Weekly Review
ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, What’s on the Podcast? On This Date at MinistryWatch
Ukraine Giving. If you want to give specifically to ministries working in and near Ukraine, click here. We posted this link before, but we’ve added a few new ministries recently. 
ECFA Changes. The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ADDITIONS: Union Foundation US (Wheaton, Ill.), Best Christian Workplaces (Mercer Island, Wash.), Center for Pregnancy Choices (Jackson, Miss.), Refugee Hope Partners (Raleigh, N.C.), Sports Quest (Cypress, Tex.), CrossNet Ministries (New Holland, Penn.), Indian Rocks Baptist Church (Largo, Fla.), Indian Rocks Christian Schools (Largo, Fla.), Grace Road Church (Rochester, N.Y.) REMOVALS: NONE
On This Date at MinistryWatch. THREE YEARS AGO: Louisiana authorities arrested pastor Tony Spell on an assault charge on Tuesday after he admitted that he drove his church bus toward a man who has been protesting his decision to continue holding mass gatherings at church in defiance of public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic. Officials said Spell also had outstanding traffic tickets. Read more here. TWO YEARS AGO: Tates Creek Presbyterian Church (TCPC) in Lexington, Kentucky, launched a survey on its website to collect information for GRACE as part of its investigation into allegations of sexual abuse/misconduct made against musician and artist Chris Rice during his participation in TCPC events. As MinistryWatch reported in October 2020, TCPC hired GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by Dove Award-winning singer/songwriter Chris Rice after a former student told Senior Pastor Robert Cunningham that “Mr. Rice has sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions.” The investigation eventually found that evidence that Rice engaged in grooming and sexual abuse to be “credible.” Read more here. ONE YEAR AGO: A plane operated in Haiti by Agape Flights was burned by what are believed to be anti-government gangs, leaving many towns and villages there without access to vital supplies. Read more here.
On the Podcast: James MacDonald, Pastors and Planes, and Remembering Charles Stanley and George Verwer
On today’s program, former megachurch pastor James MacDonald has been arrested in California. We’ll have details. We also have an update on our “Pastors and Planes” project, which we’re doing in conjunction with The Trinity Foundation. Find out which ministries are using donor dollars to fly around in private jets. And we remember Charles Stanley and George Verwer, two giants in the evangelical church, both of whom passed away in the past week.
We begin today with news that another pro-life Pregnancy Resource Center has been vandalized.
You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
MinistryWatch Database Changes. MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $38-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: Bethel Bible Village (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Cornerstone Christian Academy (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Faith Builders Educational Programs (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Gospel Partners Media (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Hand2hand (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), KidWorks (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), LeaderSource SGA / Strategic Global Assistance (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Paraclete Mission Group, Inc. (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100), Sinapis Group (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), South East Asia Prayer Center (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), The Hope Rescue Mission (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), West Dallas Community School (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A). The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data: Administer Justice (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Avenue of Life (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Chestnut Mountain Ranch (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96), Child Bridge (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Christian HELP Foundation (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Crossroads Prison Ministries (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Decision Point (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96), Feed My Sheep (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), First Care Women’s Clinic (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), GoServ Global (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), International Christian Embassy Jerusalem – USA (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Justice and Mercy International (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Lake Ann Camp (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Ministries of Jesus (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Mission Quest (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), New Life Solutions (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Ratio Christi (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Remember Nhu (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88), Servants of the Word (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Set Free Alliance (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92), Shai Fund (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: N/A), The Neighborhood Christian Clinic (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), The Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), The Sheepfold (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), The Veritas Forum (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92), What Matters Ministries and Missions (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Winter Haven Christian School (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), With Open Eyes Foundation (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), World Radio Network, dba Inspiracom (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)
MinistryWatch and Sex Crimes. We’ve written a larger than normal number of stories this week about pastors and ministry leaders involved in sex crimes. That’s why I 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.
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 my desk, and we’ll take it from there.
Salary Data Now In MinistryWatch Database. We now have salary information for 4,000 executives in our database posted in our profiles. So check out this new addition by clicking on the red button at the top of this page, or here. That takes you to our database. The search engine is right there, and you can type in the name of a ministry you’re interested in and our profile will pop right up – now, with compensation information for the top executives.
If you’d like to see who the highest paid executives are, take a look at our recently published lists of Highly Paid Ministry Executives and Highly Paid Christian College and University Executives.
Audio Version of Faith-Based Fraud Now Available. Thanks to those of you who made my new book Faith-Based Fraud a best-seller in several Amazon categories this week. It’s now available in paperback and e-book versions. To get your copy, click here. This week, the new audio version released. You can get that from Audible by clicking here.
MinistryWatch Video. In closing, a reminder that we have created a new, short (3.5 minutes) video that explains what we do here at MinistryWatch, and why. If you’re new to MinistryWatch, I hope you’ll check it out. To find it, click here.
A Guide To Giving For Disaster Relief. When disaster hits, Christians give. But where they give can make a big difference? Which organizations are most effective in these post-disaster situations? MinistryWatch has published a list of organizations that are doing relief work and which have an “A” Transparency Grade and a 3-, 4-, or 5-star rating for Financial Efficiency. It’s a list of about 30 ministries, and you can find it on the front page of our website. I’ll also include a link in the show notes to this program. Link to list HERE.
