Ep. 426 : Scandal Plagued Orange Merges, Sean Feucht Ministries, John MacArthur Health Update

On today’s program, Orange—a church curriculum publisher who faced its share of scandal last year—announces plans to merge with another organization. We’ll have details. Also, an Atlanta Church gives $100 million to missions. We’ll take a look. And, Sean Feucht Ministries’ transparency grade drops to an “F”—and its Donor Confidence Score plunges to a 21…out of 100. But first, Grace Community Church responds to rumors that pastor John MacArthur is on the verge of death. California megachurch pastor and author John MacArthur remains in the hospital undergoing tests as he recovers from a difficult year of health issues, including a heart-valve replacement. On Sunday, Grace Community Church elder updated the congregation, where MacArthur has pastored since 1969. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Daniel Ritchie, Kim Roberts, Marci Seither, Shannon Cuthrell, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to The NonProfit Times and Generous Giving for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:   FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado. Happy New Year and welcome to the MinistryWatch podcast! Warren: On today’s program, Orange—a church curriculum publisher who faced its share of scandal last year—announces plans to merge with another organization. We’ll have details. Also, an Atlanta Church gives $100 million to missions. We’ll take a look. And, Sean Feucht Ministries’ transparency grade drops to an “F”—and its Donor Confidence Score plunges to a 21…out of 100. Natasha:  But first, Grace Community Church responds to rumors that pastor John MacArthur is on the verge of death. Warren: California megachurch pastor and author John MacArthur remains in the hospital undergoing tests as he recovers from a difficult year of health issues, including a heart-valve replacement. On Sunday, Grace Community Church elder updated the congregation, where MacArthur has pastored since 1969. The church announced that he had three surgeries in the second half of 2024 and his recovery has been slower than expected, with occasional setbacks affecting his heart, lungs, and kidneys. Doctors have not yet discovered any single root cause for these diverse troubles, and Pastor John has been hospitalized for the past two weeks, undergoing tests and treatments.” Natasha: Those unknowns have sparked some rumors. Warren: Last week, Grace to You Executive Director Phil Johnson posted a social media update in response to rumors circulating that MacArthur was in a hospital dying. “John IS currently hospitalized, and the persistence of these symptoms is a concern,” Johnson said. “But the suggestion that he has been handed over to palliative care is a sinister lie, concocted by this pernicious character who has been lying about JM and GCC for 5+ years. Ignore him.” MacArthur has been known to keep health issues private and within a closed circle—a sentiment Johnson echoed. “Those who need to know more details do know,” he said. “There's no conspiracy by the elders at GCC to keep people from hearing information they need to know.” Natasha: Next up: the latest with Orange. Warren: Orange, the Christian curriculum company that hosts one of the country’s most prominent family ministry conferences, is merging with Amazing Life Foundation. Amazing Life Foundation is an umbrella organization for several other products, such as Amazing Kids and the BSide App, designed to equip churches with tools and content. Orange and Amazing Life will “operate with shared oversight,” but Orange will maintain its existing staff and operations...