WEEKLY REVIEW
Snapshot of top happenings from this past week
Here at MinistryWatch, one of our goals is to equip donors with the information they need to make wise decisions with their giving. That’s why we manage our database, which rates more than 1,000 of the country’s largest ministries based on their financial efficiency, financial transparency, and their donor confidence score. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes, plus a brief explanation about why it matters. 
We also highlight stories from our podcast, where you can catch up on the week’s news in less than 30 minutes—perfect for a commute or walk. We highly recommend ministries join the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which is why we list organizations that have either joined ECFA in the past week or been removed. Check it all out below.
With that, here are three top stories on the MinistryWatch website from this past week:
Settlement Terms Between Liberty University and Jerry Falwell Jr. Revealed
By Kim Roberts. Liberty University has agreed to a $15-million settlement of a lawsuit with former president Jerry Falwell Jr., according to tax documents reviewed by USA Today. The documents reveal the university, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, will pay Falwell Jr. $5.5 million to settle litigation and $9.7 million for retirement.
Gateway Church Names New Senior Pastor
By Kim Roberts. Gateway Church, a megachurch in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region, has announced it has chosen new senior pastors to lead the congregation. The appointment comes after the resignation of founding pastor Robert Morris, who resigned last summer after Cindy Clemishire came forward with allegations that he had sexually abused her in the late 1980s when she was 12 years old.
DOJ Sues Idaho City for Discriminating Against Church
By Kim Roberts. The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the City of Troy, Idaho, — a small town with a population of about 1,000 — seeking injunctive relief to keep the city from discriminating against a church plant of Christ Church in violation of the Religions Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.
MinistryWatch Database Changes
MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $44-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:
Ministries with upgraded ratings:
Greater Europe Mission (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 80 to 100)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, also raising donor confidence score by 20 points.
Hope Academy Inc. (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 73)
Now in top 20% for financial efficiency in K-12 Schools/Academies sector.
Houston Pregnancy Help Center (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 93 to 95)
Makes audited financials available on website, and refrains from use of NDAs.
Las Vegas Rescue Mission (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 76)
Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters sector.
LeaderSource SGA / Strategic Global Assistance (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 97)
Now in top 20% for financial efficiency in Leadership Training sector.
pureHope (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 70 to 90)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Advocacy sector, also raising donor confidence score by 20 points.
Ratio Christi (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 55 to 75)
Now in top 60% for financial efficiency in Evangelism sector, also raising donor confidence score by 20 points.
Rio Grande Bible Institute (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 73)
Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector.
The New York City Leadership Center (0 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 60 to 80)
Is now a member of the ECFA.
Urban Youth Impact (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75)
Now in bottom 40% (up from bottom 20%) for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
Walk Thru the Bible Ministries (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Now in top 40% for financial efficiency in Christian Growth sector.
Ministries with downgraded ratings:
Inspiracom (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 98 to 78)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Radio/TV Stations sector, also dropping its donor confidence score by 20 points.
King University (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 70 to 50)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Colleges/Universities sector, also dropping its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Mercy Corps (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 64 to 44)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Relief & Development sector, also dropping its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Ministries of Jesus (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Now in top 40% (down from top 20%) for financial efficiency in Community Development sector.
One Collective formerly International Teams (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)
Now in bottom 40% for financial efficiency in Foreign Missions sector, also dropping its donor confidence score by 20 points.
Stonecroft Ministries (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75)
Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Evangelism sector.
Youth Frontiers (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 45)
Now in bottom 20% for financial efficiency in Leadership Training sector.
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On The MinistryWatch Podcast
Gateway Church, Doug Wilson’s Christ Church, Fuller Seminary
On this week’s program, Gateway Church has named a new senior pastor. The appointment comes a year after child sexual abuse accusations surfaced against founding pastor Robert Morris. We’ll have details.
And, the Department of Justice is suing a city in Idaho for discriminating against Christ the Redeemer Church—a church plant of Doug Wilson’s Christ Church. The church has been seeking a permit to meet in an old bank building—a request the city has denied. We’ll take a look.
Plus, Gereld Duane Rollins—who sued SBC legend Paul Pressler for sexual abuse—has died. His lawsuit sparked a Southern Baptist abuse reckoning.
But first, Fuller Seminary reaffirms its stance on biblical sexuality. The board of Fuller, a leading evangelical seminary, voted to affirm its long-standing stance on biblical marriage and human sexuality during its May meeting. But an email to supporters May 22 caused confusion.
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
REMOVALS:
Coastline Calvary Chapel Navarre
Orphan Care Ministries of Hope’s Promise (Castle Rock, CO)
C.A.R.E Medical Center (Mount Vernon, WA)
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 the desk of MinistryWatch President Warren Smith, and we’ll take it from there.
MinistryWatch and Sex Crimes. We write a lot about pastors and ministry leaders involved in sex crimes. That’s why we 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.
MinistryWatch Video. In closing, a reminder that we have created a short (3.5 minutes) video that explains what we do here at MinistryWatch, and why. If you’re new to MinistryWatch, we hope you’ll check it out. To find it, click here
