WEEKLY REVIEW: Database Changes, Podcast Highlights & More

Downgrades for Voice of the Martyrs, YWAM Colorado Springs; Upgrades for Ablelight, Christian Legal Society

I’ll be in Southern California in early February for a couple of speaking engagements and meetings. If you live in Los Angeles or Orange County, watch your inbox for invitations to events we’ll be doing there. I’ll also be at the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters in late February. That will be in Grapevine, Tex. If you plan to be around for the event, send me an email and let’s get a cup of coffee.

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:

Ministries with upgraded ratings:

AbleLight / formerly Bethesda Lutheran Communities (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: 75)

BCM International (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 50 to 53)

Dare 2 Share Ministries (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 80)

Gordon College (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: Up C to A, DCS: 73)

LeaderSource SGA / Strategic Global Assistance (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: Up C to A, DCS: 95)

MorningStar Mission Ministries (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: Up 56 to 58)

Christian Legal Society / CLS (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 93 to 95)

First Care Women’s Clinic (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 75 to 77)

Hope International (Up 2 to 3 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 80 to 100)

India National Inland Mission (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Up 73 to 76)

Ministries of Jesus (Up 4 to 5 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 100)

Operation Underground Railroad / OUR Rescue (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: Up D to C, DCS: 45)

Siloam Health  (Up 1 to 2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 72)

Ministries with downgraded ratings:

Action International Ministries (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 30)

Barnabas International (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 90)

Central India Christian Mission (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 40)

International Friendships, Inc.  (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 80 to 78)

Mission Eurasia (5 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 98)

Muskegon Rescue Mission (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 38)

Santa Fe Christian Schools (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 71)

South Side Mission of Peoria (N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 30)

YWAM Colorado Springs Strategic Frontiers (From N/A to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down C to D, DCS: 33)

Zoe Empowers (3 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 90)

Alberto Mottesi Evangelistic Association (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to D, DCS: 85)

Alliance Defending Freedom (Down 2 to 1 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 78)

Gateway Rescue Mission (2 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: Down 80 to 75)

MomCo (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: Down A to C, DCS: 73)

TeenPact Leadership Schools (Down 5 to 4 Stars, Transparency Grade: A, DCS: 95)

The Exodus Road (4 Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 77 to 75)

The Voice of the Martyrs / VOM (From 3 to N/A Stars, Transparency Grade: C, DCS: Down 73 to 48)

Ministries added into database:

Youth Frontiers (1 Stars, Transparency Grade: D, DCS: 45)

On The MinistryWatch Podcast

Joyce Meyer Leaves Daystar, Financial Lessons From a Florida Church, Remembering “Coach Mac”

On today’s program, Joyce Meyer joins a slew of popular televangelists who have pulled their programs from Daystar Television Network amid accusations the network’s president Joni Lamb covered up the sexual abuse of her granddaughter. We’ll have details.

Also, a long-time employee of a Florida church was sentenced to 2 years in prison for embezzling almost $1 million…the church is speaking out now with lessons it has learned. We’ll take a look.

And, legendary coach and founder of Promise Keepers, Bill McCartney, has died after a long battle with dementia. At its height in the 1990s, Promise Keepers drew millions of men to its events.

But first, a Pennsylvania pastor has been suspended by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church after he and his church tried to leave the denomination.

Listen here.

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: NONE

REMOVALS: Kingdom Global Ministries (Colleyville, 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 2025 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

Just a quick reminder that we are now less than two 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.

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