MinistryWatch’s Top 10 Stories for July

The following stories had the most page views at the MinistryWatch website during the month of July. We present them here in a “countdown” format, from 10 to 1. The first few sentences of each story are reproduced below. To read the entire story, click on the link. To read the Top 25 stories of 2024, click here.

10. Steve Lawson Breaks Silence

By Jessica Eturralde. After six months of silence, pastor and theologian Steven Lawson, 73, who stepped down from ministry following an adultery scandal, has published a public confession admitting his sin and repentance. On March 12, in his first tweet on X since before the scandal broke, Lawson addressed his followers in a nearly 500-word tweet disabled for comments.

9. Dr. Phil McGraw’s Media Company Goes Bankrupt, Sues Partner TBN

By Jessica Eturralde. On the same day it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Dr. Phil McGraw’s company, Merit Street Media, filed a breach of contract suit against Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The lawsuit accuses the Christian broadcasting giant of sabotage, failing to fulfill its financial obligations, and thereby placing Merit Street under a $100-million liability burden.

8. St. Andrew’s Chapel Delays Vote on Leaving PCA

By Kim Roberts. St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, was scheduled to vote on leaving the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) on Sunday, July 20. Instead, the congregation referred the matter to the church’s board of elders, also known as its session, to study the situation and return with a recommendation, according to ByFaith Online, the publication of the PCA.

7. 7. Burk Parsons Found Guilty by Church Commission, Suspended From Office

By Kim Roberts. Burk Parsons, senior pastor of St. Andrew’s Chapel and chief editorial officer and teaching fellow for Ligonier Ministries, has been found guilty by a church judicial commission on three charges and indefinitely suspended from his role as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

6. St. Andrew’s Chapel Faces Questions Over Financial Transparency

By Kim Roberts. St. Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, has been instructed by a local presbytery to share its financial and budget information with members. The church has been in the news recently because Senior Pastor Burk Parsons, also a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow, was indefinitely suspended from his duties as a teaching elder by a church judicial commission.

5. Baylor University Voluntarily Rescinds Acceptance of LGBT Research Grant

By Kim Roberts. Baylor University has reversed course and “voluntarily” agreed to rescind acceptance of a grant by the progressive Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation to fund research examining the “disenfranchisement and exclusion” of individuals from churches who identify as LGBT.

4. John MacArthur’s Son to Pay SEC $397K to Settle Financial Fraud Case

By Anne Stych. Megachurch Pastor John MacArthur’s son Mark MacArthur has agreed to pay more than $367,000 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle a 2020 complaint filed against him, his investment advisory firm and then co-owner Robert Gravette for failing to disclose significant financial conflicts of interest when recommending investments in private real estate investment funds.

3. McLean Bible Church Details Plot to Oust David Platt, Others

By Jessica Eturralde. Following the dismissal of the last of several lawsuits filed against McLean Bible Church and its lead pastor David Platt, the D.C. megachurch has released a detailed internal report chronicling years of bitter infighting and political polarization.

2. Sean Feucht Accused of Moral, Ethical and Financial Failure by Former Leaders

By Kim Roberts. Five former leaders of groups associated with Sean Feucht have issued a formal statement bringing to light what they call “longstanding and serious moral, ethical, financial, organizational and governance failures” by Feucht and calling for an independent investigation into possible fraud and embezzlement.

1. AL Church Takes Youth to Homeless Encampment Without Prior Consent

By Kim Roberts. Courtney Wingo trusted Leatherwood Baptist Church in Anniston, Alabama, to take her 12-year-old daughter Kamryn on a youth trip in the Houston-area from June 4–7. But she believes the church betrayed her trust and risked her daughter’s safety.

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.