HealthShare Ministries, Including Samaritan Ministries and Medi-Share, Added Into MinistryWatch Database

And 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, plus a brief explanation about why it matters.

A few notable changes in the database this week:

• Launch Global was a MinistryWatch Shining Light in both 2021 and 2022, earning the highest scores in each of the three categories MinistryWatch rates. Now, the ministry has dropped into a “Give With Caution” designation, with a 53 Donor Confidence Score. It earns zero stars because it no longer files a Form 990 with the IRS. That, along with the lack of audited financials posted on its website, earns it a D Transparency Grade.
• In contrast, Overland Missions, based out of Brevard County, Florida, used to earn a “Withhold Giving” designation. However, it recently filed its Form 990 with the IRS, and its latest financials earn the missions organization 4 stars and a Donor Confidence Score of 71, placing it in the “Give With Confidence” category.
• Tupelo Christian Preparatory School in Mississippi rose in financial efficiency within its sector, earning it five stars. It also earns an A Transparency Grade—it files Form 990s with the IRS, posts audited financials on its website, and is a member of the ECFA—and a Donor Confidence Score of 100. These are the highest possible ratings in the MinistryWatch database.
• MinistryWatch this week added a handful of healthshare ministries into the database, including Samaritan Ministries, Medi-Share, and Liberty Healthshare. Check out their ratings below.

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 three top stories on the MinistryWatch website from this past week:

Finishing Well

By Warren Cole Smith.  The idea of finishing well has been on my mind a lot lately. The nature of our work here is that sometimes we cover Christian leaders who do not finish well. We got another tragic example last week—Philip Yancey, a Christian leader whose books have sold at least 15 million copies and was in sight of the finish line of his race. But he will now be remembered — following his confession of an eight-year extramarital affair — as a man who did not finish well.

Former Truett McConnell Professor Sues Baptist News Global for Defamation

By Bob Smietana.  A former professor at a Georgia Baptist college is suing a Christian publication for defamation, saying he was falsely accused of sexual abuse. Lawyers for Jeremy Lyon, who taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia, alleged that Associated Baptist Press, known as Baptist News Global, published “fabricated” allegations of abuse against him in a pair of stories about an abuse scandal at the school. 

Warning Lesson: Fraudulent GoFundMe Campaign for Camp Mystic Victim

By Kim Roberts. A 28-year old woman has been charged in Houston, Texas, with impersonating the father of a Camp Mystic victim to raise money through a GoFundMe page.

 

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 recently added to the database:

Altrua HealthShare (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)

Christian Care Ministry/Medi-Share (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 31)

City for the Nations/ By the Spirit Ministries (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 81)

Delta Streets Ministries / Delta Streets Academy (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 71)

Endeavors/Family Endeavors (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 55)

Liberty HealthShare (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)

Mercer University (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)

OneShare Health (0 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 78)

Project42 (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 71)

Samaritan Ministries (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)

Solidarity HealthShare (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 38)

St. Olaf College (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 46)

The Palau Foundation For World Evangelism (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 52)

Trinity University (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 46)

WeShare by Unite Health Share Ministries (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: F, DCS: 6)

WIN Life / Tellasia (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 63)

 

Ministries with upgraded ratings:

Charleston Southern University (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 69)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.

Christian Community Foundation, dba WaterStone (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 75 to 95)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Christian Foundations sector, also bumping its Donor Confidence Score up by 20 points.

Life in Abundance International (Up 2 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 77 to 97)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, also bumping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 80 to 100)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Christian Foundations sector, also bumping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Overland Missions (Up 0 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 24 to 71)

Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, and its Donor Confidence rose by almost 50 points because it files a Form 990 and because its rise in financial efficiency.

Tupelo Christian Preparatory School (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)

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

 

Ministries with downgraded ratings:

Cookson Hills Christian School (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)

Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.

Gardner-Webb University (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 68)

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

Global Frontier Missions (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 76)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector.

Hope Center Ministries (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 50 to 48)

Does not make audited financials available on website.

Launch Global (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 53 to 51)

Does not make audited financials available on website.

Los Angeles Mission (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 35 to 33)

CEO/President’s compensation is not within one standard deviation of the median compensation.

MissionGO  (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 97)

Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector.

The Mentoring Alliance (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 71)

Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.

Time to Revive (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 51 to 49)

Does not make audited financials available on website.

Truth At Work (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: Down 82 to 62)

Is not a member with the ECFA.

Turning Point for God (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 20 to 18)

CEO/President’s compensation is not within one standard deviation of the median compensation.

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

Arise Vineyard, Ministry Provides Medical Debt Relief, Baptist Publication Sued for Defamation

On this week’s program, the pastor of Arise Vineyard in California has resigned after old allegations resurfaced of inappropriate behavior. We’ll have details.

And, medical debt continues to be a growing burden for many American families—but churches are partnering to help pay it off. We’ll take a look.

Plus, a Baptist news publication is sued for defamation by a former college professor who says he was falsely accused of sexual abuse.

But first, a Florida woman is charged for impersonating the father of a Camp Mystic victim to raise money through a GoFundMe page.

Listen here.

 

ECFA Membership Changes

Additions

Hope Over Crisis (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Sheltered91 (Schererville, IN)

The Gathering Community Church (Newton, KS)

The Forgotten Initiative (Bloomington, IL)

Embrace the Truth (Rochester, MI)

Morningstar Mission Ministries (Joliet, 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.