On today’s program, the Southern Baptist Convention says the Department of Justice has wrapped up its investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse cases by its pastors and leaders. We’ll take a look.
Also, evangelical ministry leaders hold a vigil to protest the Trump Administration’s defunding of foreign aid. Plus, one ministry whose funding was canceled…then reinstated…but its operations remain in limbo. We’ll have details.
But first, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction is asking Americans to donate money to send Bibles into public school classrooms, though the Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked his efforts.
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 are Mark A. Kellner, Laura Erlanson, Kim Roberts, Jack Jenkins, Erik Tryggestad, Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Adelle M. Banks, Ed Stych, and Brittany Smith.
A special thanks to Baptist Press and The Christian Chronicle 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 this week 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, the Southern Baptist Convention says the Department of Justice has wrapped up its investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse cases by its pastors and leaders. We’ll take a look.
Also, evangelical ministry leaders hold a vigil to protest the Trump Administration’s defunding of foreign aid. Plus, one ministry whose funding was canceled…then reinstated…but its operations remain in limbo. We’ll have details.
Natasha:
But first, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction is asking Americans to donate money to send Bibles into public school classrooms, though the Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked his efforts.
Warren:
Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is asking Americans to donate money to send leather-bound Bibles into Sooner State public school classrooms, now that the state legislature nixed a funding request.
Walters told MinistryWatch in a telephone interview he has created the BiblesforOklahoma.com website, where $59.99 “God Bless The USA” Bibles can be purchased for schools.
Natasha:
The controversial volume pairs the King James Version of the Bible with the texts of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It also reproduces handwritten lyrics to Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA.”
Warren:
Walters’s fundraising move launched less than 24 hours after Oklahoma’s Senate Appropriations Committee failed to recommend his budgetary request for $3 million to purchase Bibles for classrooms — and an additional $5 million to pay for potential litigation over the move.
State Sen. Nancy Boren (D-Norman) told MinistryWatch she objects not only to the dollar amount requested but also to combining the Scriptures and America’s founding documents in a single volume.
Natasha:
Others have offered alternative options, but Walters didn’t seem interested
Warren:
The state senator, a Church of Christ member and an Abilene Christian University graduate, also said Gov. Kevin Stritt reminded people there’s a free smartphone app — YouBible — that’s created in Oklahoma. Boren also said other people were willing to donate “like, the real Bible, not the ‘Trump Bible,’ for free, and [Walters] didn’t want that.”
The Oklahoma Supreme Court also as problems with Walter’s plan. The conservative court has temporarily blocked Walter’s attempt at fundraising, at least for now.
Natasha:
Next, an update on the SBC.
Warren:
U.S. Department of Justice informed Southern Baptist Convention attorneys (Wednesday, March 12) that its investigation into the SBC and its entities is closed. No sexual abuse-related charges were filed.
The DOJ launched its investigation in August 2022, a few months after the release of the Guidepost Report, which was based on an investigation by outside group Guidepost Solutions into the EC’s handling of sexual abuse claims.
The only charge brought by the DOJ in its two-and-a-half-year inquiry was against former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor and interim provost Matt Queen, who pleaded guilty to making a false statement to investigators. Queen was sentenced last week to one year supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
Natasha:
Continuing with the SBC, our next story looks at the financial strain they’ve experienced due to lawsuits.
Warren:
In mid-February, Southern Baptist Convention leaders received grim news. The denomination’s Executive Committee was essentially broke.
Over the past four years, the committee has spent more than $13 million on legal fees and other costs related to a historic sexual abuse investigation by Guidepost Solutions, draining its reserves and leaving it unable to pay its bills for the following year. Among those bills were $3 million in additional legal fees for the upcoming year, with more likely to come.
Natasha:
What are they going to do?
Warren:
To deal with the financial crisis, the Executive Committee has put its Nashville headquarters up for sale, cut staff, and applied for a $3 million loan. The committee is also seeking a $3 million “priority allocation” for legal fees from the denomination’s $190 million Cooperative Program budget, which is usually used for missions and ministries.
The SBC budget, including the legal allocation, must be approved during the denomination’s annual meeting in June. It’s unclear what will happen if the request fails.
Natasha:
Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, as donor advised funds grow, so does the market for philanthropic advising.
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:
Al Mueller had years of experience helping very wealthy people invest their money on Wall Street, but he felt a pull to help families give their money away to life-changing causes.
So in 2002, he founded Excellence in Giving, a faith-based firm to provide concierge-level philanthropic advising services to high-capacity donors.
“Our goal is to upgrade a generous giver to a discerning steward,” Mueller told MinistryWatch about the services provided by Excellence in Giving. He says the firm’s work can give confidence to donors that their gifts are being used well.
