Jubilee Ministries Exits ECFA
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:
- Heaven’s Family in Pennsylvania dropped into the top 60% for financial efficiency in the Community Development sector, but it maintains an A Transparency Grade and a perfect 100 Donor Confidence Score.
- Three ministries fell into the bottom 40% for financial efficiency within their sectors, dropping their Donor Confidence Scores by 20 points: Lake Worth Christian School in Boynton Beach, Florida; Evangelical Christian School of Memphis in Cordova, Tennessee; and KidWorks in Santa Ana, California. Evangelical Christian School of Memphis remains in the “Give With Confidence” category. The other two now have “Exercise Caution” designations.
- Two ministries voluntarily resigned from the ECFA in the past week, including Jubilee Ministries in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
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. And we note ministries who have recently joined or left the ECFA. Check it all out below.
With that, here are this week’s three top stories on the MinistryWatch website:
Vermont Ministry Director Charged in Abuse Case
By Stacey Horton. Federal agents arrested Andrew Buzzell, state director of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Vermont and an elder at Green Mountain Baptist Church in Center Rutland, on Aug. 7 following an FBI undercover sting operation targeting online child exploitation.
Another SC Church Removes Registered Sex Offender From Ministry Roles
By Kim Roberts. Amid the controversy involving a registered sex offender at Pawleys Island Community Church, another South Carolina church has removed a registered sex offender from active ministry roles.
Christian Higher Education Faces Serious Challenges, Regardless of What You’ve Heard
By Warren Cole Smith. “Rumors of Christian higher education’s (CHE’s) demise have been greatly exaggerated,” so says Perry Glanzer over at Christian Scholar’s Review. He cites new numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) saying enrollment at Christian colleges was up in 2024 (the latest year for which comprehensive data are available). His conclusion: “The negative reporting and scare-mongering about college closures is a case study in how not to do redemptive journalism.”
Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.
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MinistryWatch Database Changes
MinistryWatch now has more than 1,700 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $58 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:
ACCA/ Annandale Cares (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 68)
American Baptist College (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)
Chapel Hill Academy (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 78)
Embrace Alabama Kids (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 48)
Grand Haven Christian School (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 78)
Gull Lake Ministries (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 56)
Heart Christian Academy (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 78)
Hope for Miami (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 55)
Lighthouse Private Christian Academy (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 63)
Ministries with upgraded ratings:
Awana Foundation (1 Star, Transparency Grade: Up C to A, DCS: Up 70 to 72)
Makes audited financials available on its website.
Bair Lake Bible Camp (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 78)
Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Camps/Conference Centers sector.
Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 70)
Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Adoption/Foster Care sector.
GFA World/Gospel for Asia (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: F, DCS: Up 3 to 8)
Board contains at least 5 members and no more than 12 members.
Hope and Home (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 49)
Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Adoption/Foster Care sector.
Launch Global (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 51 to 53)
Makes audited financials available on its website.
Ministries with downgraded ratings:
Azusa Pacific University (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 55)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.
Christian Academy of Knoxville (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector.
Crown College (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)
Now in top 40% (down from top 20%) for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.
Evangelical Christian School of Memphis (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 98 to 78)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.
Five Talents USA (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 72 to 70)
Could not locate audited financials on website.
Heaven’s Family (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
Katy Christian Ministries (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
Now in top 40% (down from top 20%) for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
KidWorks (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 72 to 52)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.
Lake Worth Christian School (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 73 to 53)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector, also dropping its Donor Confidence Score by 20 points.
Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 53)
Does not file a Form 990, nor is it a member of the ECFA.
Mississippi Christian University (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 66)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.
New Life Ranch (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 98)
Now in top 40% (down from top 20%) for financial efficiency in Camps/Conference Centers sector.
Northwest Assistance Ministries (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 68)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
On The MinistryWatch Podcast
ACNA, Global Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Pastor Pay
On today’s program, the Anglican Church in North America faces its first ever trial of a sitting archbishop. He is accused of abuse of church power and sexual immorality. We’ll have details.
And, the Global Methodist Church — who split off from the United Methodist Church four years ago — just wrapped up its second General Conference. We’ll take a look.
Plus, a new study finds that Southern Baptist pastor pay has stalled since 2024 — and almost two-thirds of churches don’t provide medical insurance for their pastors.
Up first is the story of a Missouri pastor who turned his church into a fraud operation.
The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get editorial, database, and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, Heidi Allums, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kathryn Post, Stacey Horton, Neva Piombino, Tony Mator, Aaron Earls, Makella Knowles, and Jessica Eturralde.
A special thanks to Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast.
Until next time, may God bless you.
ECFA Membership Changes
Removals
Jubilee Ministries (Lebanon, PA)
Global Year (Fairmont, GA)
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.
