Weekly Review
Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll, Albert Tate, and ECFA Membership Changes
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS: Christian Employers Alliance (Everett, Wash.), 30 Hearts (North Ridgeville, Ohio), Hillside Church (Bloomington, Minn.), Idaho Falls Rescue Mision (Idaho Falls, Id.), Teaching Truth International (Robbinsdale, Minn.)
REMOVALS: Restoration Gateway – Uganda (Waco Tex.)
On This Date at MinistryWatch
TWO YEARS AGO: Louisiana televangelist Jesse Duplantis said during a fundraiser for fellow evangelist Kenneth Copeland’s ministry that the reason Jesus hasn’t returned is because people “are not giving the way God told them to give.” Speaking as part of Copeland’s four-day “Victorython” fundraiser, Duplantis urged viewers that giving more money was a way to “speed up the time” of the second coming. Read more here.
THREE YEARS AGO: Bruce Smith announced on Facebook that he is no longer the President/CEO of Wycliffe Associates, the Bible translation organization that in fiscal year 2019, reported about $49-million in revenue. Neither Smith nor Wycliffe Associates announced the reason for his departure, though it follows nearly a year of scrutiny by MinistryWatch that has resulted in fresh questions about Smith’s leadership and the practices of the Bible translation ministry. Read more here.
FOUR YEARS AGO: Pride for Parents restores dignity through “reciprocal exchange.” Read more here.
On The MinistryWatch Podcast: Mark Driscoll, Andy Stanley, and Albert Tate
On today’s program, we take a look at the 50 largest evangelism and discipleship organizations in the nation. We also have details regarding the suspension of celebrity pastor Albert Tate. And the state of California has sued pregnancy care centers in the state. The lawsuit could have chilling effect on pregnancy resource centers around the country. And do you remember Mark Driscoll, the disgraced former pastor of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church? Well, he’s back, and we’ll fill you in what he’s been up to.
We begin today with Andy Stanley’s controversial conference Unconditional Love, which took place at Stanley’s North Point Church near Atlanta last weekend. 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:
Blessman International (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88)
But God Ministries (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Children’s Cup (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
China Aid Association (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
City Union Mission (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Deaf Missions (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 45)
Dignity Freedom Network (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 74)
For the Nations Refugee Outreach (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88)
GoServ Global (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82)
Gospel Partners Media (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
Indian Rocks Christian School (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 41)
Ozark Christian College (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 67)
Radio Training Network, Inc. (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
Resource Health Services (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Show-Me Christian Youth Home (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
The Men of Nehemiah (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 82)
ThriVe St. Louis (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88)
Transform Our World (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to D, DCS: 92)
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.
Maui Giving. If you want to give specifically to ministries working to provide relief in Maui, click here.
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.
