WEEKLY REVIEW: Database Changes, Podcast Highlights & More
Ratings Drop for CityGate, Compassion International; Rise for Focus on the Family, Denison Forum
The scandals at Gateway Church, the megachurch in Dallas, have had a dramatic impact on giving. A church leader there says giving is down as much as 40 percent. (You can read that story here.) 
I am, of course, saddened by the situation there. But another part of me finds great satisfaction when long-hidden evil finally comes to light. I also think the drop in income for the church is an appropriate response by the congregation. This is a season of confession, repentance, sifting, and winnowing at Gateway Church. It is my prayer that it will emerge stronger than ever, but it is also my prayer that it will not short-circuit the process of restoration.
Here’s what else is new at MinistryWatch this week.
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:
Alfalit International, Inc. (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Americans United for Life (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 62)
Asia Harvest (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Austin Disaster Relief Network (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Black Diamond Camps (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 73)
Blessman International (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 96 to 81)
Buckner International / Buckner Children and Family Services (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 48)
Care Net Pregnancy & Family Services of Puget Sound (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80)
Children of the Nations (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Children’s Relief International (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 93)
Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Christian Heritage / Christian Heritage Children’s Home (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 83)
Christian Relief International / Nexcus International (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 70)
CityGate Network / Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Compassion International, Inc. (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 73 to 58)
Daily Audio Bible (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 96)
Deaf Bible Society (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 85)
Denison Ministries (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 55)
Downtown Rescue Mission Inc. (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 75 to 90)
Entrust (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 85 to 70)
Focus on the Family (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Geneva Camp and Retreat Center (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 70 to 85)
Gideons International (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 63)
Gospel Volunteers / Camp of the Woods (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 86)
Healing Hands International (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 82 to 97)
Heartbeat International (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 61)
International Christian Concern (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 97)
Life Training Institute (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 71)
Mercy Corps (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 61)
Middle East Bible Outreach (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 91)
Ministries of Jesus (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
New Generations (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Operation Blessing (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
ORPHANetwork (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 85)
Paul Anderson Youth Home Inc. (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Plant With Purpose (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 75)
Reach the Rest (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
Shelter KC: A Kansas City Rescue Mission (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 85)
Terri Savelle Foy Ministries Inc (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: F, DCS: 19)
The Firs Bible & Missionary Conference (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
The Foundry Ministries (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 87)
Trail Life USA (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 83 to 98)
Training Leaders International (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 88)
Worldwide Discipleship Association (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Wycliffe Associates (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 38)
Youth Haven (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
On The MinistryWatch Podcast
Texas Churches Help Ukranian Refugees, Gateway Church Developments, and Tony Campolo
On today’s program, a former member of Village Church of Bartlett in Illinois is suing the church for defamation after the pastor allegedly accused her of an affair. Another family who supported the victim was also excommunicated. We’ll have details.
And, last year, Texas Christians provided Thanksgiving dinner to a group of Ukrainian refugees. This year, those same refugees thanked the Texas church with a festive feast of their own. We’ll take a look.
Plus, Tony Campolo, sociologist and famed ‘Red Letter Christian,’ has died at 89.
But first is more on the story I mentioned above: donations to Gateway Church has taken a nosedive following scandals there, signaling tough decisions ahead. Gateway Church outside of Dallas is facing more issues after the church was shaken by allegations of sexual abuse by founding pastor Robert Morris. According to a video leaked on social media, elder Kenneth Fambro said the church’s offering receipts are down 35 to 40 percent.
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS: Christian Training and Missionary Fellowship (Madisonville, Ken.), New Dawn Communities (San Clemente, Calif.), Upper Room Dallas (Dallas, Tex.), King of Kings Ministries (Magnolia, Miss.), With Ministries (Zeeland, Mich.), Third Lens (Auburn, Ala.), First Church of Christ in Wethersfield (Wethersfield, Conn.)
REMOVALS: Chester County Connect Care (Coatesville, Penn.), The Boaz Project (Indianapolis, Ind.), Mid-India Christian Mission (Clovis, Calif.), AIRO (Riverside, Calif.), Lionheart Children’s Academy (Bedford, Tex.),
Advice About Giving
Hurricane Helene Giving. Western North Carolina is slowly recovering, but it will need help for months if not years ahead. We have compiled a list of ministries working in Hurricane Helene-affected areas. We’ve also included some tips for making decisions about how and where you should give. To see this article, click here.
To see our complete coverage of Hurricane Helene relief efforts, click here.
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.
