WEEKLY REVIEW: Database Changes, Podcast Highlights & More
Ratings Drop for Back2Back Ministries, Bushnell U., Charleston Southern U. ; Rise for Africa New Life Ministries, Children’s Relief Int’l.
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:
Africa New Life Ministries International (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Asbury Theological Seminary (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Asbury University (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 68)
Back2Back Ministries (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Blessman International (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 81 to 96)
Bushnell University (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 87 to 75)
Campbellsville University (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 51)
Charleston Southern University (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 66)
Children’s Relief International (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 96)
Christian Community Action (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 85)
Christian Research Institute / CRI (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 59 to 44)
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 68 to 43)
FAME – Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Freedom in Christ Ministries (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 98 to 100)
George Fox University (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 68)
Holt International Children’s Services (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 68)
International Christian Concern (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 97)
Liberty Ministries (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88)
Mercy Ships (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 85 to 75)
Ministries of Jesus (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
North Greenville University (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 85 to 88)
Oklahoma Christian University (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 65 to 70)
Operation Blessing (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
ORPHANetwork (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 85 to 100)
Partners Relief and Development (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 97 to 82)
Penfield Addiction Ministries (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 83 to 68)
Reach the Rest (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Riverside Christian Ministries (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 77)
Seattle Pacific University (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 52 to 37)
Southern Nazarene University (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Up 50 to 53)
Toccoa Falls College (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Urban Impact Foundation (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80)
White’s Residential and Family Services / Josiah Whites (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80)
World Relief (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 87 to 90)
Worldwide Discipleship Association (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
The following ministry has been added to the MinistryWatch database with the most recent year’s financial data:
Carolina University (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 53)
Juanita Bynum International (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 42)
On The MinistryWatch Podcast
Ravi Zacharias, Barnabas Aid Leader Resigns
On today’s program, three years after sexual abuse allegations surfaced against the late apologist Ravi Zacharias, imploding his organization and his legacy, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries appears to remain in operation…with little to no transparency. We dug around for some answers.
Plus, a Knoxville-area ministry is restoring dignity and hope to its homeless population. We’ll take a look.
And, the latest from a recent survey on the state of church compensation. We’ll have details.
But first, the founder of Barnabas Aid has been forced to resign over allegations of financial mismanagement and a toxic work culture.
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS: None
REMOVALS: SonScape Retreats (Divide, Colo.), Operation 220 Ministries (Plano, Tex.), Coastal Fellowship Church (Plano, Tex.), First Christian Church (South Jacksonville, Ill.), Disciples Made (Shawnee, Kans.)
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.
Advice About Giving
Ukraine Giving. If you want to give specifically to ministries working in and near Ukraine, click here. We posted this link before, but we’ve added a few new ministries recently.
Israel Giving. We have compiled a list of ministries working in Israel that we recommend. You will also find some ministries working there that we do NOT recommend. You can find the list here.
Salary Data Now In MinistryWatch Database
We now have salary information for 4,000 executives 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.
If you’d like to see who the highest paid executives are, take a look at our recently published lists of Highly Paid Ministry Executives and Highly Paid Christian College and University Executives.
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.
About MinistryWatch
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 my desk, 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 I 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 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.
