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Weekly Review

ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, What’s on the Podcast? On This Date at MinistryWatch

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On the Podcast

Johnny Hunt, Tim Keller, Harry Reeder, and Carl Lentz. On today’s program, The Word Network, which bills itself as the world’s largest African-American Christian broadcast network, is in trouble with the IRS.

We’ll also have an update on former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz.  He’s now the subject of a television documentary series, and he’s not happy about it. And there have been new revelations in the business dealings of former SBC President Johnny Hunt.

And in the last segment of the program, we’ll remember Tim Keller and Harry Reeder, who prominent pastors who died in the past week. I knew both of these exceptional men, and I’ll share a few memories.

We begin today with a couple of stories about the National Religious Broadcasters, who had their annual conference in Orlando, Florida this week.

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: Deaf Bible Society (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96), Denver Rescue Mission (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100), Entrust (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82), EQUIP Leadership, Inc.  (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82), Family Radio / Family Stations, Inc. (1 Star, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 61), Feed My Starving Children (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 73), Focus on the Family (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100), Food for the Hungry, Inc.  (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100), Gateway Rescue Mission (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Global Outreach International (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82), House of Providence (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Liberty Ministries (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 86), Los Angeles Mission (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92), Shepherd’s Hope (-2 Stars, Transparency Grade: From D to C, DCS: 67), Strategic Resource Group (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 71), Student Mobilization, Inc.  (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 71), To Every Tribe (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Venture (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 78), With Open Eyes Foundation (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), World Mission, Inc.  (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88), YouthFront, Inc.  (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), 4KIDS of South Florida (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 54), Agape International Missions (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 83 to 87), Ambassadors For Christ, Inc.  (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 86 to 82), Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C, DCS: 96), Chestnut Mountain Ranch (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96), Christian Community Action (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 86), Christian Community Foundation, dba WaterStone (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88), Coalition for Christian Outreach / CCO (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Compassionate Hope Foundation (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Corporate Chaplains of America (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92), Crista Ministries (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), Destiny Rescue USA (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88), Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C, DCS: N/A), Eagle Ranch (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Ethnos360, Inc. pka: New Tribes Mission, USA (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 47), Evangelism Explosion International (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 49 to 45), Every Home for Christ (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 67 to 63)

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.

MinistryWatch and Sex Crimes. We write a lot 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.

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:  NONE REMOVALS:  NONE

On This Date at MinistryWatch

15 YEARS AGO.  In May 2008, a group of 20 conservative and Christian activists sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee expressing concern over Sen. Charles Grassley’s investigation of six televangelists. The letter says Grassley ignored normal processes and targeted organizations that “share the same branch of evangelicalism and . . . promote socially conservative public policy positions.”  Read more here.  

THREE YEARS AGO.  On May 19, Famed apologist Ravi Zacharias died.  He was celebrated in death, but since his passing a scandal has erupted that ultimately destroyed the ministry he founded.  Read more here.  

TWO YEARS AGO.  On May 24, 2021, MinistryWatch reported that Russell Moore announced his resignation from the presidency of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.  The ERLC is the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm.  Read more here.

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Warren Cole Smith

Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine, and Vice President of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 25 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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