MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, Duluth Vineyard cleared Interim Pastor John Kliewer of misconduct after an investigation found him innocent…but his wife is crying foul, saying Kliewer was forced to sign an NDA as part of his settlement agreement. We’ll have details. And, a look at where the My Faith Votes is today a year after its former CEO Jason Yates was charged with the possession of child sexual abuse materials. Plus, another next installment in our occasional series on radical generosity. But first, the Anglican Church in North America has suspended Archbishop Steve Wood after more than 140 clergy signed an open letter calling for his inhibition.  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 Kathryn Post, Kim Roberts, Isaac Wood, Stacey Horton, Daniel Ritchie, Marci Seither, Tony Mator, and Christina Darnell. Until next time, may God bless you.

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, located just blocks away from the center of American power, has a rich 150-year history. Its members have participated in significant world events, advocated for religious freedoms, and spoken out against the moral failings of the times. There’s no doubt this church has had a unique impact on evangelicalism from a significant location. But these lively characters and their unique experiences only tell part of this engaging narrative. Through real-life stories, A Light on the Hill reveals how God works through church bodies and remains faithful during times of uncertainty. Exploring themes such as pastoral ministry, faithfulness, courage, racial reconciliation, church and politics, and more, this book will help readers see the long-term effects of faithful church ministries. Ultimately they will be encouraged to invest in a local church and preserve the gospel for the next generation. I’m delighted to have the book’s author, Caleb Morell on the program today. Caleb Morell (MDiv, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and a doctoral student in historical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives with his wife and three children on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Moody Bible Institute is suing the Chicago Public School system for excluding its students from the student-teaching program due to its religious hiring practices. We’ll take a look. Plus, a second woman has come forward claiming ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood sexually harassed her. We’ll have details. And, a new partnership shows how artificial intelligence is transforming Bible translation. But first, families of the children who died at Camp Mystic after the July 4 floods have filed a lawsuit against the camp. The lawsuit accuses the camp of negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and liability based on inviting the victims onto the camp property then breaching its duty of care to them. 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 Kim Roberts, Yonat Shimron, Kathryn Post, Isaac Wood, and Makella Knowles. Until next time, may God bless you.

The day before Veterans Day this year is another holiday, less known to the public but celebrated religiously by those in the Marine Corps. That day, November 10, is the Marine Corps birthday. On today’s extra episode, I remember our veterans and the ministries that serve them. Stick around to the end for the names of a few ministries that serve active-duty military, veterans, and their families. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, an Oklahoma pastor was fired after reporting missing church funds—this, despite the fact that he followed denominational rules in raising his concerns. Now, his bishop has been arrested for embezzlement. We’ll take a look.  And, Gen Z is bringing a new paradigm to traditional missions.  A new report examines what they value—and what they don’t. We’ll have details. Plus, churches and ministries are working to fill in the gap as SNAP benefits continue to be unpredictable amid the government shutdown. But first, ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood is taking a leave of absence amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church in North America, is taking a voluntary leave of absence in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism. Those allegations will be investigated by a 10-person Board of Inquiry, made up of ACNA clergy and laypeople, that will assess whether there are reasonable grounds to initiate a church trial. 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 Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Shannon Cuthrell, Cheryl Mann Bacon, Daniel Ritchie, Aaron Earls, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to The Christian Chronicle and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a small but mighty denomination. As I have written elsewhere, Anglicanism has the potential to breathe new life into the evangelical movement. But the denomination is facing challenges on many fronts, some of them self-inflicted. Archbishop Steve Wood, the senior leader of ACNA, has been credibly accused of sexual harassment and other offenses. Another bishop, Stewart Ruch, is currently facing a church trial for his handling of a sex offender in his diocese. Bishop Derek Jones, who has led the military chaplain corps, is now behind a rancorous attempt to leave ACNA and take more than 300 chaplains with him. All of the current controversies — those involving Archbishop Wood and Bishops Ruch and Jones — have also highlighted the inadequacy of the church’s canons to deal with matters of conflict and discipline. Over the past few years, MinistryWatch has covered several scandals in the denomination, and the process has been tentative and clunky at almost every level. For example, ACNA first made formal charges against Bishop Stewart Ruch — known as a “presentment” — in December of 2022, three years ago. After many fits and starts (some of which you can read about here), the trial finally took place this week, and we still don’t have a verdict. I have heard from credible sources that the cost of the trial will exceed a million dollars.  More than a year ago, just before ACNA’s provincial meeting in Latrobe, Penn., I wrote what I think the denomination should do to graduate from organizational adolescence into adulthood. Those recommendations included: Make a final decision on women’s ordination. Eliminate non-geographical dioceses, including Church for the Sake of Others. Revise and expand the canons of ACNA. Pick a leader with a strong arm and a velvet touch. Issue a clear statement on sexual issues. Perhaps the biggest fumble, though, was ACNA’s selection of a new archbishop. Not only has he proven himself to be not up to the task, he has become a part of the problem. Even if he is found “not guilty” of the presentment against him, the process itself has already been damaging to him and the church. That is why I would add one more recommendation to the list above: Steve Wood should resign as archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. There is no way forward for him that doesn’t do further damage to the church. If he is exonerated of the charges in the presentment, many in ACNA who already distrust his leadership and the inadequacy of the canons will cite that exoneration as proof of a rigged system. If he is found guilty, he is unfit to serve. I continue to believe that ACNA has great promise. The 15 years of its existence — especially when considered in the long arc of church history — is but a moment. Anglicanism offers much to the world, and to evangelicalism in particular. But it must face this moment with decisiveness and integrity. ACNA faces an existential crisis that grows more acute by the day, and before Anglicanism can save evangelicalism, it must first save itself. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, an Ohio ministry dedicated to addiction recovery is being used for alleged misuse of funds. The Ohio Attorney General says Lamb’s House hasn’t served any charitable purpose since at least 2017. We’ll have details. Plus, with a growing number of children being diagnosed with autism, churches are developing strategies to make their families more comfortable—and their spaces more accommodating. We’ll take a look. And, when donors give their money to special programs, they usually expect all their money to be used accordingly. But how much is actually used for overhead costs? But first, Samaritan’s Purse is set to play a larger role in Gaza aid distribution as the embattled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is being phased out. The Rev. Franklin Graham confirmed Oct. 25 that Samaritan’s Purse, the international humanitarian relief organization he heads, is ramping up its role in delivering aid to Gaza. 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 Yonat Shimron, Isaac Wood, Stacey Horton, Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Makella Knowles, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to The NonProfit Times for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