Natasha:
Philanthropic advising is a growing field with advisors handling large sums of charitable contributions. A 2024 survey of 258 U.S.-based philanthropic advisors revealed that each of them facilitated an average of $50 million in charitable giving.
Warren:
Michael Moody, professor of philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, has seen the advising industry balloon over the last 20 years. Nearly 2,000 members of LinkedIn identify themselves as “philanthropy advisors,” according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Much of this growth is driven by the large sums of money in philanthropic donor-advised funds, which have reached $250 billion, and private foundations with assets of about $1.5 trillion.
Natasha:
Instead of developing their own staff of subject matter experts to figure out how and where to give money, donors can outsource that work to an advising group and save some overhead and administrative costs.
Warren:
Mueller said Excellence in Giving starts by helping donors develop their mission statements, examining their giving history, and working with them as a matchmaker to find the best nonprofits in an area of interest to receive their donations.
Excellence in Giving serves between 30 and 50 families who give over $100 million each year. It develops an annual service agreement with clients based on how much time advisors will be working on clients’ needs.
It also carefully screens ministries based on 175 data points before giving them a “seal of transparency.” The form asks for many measurements about the health and growth of a charity that won’t be found on an IRS Form 990, Mueller said.
Mueller wants Excellence in Giving to continue helping deliver confidence to ministry donors: “Obedience to God’s calling for their resources plus confidence in the ministry they are giving to will bring joy.”
Natasha:
Next, a number of evangelical organizations participate in a vigil against foreign aid cuts,
Warren:
Evangelical Christian groups are calling on Congress to reinstate foreign aid programs shuttered by President Donald Trump’s administration, arguing the government’s actions will hurt millions of people around the world.
Christians assembled at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church on Tuesday morning (March 11) for a “Prayer Vigil for Foreign Aid.” The Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of the group Bread for the World, denounced the “broad, un-targeted cuts” recently implemented at the U.S. Agency for International Development as an assault on vulnerable populations all over the globe.
Natasha:
The unusual vigil, featuring an array of evangelical organizations such as World Relief and the Accord Network publicly criticizing the federal government, came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on social media that the government will cancel 83% of programs at USAID.
Warren:
During Tuesday’s vigil, several speakers highlighted the human toll of the cuts. Kombo Choga, senior director for program design at Compassion International, pointed out that his organization currently does not receive government funds, but said they “are witnessing how the withdrawal of aid is devastating” populations they work with — including children.
Cho and others expressed frustration at the administration’s actions but also highlighted the potential role of Congress, arguing lawmakers have the power to reinstate the programs.
Multiple speakers made clear that while they believed the foreign aid system has issues, drastically reducing programs was not the answer.
Natasha:
One ministry lost its USAID funding, only to regain it—but getting its product into the hands of people who need it…that work remains in limbo. Tell us about that.
Warren:
Earlier this month, Mark Moore sent an urgent message to the factory that packages a life-saving peanut butter called MANA: Stop putting USAID labels on the packages. We’ve lost our funding.
Five days later, he texted the factory again: Put the labels back on.
Mana Nutrition, a ministry supported by Churches of Christ and used in global relief efforts, is among a host of nonprofits worldwide that receive grants from USAID, the United States Agency for International Development.
Natasha:
In late January, the Trump administration began cutting most of the agency’s staff and canceling its contracts which included USAID’s contract with Mana. Mana produces a high-calorie, vitamin-fortified peanut butter for children suffering from severe malnutrition. Since 2010, Mana has provided aid to 8 million children in 45 countries.
Warren:
“It’s been a yo-yo week,” Moore, Mana’s chief executive officer, said. The nonprofit buys 1.3 million pounds of peanuts per month, and USAID contracts represent about 90 percent of its business.
Mana hasn’t received a payment from the agency since December, Moore said. When notified that their contract was terminated, the nonprofit had about 400,000 boxes of MANA packets in its warehouse with labels that read, “USAID. From the American people.”
Although that contract is now restored, McDowell said, “the product is still in our warehouse.”
Natasha:
What’s going to happen to it?
Warren:
On March 3, Moore learned that Mana’s USAID contracts were reinstated.
Although Mana produces the nutritional packets, “we don’t captain the ships that deliver it. We’re not in the villages handing it out.” By government rules, only transportation companies that also have USAID contracts can get the product to the people who need it. Several international shippers have told Mana, “We don’t yet have an order to come and get it.”
While he’s thankful that he and his coworkers can continue producing life-saving peanut butter, “the drama is still unfolding.”
Natasha:
Let’s look at one more story before we take a break, what do you have?
Warren:
Last month, police arrested Charles B. Brinson, 64, the bishop of Brinson Memorial Church in Trenton, New Jersey, on allegations of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy while the teen was unconscious.
