, the 9.8-acre property in Apex, North Carolina, is back on the market, and weekly services have ceased.
The real estate scandal was not Finch’s first controversy. Rather, it brought to a boil years of tensions and demands for greater transparency and accountability.
Natasha:
As MinistryWatch previously reported, Finch hid a years’ long drug addiction and pushed the board to secretly cover $50,000 of a luxury rehabilitation program with church funds.
Warren:
But then he left the program early without telling anyone. Between 2012 and 2017, he aggressively solicited restricted funds to build a new church, but the work was never started, and funds were secretly put toward other purposes.
In addition, Finch has faced multiple abuse allegations by family members.
Natasha:
Next, another church is splitting from Hillsong
Warren:
Hillsong San Francisco is splitting from Hillsong Church and becoming an independent congregation, Hillsong Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley announced during the online broadcast Sunday, Feb. 16.
Natasha:
Since 2020, 11 churches have left the Hillsong fold as scandals have emerged involving multiple Hillsong leaders. Only five Hillsong congregations remain in the U.S.: New York City, Boston, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Orange County.
Warren:
Hillsong founder Brian Houston resigned in 2022 following the discovery of inappropriate texts sent to a staff member and time he had spent in a woman’s hotel room during a conference.
Houston was also accused of lavish spending and misuse of funds. In December 2023, he and his wife Bobbie announced plans to launch a new church.
Carl Lentz, who led Hillsong NYC, was fired in 2020 after he admitted to an extramarital affair. In May 2023, Lentz announced he is “no longer in ministry.”
Another Hillsong pastor, Reed Bogard, who led the Dallas Hillsong Church, was accused of engaging in an extramarital affair with a junior staff member. He resigned in 2021.
Natasha:
Let’s look at one more story before our break – what do you have?
Warren:
On February 10, police arrested four individuals connected with allegations of child abuse at Maranatha Christian School (MCS) in Florence, South Carolina.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office alleges that on January 23, daycare worker Laurin Boyce, 73, “intentionally and repeatedly assaulted a child by slamming the head of the child into the crib, covering the child’s head with a blanket, pressing down on the child’s head for a length of time and also dragging the child out of the room.”
Detectives further allege that nearly a week later, Boyce approached a child on the playground, knocked the child over, and then picked them up by the arm and leg before intentionally dropping them from waist height onto their head.
Natasha:
Who else was arrested?
Warren:
Two nursery workers, Jessica Elmore, 33, and Dawn Kirven, 42, have been charged with Failure to Report Child Abuse/Neglect. Police also charged Lee B. Patrick, 54, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church — which is affiliated with the school — with Failure to Report Child Abuse/Neglect and Criminal Conspiracy.
Natasha:
Do we know what happened to these individuals?
Warren:
On Tuesday, February 12, a judge set bond at $6,000 each for Patrick, Elmore, and Kirven and prohibited them from supervising schoolchildren. The judge later amended the order, allowing Patrick to preach at First Free Will Baptist Church on Sunday mornings while maintaining his restriction from involvement with the school.
All four suspects have an initial court appearance scheduled for April 2.
Natasha:
Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, T-D Jakes maintains his innocence after two brothers accuse him of sexual misconduct.
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.
Warren:
Dallas megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes continued to deny claims by two other ministers who have accused him of sexual misconduct, describing the accusers in a newly filed affidavit as “bullies” and himself as the victim of a scheme to “destroy” him.
Two men, the brothers Duane and Richard Youngblood, allege that Jakes made sexual advances decades ago, when he was pastor of a church in West Virginia.
Natasha:
Jakes’ legal team filed a defamation suit against Duane Youngblood in November.
Warren:
Friday’s filings came in response to a January motion to dismiss the defamation suit by Duane Youngblood, a Pennsylvania man who made his allegations against Jakes in two 2024 interviews on the “Larry Reid Live” YouTube talk show.
Natasha:
How did Jake’s’ respond?
Warren:
Jakes and his legal team responded to the allegations by noting that Duane Youngblood has felony convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors and said Richard Youngblood’s “story surfaced only after I declined to hire him due to his lack of qualifications.” Jakes said the request from Richard Youngblood occurred about 10 years ago.
