Weekly Review
ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, On This Date at MinistryWatch
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS: NONE
REMOVALS: NONE
On The MinistryWatch Podcast: Operation Underground Railroad, Wycliffe Associates, Texas Baptists Affirm Women in Leadership Roles
On today’s program, Tim Ballard—hero of the hit movie ‘Sound of Freedom’—has been removed from two nonprofits, one of which is Operation Underground Railroad. We’ll have details. Also, the Bible translation organization Wycliffe Associates is asking for big donations, but giving few details on how they plan to use the money. And, tips for donors wanting to give to anti-trafficking ministries. We begin today with news from Texas, as the debate over women pastors has now moved to the state level. Delegates to the Baptist General Convention of Texas adopted a statement last week urging its staff to affirm women in “ministerial and leadership roles.” Listen here.
MinistryWatch Database Changes
MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $41-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:
Biblical Ministries Worldwide (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 28 to 58)
Choice Books of Northern Virginia (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82)
Christian Legal Society / CLS (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 86)
Christian Relief Fund (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Christian Relief Services Charities (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 75 to 79)
Crisis Aid International (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 84)
Daystar U.S. (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 74 to 78)
Empart USA (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)
Every Home for Christ (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 63 to 67)
Hope Center Ministries (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
Hope is Alive Ministries Inc. (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)
Living Stream Ministry (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 55)
Living Water International (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Market Street Mission (1 Star, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 37 to 63)
Multiplication Network Ministries (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A)
New Covenant Mission (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A)
Operation Underground Railroad (1 Star, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A)
Philly House pka Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 92 to 96)
Radical Inc / formerly Disciple-Making International (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)
Rafiki Foundation (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Rapha International (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 88 to 92)
Save The Storks (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Standing Stone Ministries (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Trail Life USA (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
Valley Rescue Mission (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 73)
Winston-Salem Rescue Mission (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 96 to 100)
The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data:
Dignity Freedom Network (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)
Frontier Alliance International Inc. (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A)
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.
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.
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.
MinistryWatch In The News. MinistryWatch is often called upon by Christian and secular media to comment on what is going on in the evangelical world. You can find some of these news reports here.
On This Date at MinistryWatch
ONE YEAR AGO: Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead, a preacher known for his close friendship with New York City’s mayor was robbed of more than $1 million worth of jewelry Sunday by armed bandits who crashed his Brooklyn church service, just as he was sermonizing about keeping faith in the face of grave adversity, police said. Miller-Whitehead embraces his flashy lifestyle and can often be seen driving around the Big Apple in his Rolls Royce, was delivering a sermon at his Leaders of Tomorrow International Ministries when police say three robbers walked in. They showed guns and demanded property from Miller-Whitehead and his wife, Asia K. DosReis-Whitehead, police said. The service was also being livestreamed online. Read more here.
THREE YEARS AGO: John Ortberg, popular author and speaker, resigns as pastor of Menlo Church, a megachurch congregation outside of San Francisco. His resignation is effective Aug. 2, 2020. Read more here.
TWO YEARS AGO: The leaders of the Zacharias Institute said they plan to resign, a decision they reached after a season of “lamenting, listening and learning” after sexual misconduct accusations against late evangelist and institute founder Ravi Zacharias came to light. Read more here.
