Weekly Review
Wycliffe Associates Names Interim President, Fundraising in 2020 Increases, and Praying for the Persecuted Church
Wycliffe Associates Gets Interim President. Mission News Network is reporting that Dr. Tim Neu is the new Interim President and CEO at Wycliffe Associates. Neu has worked with Wycliffe Associates for the last 12 years. Neu’s wife Nancy also works at Wycliffe, as does his daughter and son-in-law. Neu took the reins of the ministry from Bruce Smith, who left earlier this month.
Fundraising Up So Far in 2020. A report from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) shows that despite the coronavirus pandemic and a decrease in charitable giving in the first quarter of the year, charitable giving was up 7 percent in the first half of 2020 when compared against the first half of 2019. “The significant increase in gifts under $250 shows many donors have been moved to give even amid the pandemic and resulting economic uncertainty,” said Elizabeth Boris, chair of the Growth in Giving Steering Committee. You can read more here.
Praying For The Persecuted Church. Sunday, Nov. 1, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. A number of Christian ministries participate in this event, including Voice of the Martyrs. To read more, click here.
On Today’s MinistryWatch Podcast. Each week, MinistryWatch brings you news about Christian ministries, as well as the latest in charity and philanthropy, news that we examine from a Christian worldview perspective. Our goal is to help us become better stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us. On today’s program, The Episcopal Church’s embrace of theological liberalism has caused such a steep decline that the denomination’s very existence is in question. Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University. And I explain why MinistryWatch finally decided to cover the “peeing pastor.” We also have the latest installment in our “Generous Living” series. A pastor and his family from Texas who live simply, tithe, pay their bills, and give away everything else. You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
MinistryWatch Extra with Religion Unplugged’s Paul Glader. On this week’s MinistryWatch Extra podcast, I’m pleased to welcome back to the program Paul Glader. Paul is the editor-in-chief at Religion Unplugged and the director of the journalism program at The King’s College in New York City. His journalism experience includes a long tenure with the Wall Street Journal. On this week’s episode we discuss Amy Coney Barrett’s religion, a huge drop in travel – including travel to religious sites – as a result of COVID, and The American Solidarity Party (ASP), a third party that takes Christian ideas seriously. It’s pro-life, and pro-traditional marriage, which separates it from the Libertarian Party. But it also favors a fairly strong environmental program, and it’s not afraid to say the government has a role in all of these arenas. You can hear that conversation here.
MinistryWatch Database Changes. 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: Family Life Communications, Inc. (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Fresno Pacific University (Down from 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Guidelines / Harold Sala (Up from 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Lubbock Christian University (Down from 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Plant With Purpose (Down from 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Romanian Missionary Society (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Samford University (Up from 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Shared Hope International (Up from 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: N/A), Shelter KC: Kansas City Rescue Mission (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: N/A), Southeastern University (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), St. Matthew’s House (Down from 3 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: N/A), TEAM (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Victorious Christian Living International, Inc. (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C). The following ministries have been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data: Food for the Hungry (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Free Wheelchair Mission (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Giving Children Hope (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: N/A), Heifer Project International (1 Star, Transparency Grade: C)
ECFA Changes. The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ADDITIONS: None. REMOVALS: Mission Voice Network Ministries (Clarksville, Tenn.)
