The following stories had the most page views at the MinistryWatch website during the month of August. We present them here in a “countdown” format, from 10 to 1. The first few sentences of each story are reproduced below. To read the entire story, click on the link. To read the Top 25 stories of 2025, click here.
By Kim Roberts. Pawleys Island Christian Academy in South Carolina is closing after becoming embroiled in a controversy involving a registered sex offender who worked at the school and had access to children.
By Bob Smietana. A federal judge dismissed the final claims of a defamation lawsuit filed by former Southern Baptist President Johnny Hunt, who claimed his career was ruined after his sexual misconduct became public in 2022.
By Jessica Eturralde. Authorities have accused a former administrative assistant at an Arizona church of stealing approximately $335,000 from the congregation over five years.
By Kim Roberts. Gateway Church and its leaders won their appeal to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought against them by Cindy Clemishire.
By Jessica Eturralde. Four months after Fount Church’s board said an outside investigation exonerated its founding pastors of financial wrongdoing, founding pastor Josh Kelsey has left the New York City megachurch, permanently relocating to Australia.
By Kim Roberts. Authorities have made additional arrests, and civil lawsuits have been filed, related to allegations that leadership at a South Carolina church concealed that a registered sex offender was volunteering in a custodial role and interacting with children.
By Kadence McKinnon. The Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church filed a lawsuit Aug. 10 against Highland Park Methodist Church, claiming church leadership is attempting to sever ties with the denomination through changes to its bylaws.
By Neva Piombino. Pastor Bill Wilson has left his position at global Sunday school ministry Metro World Child following allegations of misconduct after nearly five decades at the helm.
By Kim Roberts. In June, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church voted to accept a “pastoral letter” that critics say opens the door to ordaining celibate, same-sex attracted individuals — a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from within the denomination. Now some of those churches have decided to leave the EPC and form a new denomination — the Westminster Association of Churches.
By Stacey Horton. Kenneth Baldwin, 47, the former senior pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, has been arrested and charged with sexually explicit communication and conduct with a minor from York County, Pennsylvania, that allegedly started when the male victim was 15.
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