Duane Youngblood, who described T.D. Jakes as a groomer, alleged that Jakes had offered to take care of the then-teenager financially “for life,” but Jakes and his team maintained that at the time of the alleged incident, the elder minister could not have afforded to make that offer.
“During that period, I was barely keeping my own family out of poverty,” Jakes wrote. “I was not the ‘Bishop TD Jakes’ of today. I was a pastor with no substantial following, and no financial resources.”
Natasha:
The filings also include a Nov. 15 letter in which Duane Youngblood’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, requested an “opening settlement demand of six million dollars” to resolve Youngblood’s claims against Jakes.
Warren:
They also note that Duane Youngblood has created a website where Youngblood may be booked as a speaker, coach or to present webinars on overcoming trauma. Jakes also claims Youngblood has plans for a forthcoming book that is, as Jakes stated, a “‘tell-all’ about me.”
Jakes’ representatives declined to respond to questions from RNS about the legal filings, citing it as “an ongoing legal matter,” but said he is continuing to recuperate from the medical incident.
Natasha:
Next, North Carolina supreme Court Upholds ‘Look Back’ Window of SAFE Child Act
Warren:
On January 31, the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the state’s 2019 SAFE Child Act as constitutional.
The constitutionality of the law’s “look back” window had been challenged by the Gaston County Board of Education.
Natasha:
The look back period is a two-year window allowing child abuse survivors, who would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations, a chance to sue in civil court. The look back window ended on December 31, 2021.
Warren:
In its opinion, penned by Chief Justice Paul Newby, the court said there is no “constitutionally protected vested right” in the running of a tort claim’s statute of limitations that prohibits the legislature from reviving the otherwise time-barred claim.
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said in a press statement. “By upholding the SAFE Child Act’s lookback window today, the North Carolina Supreme Court acknowledged what we know to be true: it can take years for people to process the trauma of childhood abuse and victims should have the opportunity to hold their abusers accountable in court,” He said the ruling is “a continued charge to the rest of us to do everything we can to keep our children safe.”
Natasha:
What’s the practical implication of this decision?
Warren:
The court’s decision means that cases filed by other child sexual abuse survivors, like Stuart Griffin, during the look back window will continue.
Griffin filed suit in June 2020 against his abuser, David Lee Wood, and two institutions he claims enabled Wood’s abuse in the 1990s—Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church and Charlotte Christian School.
Now, according to his attorney, Bobby Jenkins, Griffin’s case can move forward.
“The North Carolina Supreme Court’s decision is a wonderful victory for all those, like Stuart, who deserve the opportunity to seek justice and accountability from their perpetrators and those who enabled them,” Jenkins told MinistryWatch.
Natasha:
And the Supreme Court of Texas is also in the news
Warren:
In a case involving a report of sexual assault at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that a person supplying defamatory material can be held liable even if they weren’t the one who published it.
Jane Roe, who brought the defamation lawsuit, was a student at Southwestern in 2015 when she claims to have reported an attack and rape on campus to then-President Paige Patterson.
Patterson was terminated, at least in part, due to his handling of the sexual assault charges.
Roe claims she was defamed in a donor letter supporting Patterson’s reinstatement — a letter that Scott Colter, Patterson’s chief of staff, assisted in drafting and distributing.
Roe says statements in the letter claiming she lied about her rape, engaged in sexual activities in seminary buildings, and provided nude photos to the man who raped her are all false and defamatory.
Natasha:
The federal district court granted a summary judgment in favor of the defendants on the defamation claims, concluding that Colter was not acting as Patterson’s agent. The plaintiff’s claims against Patterson and the seminary would go no further, so she appealed.
What did they decide?
Warren:
Now that the Texas Supreme Court has answered the questions about defamation law in Texas, the Supreme Court will issue its decision about whether Roe’s case can proceed forward.
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 domestic mission agency of the Presbyterian Church in America has removed a webpage containing links to advice about how illegal immigrants can avoid being detained by law enforcement authorities.
The archived webpage published on January 9 by Mission to North America (MNA) started by framing the issue with a question, “Did you know? The average undocumented person has been present in the US for more than a decade.”
It went on to provide links to “reliable secular sources” that “may be useful to you as you seek to love your immigrant neighbor well.”
