WEEKLY REVIEW: Database Changes, Podcast Highlights & More
Ratings Drop forAnabaptist Foundation, Gideons; Ratings Rise for Aglow International, Biblica
Just a quick reminder that we are now within three weeks of the end of the year, so take a quick look at our annual list of Shining Lights and make them a part of your year-end giving plan. These are ministries that scored the highest possible ratings in all three categories MinistryWatch evaluates: Transparency, Financial Efficiency, and Donor Confidence. We hope you will use this list of the “best of the best” ministries as your year-end giving guide. You can find the list here. 
I also wanted to warn you about so-called “matching” or “challenge” gifts that a lot of ministries use at year-end to try to get you to donate. Matching and challenge gifts can be used ethically, but they are often tools to create a false sense of urgency. These offers to match or double your gift should not keep you from doing your own careful research into that ministry. To read more about matching and challenge gifts, click here.
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:
Aglow International (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 62)
Anabaptist Foundation (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 83)
Bair Lake Bible Camp (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 78)
Barnabas International (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Biblica (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 75 to 95)
Blessman International (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 96 to 76)
Bushnell University (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 95 to 75)
Cafe 1040 (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
Calvary University (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 73)
Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation / The Generosity Trust (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 48 to 53)
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)
Cho-Yeh Camp and Conference Center (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 95)
Christ for All Nations (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 85 to 65)
Concordia University – Seward, NE (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 53)
Corban University (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 73)
Daily Audio Bible (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 96)
Davar Audio Bibles (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 97 to 100)
Deaf Bible Society (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)
Gideons International (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 68)
Gospel Volunteers / Camp of the Woods (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 91)
Help The Persecuted (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: From C to D, DCS: 41)
Helps Ministries (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: From C to D, DCS: 53)
Horizon International (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 98 to 78)
Impact Productions (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 65)
Insight for Living / Chuck Swindoll (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 58 to 78)
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C, DCS: 75)
Jewish Voice Ministries International (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: From C to D, DCS: 55)
LeaderSource SGA / Strategic Global Assistance (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C, DCS: 95)
New Life Center / Fargo Union Mission (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 80 to 100)
Olympia Union Gospel Mission (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 76)
Paul Anderson Youth Home Inc. (Up 3 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 90)
Phoenix Rescue Mission (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 100 to 80)
Promise Keepers (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: From A to C, DCS: 96)
Sean Feucht Ministries (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: From D to F, DCS: 46)
SonSet Solutions (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: From C to D, DCS: 73)
The Firs Bible & Missionary Conference (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
The Signatry Charitable Trust (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)
The Urban Alternative / Tony Evans (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 48)
Touching Lives / James Merritt (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 98)
ViaNations (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)
Village Missions (Down 4 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)
Vision New England (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Down 73 to 53)
Youth for Christ USA, Inc. (Down 3 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 95 to 75)
Youth Haven (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 92)
On The MinistryWatch Podcast
Dr. Michael Brown, Bob Jones University, and PCUSA Decline Continues
On today’s program, author and teacher Dr Michael Brown of the radio program Line of Fire has agreed to a third-party investigation after being accused of sexual impropriety. We’ll have details.
And, we remember an anniversary this week—the release of a GRACE investigation into Bob Jones University and their handling of sexual abuse cases. We take time to reflect on lessons learned and where things stand now.
Plus, overall membership in the Presbyterian Church USA continues to fall—except among people who identify as genderqueer. We’ll take a look.
But first, after a year-long battle, an Ohio church is NOT being allowed to shelter the homeless this winter.
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.
ECFA Changes
The following organizations have had membership status changes in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
ADDITIONS: Blue Door Ministries (Little Rock, Ark.), Kingdom Building International (Boerne, Tex.), Uncharted International (Evansville, Ind.), Amnion Women’s Center (Burnsville, Minn), Lemonade International (Wake Forest, N.C.), iHOPE Ministries (Richardson, Tex.), HOPE Family Services (Anniston, Ala.), Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (Franklin, Tenn.)
REMOVALS: BigLife International (Naples, Fla.), Hope rescue Mission (Reading, Penn.), Majest Outdoors (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Reece’s Rainbow (Combined Locks, Wisc.),
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.