A local health center contacted Trenton police after the teen disclosed the assaults while receiving treatment, authorities said.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Brinson with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault of an incapacitated victim and two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. A representative from the Prosecutor’s office told MinistryWatch that last week, a judge granted the state’s motion to detain Brinson pending trial.
Natasha:
While investigating the accusations, police uncovered a pattern of concerning events linked to the bishop: Brinson faced similar charges in 2008.
Warren:
Those allegations, filed in Pennsylvania, claimed Brinson drove a church van to meet, pick up, and drive a 15-year-old boy to Brinson’s home, where he sexually assaulted the boy. Philadelphia County, where the charges were filed, is around 30 miles from Brinson’s residence in Florence, New Jersey. Although Brinson admitted to befriending the teen in an online chatroom, the pastor denied meeting the teen in person or having any sexual contact with him.
The judge dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence to prosecute. However, the victim’s family refiled the case, and Brinson signed a plea agreement, reducing his charges to a lesser offense of corruption of minors. As part of the deal, Brinson had to register as a sex offender and serve four years of probation.
Brinson remains detained at the Mercer County jail, with a detention hearing scheduled for mid-March. Law enforcement encourages community members to come forward with any additional information that might support the ongoing investigation.
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:
Would they respond in anger? Or with mercy?
On Nov. 8, 2024, Tom King, a 72-year-old Navy veteran and retiree, had driven off on his beloved motorcycle from a Salvation Army food pantry where he volunteered five days a week. Driving through downtown Akron, he was struck by a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup that ran a stop sign.
The truck driver was Brandon Wellert, a 25-year-old surveyor’s assistant and father of two, who was on his way home from a job site. Wellert was driving down an unfamiliar street when he missed a stop sign. By the time he saw King’s motorcycle, it was too late. His truck collided with King, who suffered a serious head injury and was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died. Wellert was arrested and charged for his role in the death.
Natasha:
But that’s not the end of the story.
Warren:
Tom’s brother Tim King, forgave Wellert. He said, “Tom was just a victim of circumstance, There was no need to be vengeful.”
Natasha:
This story is really powerful and there’s a lot of detail we can’t get into here but can you summarize how forgiveness made a difference for Wellert?
Warren:
On the day of his sentencing, Carmen Tenny, Tom King’s granddaughter had a simple message for Wellert — that her grandfather had already forgiven him.
“I told Brandon that I hope that someday soon you could forgive yourself,” she said. “And that’s basically all I could get out without breaking down.”
Wellert pleaded guilty, and King’s relatives asked he be assigned to do community service for the Salvation Army as a way of carrying on King’s legacy. The judge gave Wellert 80 hours of service at the Salvation Army and suspended his license. He received no jail time.
Natasha:
What’s next?
Warren:
Southern Baptists have long been known as a large branch of evangelical Christianity and a dominant force in the Southern states.
But an analysis of recent statistics supplied by congregations across the country revealed New England is the sole region where Southern Baptists gained congregants overall from 2018 to 2023.
“Churches in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont grew by 10%,” a Lifeway Research analysis released Tuesday (March 11) said, based on data from the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2023 Annual Church Profile. “Every other region saw declines in overall church membership.”
Just 2% of Southern Baptist churches are in the Northeast region, compared with 78% located in the South.
Two Southern regions — one comprising Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, and the other including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas — saw the smallest drop in church membership in the five-year period at 8%.
The region with the largest drop in church membership was the Pacific region, with a decline of 18%.
Lifeway Research is an evangelical research firm that is part of Lifeway Christian Resources, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention that conducts the Annual Church Profile in cooperation with local associations and state conventions affiliated with the SBC.
Natasha:
Who is in our Ministry Spotlight this week?
Warren:
This week, the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association’s Transparency Grade dropped from an A to a C, because the organization does not post its audited financials or Form 990s on its website.
The organization also lost points from its Donor Confidence Score because of its asset utilization. In 2022, the ministry had negative net assets, but in 2023 its assets jumped to $10.9 million.
Also in 2023, the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association’s (SDEA) revenue jumped from $4.8 million to $15.6 million.
That year, a commercial real estate firm in Alabama donated a $9.5-million building to SDEA “to start a ministry trade school for student pastors,” Scott Dawson, president of SDEA, told MinistryWatch. “This building was the major reason our revenue numbers increased. It wasn’t a ‘cash’ increase, but a ‘resource’ increase.”
The organization’s total expenses in 2023 were $6.3 million, spending less than half of its revenue.
SDEA currently has 18 board members, outside of MinistryWatch’s recommended board number of “between 5 and 11.”
Natasha:
Warren, any final thoughts before we go?
Warren:
Warren Ad-Lib March Recurring Donor Appeal.
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, Jack Jenkins, Yonat Shimron, Jessica Eturralde, Shannon Cuthrell, Tony Mator, Bruce Buursma, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell.
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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