UK Government Looks Into Barnabas Aid
Charity Commission starts inquiry into international ministry over finances.
Barnabas Aid — also known as Barnabas Fund, which aids persecuted Christians — is being investigated by the Charity Commission in the United Kingdom. Last Tuesday (Sept. 17), the commission opened a statutory inquiry into the ministry based on allegations of a “£15m ($20 million) hole in the finances of its global network,” Civil Society reported.
Additionally, Barnabas Aid is almost three months late in filing its latest financial accounts, according to the Charity Commission’s website.
A spokesman for Barnabas Aid told The Telegraph, “The independent investigation has been going on for months and we welcome the Charity Commission’s statutory inquiry into activities that happened in the past.”
In August, Patrick Sookdheo, founder of Barnabas Aid, was suspended from his role in the organization due to concerns about financial mismanagement and a toxic work culture.
Noel Frost served as chief executive of the international organization, according to the Church Times. He also was removed from his position earlier this year due to allegations of misconduct and financial impropriety.
An interim report from an independent investigation revealed “Frost paid for flights to Las Vegas with two staff members and his son on the corporate credit card and sent a WhatsApp message saying: ‘The trip is on me boys,’” The Telegraph reported.
Frost reportedly bought an Apple laptop for an employee’s daughter, rented holiday homes and invited staff, then paid for meals and gifts for the staff while on the holiday. Concerns about information technology payments are also being looked into.
Frost claims to have repaid part of the funds already, according to The Telegraph, but is waiting for a total to repay the rest.
A Barnabas spokesperson told The Telegraph the investigation is ongoing, and “if it reveals that there has been any financial wrongdoing, then we are committed to recovering it.”
NEXCUS INTERNATIONAL
Barnabas Aid has offices in several countries, including the United States, and also has an international office called Nexcus International.
Nexcus was previously called Christian Relief International (CRI), but the name was changed to enable Barnabas Aid to “provide aid to countries where Christianity is prohibited,” according to Barnabas Aid USA CEO Jeremy Frith.
Nexcus International’s board is made up of the four national Barnabas Aid chairs of the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Australia regions, Frith added.
A letter dated August 14 by self-described interim international chief executive of Nexcus, Colin Bloom, said an independent investigation has found “serious and repeated contraventions of internal policies” and had brought “evidence of serious financial impropriety” to light, the Church Times reported.
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Frith would not confirm whether Bloom is currently the executive at Nexcus.
Not long after Bloom’s letter, Phillip Richards reportedly sent a letter to Barnabas Aid supporters saying he had been appointed to lead the ministry and that Bloom’s letter was “not authorised.”
“Colin Bloom is employed by an American not for profit organisation called Nexcus International which has seized control of the operations of Barnabas Aid and has been using the database without the consent of the Board of Barnabas Aid,” Richards wrote, according to Church Times.
According to the Barnabas Aid website, Nexcus (formerly CRI) serves as the international office for all Barnabas Aid ministries worldwide. Nexcus is registered in the US, but has an office in the UK.
MinistryWatch reached out to Barnabas Aid USA to clarify the relationship between Nexcus International, its leadership, and Barnabas Aid, but Frith declined to provide additional information.
According to the Barnabas Aid USA audited financial statement, it “works closely with Nexcus International, a charity established in the United States whose objectives are very similar to those of the Organization.”
The financial statement goes on to describe how the relationship works: Barnabas Aid distributes the majority of the contributions received to Nexcus International for onward transmission to beneficiaries in over 60 different countries. Nexcus International supports the Organization by way of grants, which are shown separately on these financial statements, and by providing administrative support for operations.”
Nexcus does not raise any funds itself, but “coordinates and facilitates the global ministry of Barnabas Fund. All the national offices raise awareness and funds within their regions and forwards these on to the international office.”
Nexcus assists the Barnabas Aid ministries worldwide in several capacities: legal and regulatory compliance, writing and producing the magazine and other materials, and preparing project applications and monitoring the end use of funds.
By having Nexcus conduct these functions, Barnabas claims the regional offices can keep their overhead below 12% of their budget.
For the fiscal year ending on August 31, 2023, Nexcus International provided support of $2,497,445, and for Fiscal Year 2022 it provided $2,444,470.
In the MinistryWatch database, Nexcus International earns a five-star financial efficiency rating, a D transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 70 out of 100.
It had total revenue of $24.6 million in 2022 and total expenses of $34.6 million.
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