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Weekly Review

ECFA Membership Changes, MinistryWatch Database Changes, On This Date in MinistryWatch

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On the Podcast:  On today’s program, Vladimir Putin and Russia are now invading Ukraine.  That action has caused us to take a second look at the cozy relationship many Christian leaders have had with Putin over the years.  And the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee is meeting this week, and it’s making news.  We’ll bring an update.  We begin today with details of a newly released report on Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply 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.

ECFA Changes.  The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.  ADDITIONS: None  REMOVALS: None

MinistryWatch 1000 Database Changes.  MinistryWatch now has more than 1,000 ministries in its database. These ministries represent more than $36-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: Alliance Defending Freedom (pka Alliance Defense Fund, Inc.) (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), American Family Association, Inc. / Don Wildmon (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100), American Leprosy Missions, Inc.  (1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Biblica / International Bible Society (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Blessings International (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Student Mobilization, Inc.  (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), Transport for Christ / TFC Global (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 50), Bible League International (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 70), Cannon Beach Conference Center (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Children’s Medical Ministries (CMM) (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: N/A), Cho-Yeh Camp and Conference Center (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Christian Motorcyclists Association  (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90), CSB Ministries / Christian Service Brigade (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), D. James Kennedy Ministries / Coral Ridge Ministries Media, Inc.  (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), EQUIP Leadership, Inc.  (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), Family Guidance, Inc.  (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: N/A), Fellowship Christian School – Roswell, GA (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), French Camp Academy (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75), Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Jericho Road Ministries (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Leadership Ministries Worldwide (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Living Water International (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), New Life Ranch (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95), Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A), Redeemer City to City (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75), SafeHouse Outreach Inc. (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Samaritan’s Purse / Operation Christmas Child / Franklin Graham (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80), The Bowery Mission (Down 2 to 1 Star, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85), The Episcopal Academy (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A), Trinity Episcopal Schools Corporation (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: N/A), UMAR Services, Inc.  (Up 1 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 65), Wycliffe Bible Translation Foundation (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 45). The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data: Christian Heritage / Christian Heritage Children’s Home (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Community Christian School of Tallahassee (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Dare 2 Share Ministries (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), International Leadership Institute (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Lake Geneva Foundation (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Sola Media / White Horse Inc (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A), Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: N/A)

Access to MinistryWatch content is free.  However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts.  To make a donation, click here.

Send Us Your News Tips. 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 nearly 5,000 executives from more than half of the ministries in the MinistryWatch 1000 database.  So check out this new addition by clicking on the red button at the top of this page, or click 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.  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, I hope you’ll check it out.  To find it, click here.

On This Date at MinistryWatch. EIGHT YEARS AGO:  On Feb. 27, 2014, MinistryWatch reported that Bill Gothard would go on “administrative leave” from the ministry he founded.  He later resigned amid allegations of sexual abuse.  Read more here.   TWO YEARS AGO: On February 19, 2020, MinistryWatch reported that two executives associated with Olivet University and The Christian Post pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering. Read more here.

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Warren Cole Smith

Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine, and Vice President of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 25 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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