Anderson University, Dallas Christian School Jump Into Highest Tier for Financial Efficiency

Plus, other notable ministry happenings from this week.

Here at MinistryWatch, one of our goals is to equip donors with the information they need to make wise decisions with their giving. That’s why we manage our database, which rates more than 1,000 of the country’s largest ministries based on their financial efficiency, financial transparency, and their donor confidence. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes.

A few notable changes in the database this week:

• Two organizations jumped to 5 Stars for financial efficiency, meaning they are now within the top 20% for financial efficiency compared with others in their sectors: Anderson University (Colleges/Universities sector) and Dallas Christian School (K-12 Schools/Academies sector).
• Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, N.C., jumped from 1 to 3 Stars after its latest Form 990 processed through the database. Keep an eye out for an upcoming spotlight on the K-12 school — we’ll dig into what prompted the positive change.
• Another ministry with a notable ratings drop was Christian Action Network. The advocacy group has a negative net worth, based on its most recent publicly available Form 990, making it impossible to assign a financial efficiency rating. MinistryWatch has recently reported on three other ministries facing the same challenge.

We also highlight stories from our podcast, where you can catch up on the week’s news in less than 30 minutes—perfect for a commute or walk. We highly recommend ministries join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which is why we list organizations that have either joined ECFA in the past week or been removed. Check it all out below.

 

With that, here are this week’s three top stories on the MinistryWatch website:

Lessons Learned From Upheaval at Monclova Road Baptist Church

By Kim Roberts. A year after Pastor Jeremy Rands resigned from Monclova Road Baptist Church in Ohio amid allegations of financial misdealing, the church has yet to complete a financial audit. The way church leadership handled Rands’ resignation, its lack of transparency with the congregation, and the policies that enabled such failures hold important lessons for other churches.

Trey Falwell Sues Liberty University

By Bob Smietana. Liberty University has largely moved on from the scandal-ridden era of former president Jerry Falwell Jr. However, his family appears to have not.

United Methodist Megachurch

By Warren Cole Smith.  I subscribe to Kate Bowler’s Substack and read this week that she recently spoke at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. When she said this United Methodist congregation had 25,000 members, I was a bit incredulous. United Methodist churches do not usually grow that large, especially these days.

Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.

MinistryWatch Database Changes

MinistryWatch now has more than 1,500 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $55 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 recently added into the database:

Bridging Hunger (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 71)

Central Pointe Christian Academy (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)

Christian Veterinary Mission (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95)

Cincinnati Christian Schools (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 76)

Cornerstone Family Ministries (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)

Dutton Christian School (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 68) ⚠️ Please verify EIN

Lifestone Ministries (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 54)

Ministries with upgraded ratings:

Alaska Christian College (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 70)

Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.

Anderson University (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 67)

Now in top 20% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.

Charlotte Christian School (Up 1 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 53 to 73)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also raising its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

City Union Mission (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.

Colorado Christian University (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 73 to 93)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector, also raising its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Dallas Christian School (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 66)

Now in top 20% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector.

Dream Center Foundation (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 54)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.

Ministries with downgraded ratings:

Asbury University (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 71 to 51)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in the Colleges/Universities sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Awana Foundation (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 70)

Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Christian Foundations sector.

Breakthrough Ministries (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 58)

Now in top 60% (down from top 40%) for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.

Christian Action Network (Down 1 to 0 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 53)

Ministry has a negative net worth making it impossible to assign a Financial Efficiency Rating.

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On The MinistryWatch Podcast

Liberty U Lawsuit, Samaritan’s Purse Ebola Hospital, Ohio Church Faces Financial Scrutiny

On this week’s program, Trey Falwell — the son of former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. — is suing the school, claiming he is owed $1.75 million in unpaid wages. We’ll have details.

And, an Ohio pastor resigned from his post amid allegations of financial misdealings, leaving the church in a state of upheaval…a year later, members are still waiting for answers, and an audit. We’ll take a look.

Plus, a Georgia pastor lovingly dubbed ‘The Autism Pastor’ has died at age 47…and SBC seminary president Al Mohler shares his own health update.

But first, Samaritan’s Purse is opening an Ebola field hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Listen here.

ECFA Membership Changes

Removals

South Side Mission of Peoria (Peoria, IL)

Drop A Dime On Us.  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 [email protected].  That will come directly to the desk of MinistryWatch President Warren Smith, and we’ll take it from there.

MinistryWatch and Sex Crimes. We write a lot about pastors and ministry leaders involved in sex crimes. That’s why we thought it might be a good time to re-post this story, which explains why we think covering these crimes are necessary: Why MinistryWatch Reports on Sex Crimes.  As always, your feedback is welcome.

MinistryWatch Video.  In closing, 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, we hope you’ll check it out. To find it, click here.