MinistryWatch 1000 Database Changes. MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $35-billion in total revenue, most of that donor revenue from evangelicals. The following ministries have their profiles updated with the most recent year’s financial data. The Financial Efficiency rating of each ministry is in parenthesis. If this rating represents a change from the previous year, that change is noted: Christian Community Action (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Fellowship of Christian Athletes / FCA (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Food for the Hungry, Inc. (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Frontiers (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 70), Liebenzell Mission of USA, Inc. (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 65), Reach Beyond pka World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc. (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 70), TWR (aka Trans World Radio) (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 80), African Enterprise (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 95 to 90), Aglow International (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 90), Asian Access Life Ministries (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 85 to 90), Christian Hope Indian Eskimo Fellowship / CHIEF (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: From C to A, DCS: 95), Doulos Ministries, Inc. dba Shelterwood (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Music for Life Institute (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 40), Willow Creek Association / Global Leadership Network (1 Star, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 35 to 40)
Question of the Week. We’ve started a new feature here at MinistryWatch. Lawyer and non-profit expert Don Kramer answers a reader question about non-profits each week. This week’s question: Can a non-profit give away its assets? This is a question of great relevance to Christina ministries and their donors in light of the dissolution of such organizations as Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Mars Hill Church, and others. Read the answer here.
ECFA Changes. The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ADDITIONS: None REMOVALS: None
On the Podcast: Donors Sue RZIM, SBC’s Sex Abuse Report, A Dramatic Confrontation Goes Viral. A judge has decided that a lawsuit filed by donors to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries can continue. It the donors succeed in getting their money back, could set a landmark precedent. We’ll also look at the story of a sexual abuse victim confronting his alleged accuser – during the Sunday service. A video of the event has gone viral. We begin today with the biggest religion story of the week, and one that will likely be among the biggest of the year. That story is the release, by the Southern Baptist Convention, of a nearly 300-page report on sexual abuse in the denomination. We’ll look at this story from multiple angles today. You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
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Podcast Extra. The Bible says that where your treasure is, your heart is also. So it would make sense that if you want to do a heart examination on evangelicals, you should look at their giving habits.
When you do that, you find that the evangelical heart is weak, if not downright diseased. Yes, evangelicals give more than mainline Christians, and far more than those who are unaffiliated religiously, but giving among evangelicals still falls far short of the biblical standard of the tithe, and – as we’ll learn in a new study we examine today – evangelicals give mostly to the same organizations that non-Christians give to.
To help us unpack these new numbers, I have back on the program Ron Sellers, the president of Grey Matter Research and Consulting. Ron Sellers and I discuss a new study his organization has done in conjunction with Infinity Concepts. That study was published a week ago, and it’s called “The Favorite Charity: Evangelical Giving Priorities.” You can listen to our conversation here.
Send Us Your News Tips. Do you have a story idea for MinistryWatch? If so, send us an email. A lot of the stories we do originate from our readers and listeners. They send us news tips, press releases, emails, questions, and links. So, if you have a story you’d like us to cover, or a ministry that you think needs a closer look, please email us. Our email is info@ministrywatch.com. That will come directly to my desk, and we’ll take it from there.
Salary Data Now In MinistryWatch Database. We now have salary information for nearly 6,000 executives from more than half of the ministries in the MinistryWatch 1000 database. So check out this new addition by clicking on the red button at the top of this page, or click here. That takes you to our database. The search engine is right there, and you can type in the name of a ministry you’re interested in and our profile will pop right up – now, with compensation information for the top executives.
75 Red Flags. MinistryWatch has released a new free booklet, “75 Red Flags To Consider Before Donating For A Christian Ministry.” To read more, and to download your free, printable copy of the 18-page booklet, click here.
MinistryWatch Video. A reminder that we have created a short (3.5 minutes) video that explains what we do here at MinistryWatch, and why. If you’re new to MinistryWatch, I hope you’ll check it out. To find it, click here.
A Guide To Giving For Disaster Relief. When disaster hits, Christians give. But where they give can make a big difference? Which organizations are most effective in these post-disaster situations? MinistryWatch has published a list of organizations that are doing relief work and which have an “A” Transparency Grade and a 3-, 4-, or 5-star rating for Financial Efficiency. It’s a list of about 30 ministries, and you can find it on the front page of our website. I’ll also include a link in the show notes to this program. Link to list HERE.
Ukraine Giving. If you want to give specifically to ministries working in and near Ukraine, click here. We’ve posted this link for the past few weeks, but I want to keep it in front of you, and I also want you to know that we continue to add new ministries and additional information about existing ministries. So if you haven’t hit the link in a week or so, you might want to hit it again.
On This Date At MinistryWatch.com. 14 YEARS AGO. In May 2008, a group of 20 conservative and Christian activists sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee expressing concern over Sen. Charles Grassley’s investigation of six televangelists. The letter says Grassley ignored normal processes and targeted organizations that “share the same branch of evangelicalism and . . . promote socially conservative public policy positions.” Read more here. TWO YEARS AGO. On May 19, Famed apologist Ravi Zacharias died. He was celebrated in death, but since his passing a scandal has erupted that ultimately destroyed the ministry he founded. Read more here. ONE YEAR AGO. On May 24, 2021, MinistryWatch reported that Russell Moore announced his resignation from the presidency of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. The ERLC is the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm. Read more here.