We covet your prayers here at MinistryWatch as we continue our mission advocating for transparency among Christian ministries so you, the donor, can be faithful stewards of the resources God has given to you. That often means exposing deeds of darkness, so pray that God would give us wisdom and discernment as we report difficult stories, and the courage to pound the pavement, report deeply, and declare the truth.
With that, here are the top three stories on the MinistryWatch website from this past week:
Second Minister Accuses T.D. Jakes of Sexual Misconduct
By Adelle M. Banks. The Rev. Richard Edwin Youngblood, the brother of a minister who has accused Bishop T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct, has made his own accusation against Jakes, claiming the Texas megachurch leader climbed into bed with him on a church business trip.
Samaritan’s Purse Dodges Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze
By Tony Mator. As Christian ministries scramble to discern and communicate the impact of President Trump’s 90-day pause on foreign aid, Samaritan’s Purse wants to assure donors its global poverty-relief and disaster response efforts are secure.
Wheaton College Caught in Dustup Over Alumnus Russell Vought
By Kathryn Post. On Friday (Feb. 7), Wheaton College publicly congratulated Russell Vought, a conservative activist and architect of Project 2025 who attended the school, for his confirmation by the U.S. Senate as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Within hours, hundreds of Vought’s fellow alumni had complained that Vought’s agenda contradicted the values they had been taught at Wheaton.
Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.
MinistryWatch Database Changes
MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $44-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:
Ministries with upgraded ratings:
New Life Center / Fargo Union Mission (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 80 to 100)
New Life Center now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector, which also raised its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Score International (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 75 to 95)
Score International now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, which also raised its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Show-Me Christian Youth Home (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 78 to 98)
Show-Me Christian Youth Home now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector, which also raised its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Sozo Children (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 75 to 95)
Sozo Children now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Relief & Development sector, which also raised its donor confidence score by 20 points.
The Mentoring Alliance (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 71)
The Mentoring Alliance now in top 80% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
The Roys Report (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Up D to C, DCS: 60)
The Roys Report files a Form 990 with the IRS and posts audited financials on its website, but it is not a member of the ECFA.
Timothy Christian Schools (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 82 to 85)
Timothy Christian Schools has four independent board members for every non-independent member.
Urban Impact Foundation (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75)
Urban Impact Foundation now in top 80% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
Ministries with downgraded ratings:
Human Coalition (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Human Coalition now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Pro-Life sector.
Impact Productions (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 65)
Impact Productions now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Educational Media sector.
Rockford Rescue Mission (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 76)
Rockford Rescue Mission now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.
The Colson Center for Christian Worldview (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 98)
The Colson Center does not post audited financials on its website.
The Hope Rescue Mission (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 95)
The Hope Rescue Mission does not post audited financials on its website.
Touching Lives / James Merritt (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Touching Lives now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Educational Media sector.
Trail Life USA (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)
Trail Life USA now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Christian Growth sector, which also dropped donor confidence score by 20 points.
West Dallas Community School (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 70)
West Dallas Community School does post audited financials available on its website.
Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, Inc (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 73)
Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, Inc. now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
On The MinistryWatch Podcast
Archegos Capital Management, He Gets Us at the Super Bowl, T.D. Jakes.
On today’s program, two former leaders from Archegos Capital Management have dropped their financial claims against disgraced Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang. Why did they drop out, and what does that mean for the other staff members hoping to collect $32 million? We’ll have details.
And, the controversial ‘He Gets Us’ ads showcased its message again at Sunday’s Super Bowl game. After critics last year labeled the ads too political, this year’s version was decidedly less so. We’ll take a look.
Plus, Mission Aviation Fellowship co-founder Jack Hemmings dies at 103…in 2024, he became the oldest pilot to fly a spitfire.
But first, a second minister is accusing megachurch pastor and author T.D. Jakes of sexual abuse.
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS:
Kids Alive International (Alpharetta, GA)
In His Image International (Tulsa, OK)
Mission Mutual (Arlington, TX)
Walking The Text (Spring Hill, TN)
Equipping Farmers International (EFI) (Chattanooga, TN)
Venezuela Now (Acworth, GA)
City Keepers (South Miami, FL)
Joy Meadows ( Linwood, KS)
New England Urban Church Planting (Providence, RI)
Be There Ministries (Amissville, VA)
Ashes to Glory Foundation (Livonia, MI)
Levanta Ministries (Eagle, ID)
Seed Company (Arlington, TX)
LifeMission Church (Olathe, KS)
REMOVALS:
Clarity of South Central Indiana (Columbus, IN)
Salary Data Now In MinistryWatch Database
We now have salary information for 4,000 executives in our database posted in our profiles. So check out this new addition by clicking on the red button at the top of this page, or 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.
If you’d like to see who the highest paid executives are, take a look at our recently published lists of 2025 Highly Paid Ministry Executives and Highest Paid Christian College and University Executives.
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.