There’s been a lot of talk about revival lately. On today’s EXTRA episode, Warren Smith asks some important questions: What’s going on in America today? What do the facts say? Also, what are the signs of true revival, and are we seeing those signs in American life. Here are some links I mentioned in today’s program: Ryan Burge seems particularly skeptical of a Gen Z revival. In July, he wrote that there was “zero convincing evidence” that Gen Z was returning to religion. He said that 38% of Gen Zers never attend church, compared to 31% of Millennials when they were that age. Jonathan Edwards wrote about revival: A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746) and The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God (1741).

On today’s program, Federal officials have declined to file charges against Olivet University. The Christian school in California has faced accusations of human labor trafficking and visa fraud—accusations the school denies. We’ll have details. Plus, both news and scandal from the Anglican church. After the Church of England appointed Sarah Mullaly as its next bishop of Canterbury, another network of Anglican leaders have announced they are cutting ties with Canterbury and laying claim to the Anglican Communion. Just days later the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Steve Wood, faces accusations of misconduct. And, church experts have predicted that 100 thousand churches might close in coming years—we get an update on that number, and ask what it means for churches moving forward. But first, a Christian campus group wins in court after a Texas law tried to ban ‘expressive activities’ at night. 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 Kim Roberts, Stacey Horton, Jessica Eturralde, Fredrick Nzwili, Isaac Wood, Bob Smietana, Makella Knowles, and Christina Darnell. Until next time, may God bless you.

Peter Greer, the CEO of Hope International, started noticing a disturbing trend among his fellow ministry leaders. Too few of them finished their lives and careers well. He observed many of the succumb to moral failure, oversee organizations with substantial financial or governance issues, or have other major problems. He started asking…why? And is it possible to prevent this tendency toward personal and organizational drift. Many of you probably know his book Mission Drift, which looks at this problem from an organizational perspective. His latest book hits close to home for many of us. It looks at personal drift. But his book How Leaders Lose Their Way, co-written with Jill Heisey, is not just a diagnosis. It also prescribes a cure. In fact, the subtitle of the book And How To Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen To You may be the main reason I wanted to have Peter on the podcast. I can tell you that I personally found this book nourishing, and I would love to see every ministry in the country buy a copy of this book for their CEOs and board members. Peter Greer is likely no stranger to MinistryWatch listeners and readers. In addition to serving as president and CEO of Hope International, a global, Christ-centered development organization operating in 20 countries, his books on leadership have made him one of my “go to” guys when I want to understand best practices at both the personal and organizational levels. By the way, I hope you’ll stick around till the end of the program. I’ll share with you how you can get your own copy of this book. His new book How Leaders Lose Their Way: And How To Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen to You is our donor premium for the month of October. That means that if you make a donation of any size during October, we’ll send you this book as our thank you gift. To make a donation to MinistryWatch, just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m your host Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.