MinistryWatch Index Flat in July
Up 3.6% for the year
ANALYSIS — The MinistryWatch Index was essentially unchanged in July, holding steady after a 1.73% drop in June — the index’s first monthly drop in more than a year.
The MinistryWatch Index is based on the revenue of 38 large Christian ministries, ministries that represent 22 ministry segments tracked by MinistryWatch.
Until last month’s loss, the Index had risen slowly but steadily since May 2025.
June’s drop was driven by falling revenue at two significant Index components. World Vision released new financial information showing a $160 million drop in revenue from 2024 to 2025, and Food for the Hungry reported a decline of nearly $25 million.
A recent MinistryWatch survey of ministry executives conducted in May 2026 found that fundraising has replaced staff recruitment as leaders’ top concern, with 56% citing fundraising as their biggest challenge — up from 31% in May 2024.
Ministry leaders remain optimistic about the economy, though slightly less so than in February. In February, 66% of ministry executives predicted the U.S. would not enter a recession in the next year. Today, that figure has fallen to 58%.
Meanwhile, about 23% now believe we will enter a recession in the next year, up from 18% in February.
Attitudes — and giving — seem to rise and fall based on the performance of the stock market. Studies by Giving USA, suggest that philanthropic giving correlates closely to the rise and fall in value of the major stock markets. For the past year or more, the markets have been giving mixed signals. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up about 10.9% since the first of the year.
To read more about how we compile the MinistryWatch Index, click here.
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