In a statement published on byFaith’s website, the PCA apologized.
“MNA’s leadership erroneously allowed the posting of content that advised undocumented persons on ways to avoid being detained by authorities. We affirm that it is our Christian duty to obey the lawful commands of the civil magistrate and be subject to their authority (WCF 23.4; Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14). To counsel otherwise is a sin…We repent and apologize.”
The apology acknowledged the action had fallen short of the “Biblical and Confessional standard” and had caused “confusion and consternation” in the PCA.
It also acknowledged that MNA should not engage in providing legal advice or engaging in political campaigns.
Mission to North America is focused on church planting throughout the U.S. and Canada and also promotes church vitality by providing ministry resources that “enable churches to grow in their outward-facing missional engagement.
The Refugee and Immigrant Ministry is part of the church vitality prong of MNA’s mission.
Natasha:
What’s next?
Warren:
A proposed online database that would list the names of abusive Southern Baptist pastors is now on hold, with no names likely to be added to the website by the denomination’s annual meeting this summer.
Instead, Southern Baptist leaders working to address abuse say they will focus on helping churches access other databases of abusers and training churches to do better background checks.
However, the so-called Ministry Check database, which was a centerpiece of reforms approved by Southern Baptist messengers — or local church representatives — is now on the back burner.
The proposed database has been derailed by denominational apathy, legal worries and a desire to protect donations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s mission programs.
The news the database has stalled was both disappointing and expected for abuse survivors Jules Woodson and Tiffany Thigpen, who have long advocated for reforms. Both said that because the SBC does not oversee its pastors and because abusers only make it onto criminal databases after convicted, a list of abusive pastors is necessary.
Thigpen said Tuesday’s meeting felt like the end of an era for survivors who have pushed for reform and that SBC leaders have moved on. But she said that even though the database seemed doomed, Southern Baptists can no longer say abuse is not a problem.
Natasha:
In Ministries Making a Difference this week, we look at ministries that fight child hunger and poverty.
Warren:
Hope Unlimited for Children, marking 30 years of ministry providing hope for at-risk children in Brazil, recently celebrated the graduation of students from its professional initiation workshops. At 16, students enter the vocational training aspect of the ministry’s program, which includes learning personal finance, resume and interview training, plus on-the-job culinary and IT skills. Training leads to internships, which, after the program ends, generally results in jobs. According to Hope Unlimited, 92% of residential graduates “are employed and in stable living situations.” Hope Unlimited has 5 stars, an “A” transparency grade and a donor confidence score of 97.
Two women working together at ColdStone Creamery raised money to support widows through
Kinship United. They started by selling cookies and eventually grew to writing grant proposals and raising enough money to support 100 widows, providing them with healthcare and income opportunities. Kinship United sponsors “Kinship Projects” across 10 countries, focused on supporting orphans and widows in war zones and disaster areas. The ministry is one of MinistryWatch’s Shining Light ministries, with 5 stars, an “A” transparency grade and a donor confidence score of 100.
Feed the Children has been distributing food and resources to hungry families in the U.S. and around the world for over 45 years. Recently, it launched two new programs to tackle food insecurity in its home state of Oklahoma—one of the “hungriest states in the nation” with 1 in 4 children facing food insecurity, according to Oklahoma State University. Partner Market will provide local nonprofit partners with items of their choice based on the needs of their individual communities, including hygiene, cleaning supplies, and food. Nourishing Bright Futures will work with families in housing transitions or homelessness to provide regular food and long-term care. Feed the Children has 5 stars, a “C” transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 71.
African Vision of Hope is expanding Hope Village, one of its rescue villages in Zambia. Teams have completed two buildings, with two more under construction. The new space will provide homes for 160 more children. African Vision of Hope works in Africa to give children a safe place to live, the Gospel, a Christ-centered education, clean water, nutritious meals, and mentorship. The ministry has 5 stars and a “C” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 98.
Natasha:
Warren, any final thoughts before we go?
Warren:
The Crisis of Dependency is our donor premium for February.
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 Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Adele Banks, Marci Seither, Bob Smietana, and Christina Darnell.
I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado.
Warren:
And I’m Warren Smith, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Natasha:
You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.
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