Weekly Review
ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, Dr. Russell Moore on the Podcast
ECFA Changes. The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ADDITIONS: Colorado Baptist General Convention (Centennial, Colo.), Vanguard University of Southern California (Costa Mesa, Calif.), Coastal Community Church of Virginia (Virginia Beach, Va.), Wings of Refuge (Ames, Iowa), Union Gospel Mission of Missoula (Missoula, Mont.), Shores of Grace Ministries (Plano, Tex.), Life Relaunch (Bonita Springs, Fla.), Keys Connections (Liverpool, Penn.), Return Ministries ( Clarksville, Ind.), Robin’s Nest Children’s Home (Lake Elmo, Minn.), The Mission of Winter Haven (Winter Haven, Fla.), Hawaii Kai Community HI Foursquare Church (Honolulu, Hawaii), REMOVALS: None
On the 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, a Hillsong update, and we look at where all the money went that Christians gave to Glenn Beck and others who promised to provide relief during the Afghan airlift. Later in the program we look at Facebook and the most popular Christian Facebook pages. They are both more, and less, than meets the eye. We begin today with news that Southern Baptists will waive attorney-client privilege in order to facilitate their investigation into sexual abuse in the denomination. You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
MinistryWatch EXTRA Episode: Dr. Russell Moore. This week’s EXTRA episode on the podcast features a conversation with Dr. Russell Moore of Christianity Today, we discuss his new article in Plough Quarterly. It’s called “Integrity and the Future of the Church.” The article is based on a lecture he gave at the Plough Writers Weekend in August in New York state. . Listen here.
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MinistryWatch Database Changes. The MinistryWatch 1000 tracks the 1000 largest Christian ministries in the country. These ministries represent more than $35-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: Coalition for Christian Outreach / CCO (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Covenant House (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Open Air Campaigners US Incorporated (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Opportunity International (1 Star, Transparency Grade: C), Pioneers, Inc. (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Berean Bible Society (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Cannon Beach Conference Center (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), China Ministries International (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Christian Relief Services Charities (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Colorado Springs Christian Schools (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Deer Run Retreat Center (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Delaware County Christian School Society (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Desert Christian Academy (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Every Generation Ministries (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Family Care Foundation / FCF (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: D), Forge (fka Kingdom Building Ministries, Inc.) (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), French Camp Academy (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Friends Academy (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Institute in Basic Life Principles / Bill Gothard (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Kanakuk Ministries (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Lamb & Lion Ministries (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Medical Ambassadors International (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Mission on the Move (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Rafiki Foundation (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), The Pocket Testament League (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Trinity Episcopal Schools Corporation (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: D), Willow Creek Association / Global Leadership Network (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: C), World Renew (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A), YUGO Ministries (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A). The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data: Charlotte Christian School (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C)
Salary Data Now In MinistryWatch Database. We now have salary information for 3,000 executives from about 500 of the 850 ministries 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.
On-Line Training For Ministry Leaders. Thanks to a partnership with Dunham + Co., MinistryWatch is now able to offer on-line training “short courses” in such topics as change management, fundraising, social media, and the use of cryptocurrencies such as BitCoin. To read more about these courses, click here.
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.
New 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.
On This Date. Six years ago this week, on Oct. 5, 2015, MinistryWatch reported that the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability terminated the membership of Gospel for Asia. The reason for the termination: Gospel for Asia had violated the ECFA’s standards. Read our story here.
