Weekly Review
ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, Church Revitalization Expert Sam Rainer on the Podcast
ECFA Changes. The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ADDITIONS: None REMOVALS: Life for all International (Norman, Okla.)
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, we take a look at a group of Hackers for Jesus. And a new study by the Hartford Institute says COVID has led to both innovation and conflict in America’s churches. We begin today with more news from the Southern Baptist Convention. You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
MinistryWatch EXTRA Episode: Sam Rainer. Our mid-week “Extra” episodes are a chance for us to go deep with a particular topic, and this week we have on the program Sam Rainer. He’s the author of the new book The Church Revitalization Checklist. Sam Rainer serves as president of Church Answers and is a cofounder of Rainer Publishing. He is also lead pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Bradenton, Florida. He writes, teaches, speaks, and consults on a variety of church health issues. Listen here.
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MinistryWatch Database Changes. The MinistryWatch 1000 tracks 1000 of the 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: China Outreach Ministries, Inc. (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Global Advance, Inc. (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Life Action Ministries (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Life Centers (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C), Luis Palau Evangelistic Association (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Ninos de Mexico (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: C), Across Nations pka: Western Indian Ministries, Inc. (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), American Family Association, Inc. / Don Wildmon (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Asian Access Life Ministries (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Bill Glass Behind the Walls (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Care Net (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Child Evangelism Fellowship / CEF (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Children of Promise International (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Christian Relief Fund (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Colorado Springs Christian Schools (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Cornerstone Assistance Network (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Crossover Global (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: C), Desert Christian Academy (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Destiny Rescue USA (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Eagle Village (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Family Life Communications Inc. (pka Family Life Broadcasting System) (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Friends Academy (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Home of Grace (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Institute in Basic Life Principles / Bill Gothard (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Jews for Jesus (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: C), Lamb & Lion Ministries (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Mighty Oaks Foundation (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), Partners Worldwide (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Rafiki Foundation (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), SafeHouse Outreach Inc. (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Tech Team Advantage (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: D), The Pocket Testament League (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), The Salvation Army USA / National Headquarters (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), Willow Creek Association / Global Leadership Network (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C). The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data: CARE for AIDS, Inc. (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corporation (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Christian Aid Ministries Foundation (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Christian Worship Hour (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Healing Hands International (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Hope Academy Inc. (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D), India Gospel League Inc. North America (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Kansas City Christian School Association (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Love Justice International (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Media Dream / Alkarma TV (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C), New Life Family Services (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Orphanos Foundation (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Reasons to Believe (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A), Rest Haven Homes (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), The King’s Christian Academy / Lexington Park Christian School (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A), Training Leaders International (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: A)
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.
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.
On This Date. Two years ago (Nov. 13, 2019), MinistryWatch published an interview with Boz Tchividjian, the founder of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments). You can read that interview here. One year ago this week, Indian tax authorities raided the offices of Gospel for Asia. They seized more than $800-thousand in cash, plus records and other assets. Read our story here.
