MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, WaterStone is being sued by a client who claims that the donor-advised fund cut him off from his family’s account. The results of this case could have larger implications for the rights of donors and other donor advised funds. We’ll have details. Also, the ‘He Gets Us’ Campaign is back for the 2026 Super Bowl—but under new leadership, this year’s ad is less political, more personal. We’ll take a look. And, a new study shows that American donors think they’re a whole lot more generous than they actually are. Plus, the Christian Broadcasting Network announced job cuts this week as part of a larger ‘workforce realignment.’ But first, The president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was arrested last week for child pornography.  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, Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Isaac Wood, Marci Seither, Stacey Horton, Makella Knowles, and Christina Darnell.

On today’s program, a report reveals past sexual abuse among the Christian scouting program, the Royal Rangers. Now, the Assemblies of God—who heads up the group—is being criticized for not providing adequate safeguards. We’ll have details. And, the popular Passion Conference attracted some 60-thousand young people to its flagship event earlier this month, bringing in millions of dollars —but a deep dive into the ministry’s financials shows a lack of transparency in how that money is being used. We’ll take a look. Plus, one week ago, tens of thousands of pro-lifers flooded the National Mall in Washington D.C. for the 2026 March for Life. But just how unified is the pro-life movement? We’ll try to answer that question. But first, the Jesus Film has become one of the most widely viewed films ever, having been used by missionaries for decades to share the gospel. Now, the Jesus Film Project is shifting away from in-person relationships and is focusing on digital products.  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 Isaac Wood, Kim Roberts, Stacey Horton, Diana Chandler, Jessica Eturralde, Aleja Hertzler-McCain, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Baptist Press for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

This is a question that should be vital for Christians, especially since the Great Commission makes growing Christianity one of most important concerns. But do we really know? In today’s episode, Warren Smith says we know the answer to this question. It’s hiding in plain sight. It is this:  The church grows when we are fruitful and multiply, and when we raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It really is as simple as that. To read a script of today’s podcast episode, click here.

On today’s program, Cities Church in Minneapolis is considering legal options after protestors stormed its church service Sunday in response to the government’s immigration measures in the city. We’ll have details. And, philanthropists are turning to family offices to manage their wealth—but what are they, why have they grown so much in the past decade, and how will it impact ministries? We’ll take a look.  Plus, Missouri passed a law to hold boarding schools accountable after several were shut down over allegations of neglect and abuse. Now, another ministry is fighting that law, saying its broad requirements are infringing on its religious freedom. But first, Apologia Church in Arizona is suing a former member for defamation. The former member made videos, claiming church leadership mishandled confidential marriage counseling information. 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 Bob Smietana, Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Tony Mator, Christina Darnell, and Warren Smith. You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

If you have been a reader of MinistryWatch over the years, you probably know about GRACE. GRACE is an acronym that stands for Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments. GRACE is also a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing, addressing, and responding to abuse within Christian institutions. Founded to support survivors and promote accountability, GRACE provides independent investigations, consulting, training, and educational resources for churches, schools, ministries, and nonprofit organizations. Its work emphasizes trauma-informed care, best practices for safeguarding, and ethical leadership. By combining professional expertise with a survivor-centered approach, GRACE seeks to help Christian organizations confront abuse honestly, care well for victims, and create safer environments that reflect integrity, transparency, and respect for human dignity. We have used GRACE resources often in our work here at MinistryWatch. Now, GRACE has a new president. The former president, Pete Singer, who has been a guest of this program, died last May, and after a nationwide search, the group named a new president, Laura Thien, who is my guest today. Laura Thien brings more than eighteen years of service to survivors of child abuse, sexual assault, and other trauma—experience that spans work in adoptions, clinical practice, and victim advocacy, and non-profit Board leadership. For many years, she provided support and treatment for survivors of sexual trauma at Julie Valentine Center, a community-based sexual trauma recovery center and CAC (Child Advocacy Center) in Greenville, SC. Laura has a distinguished history of non-profit board leadership, having served as Chairperson for the board of directors for GRACE, Julie Valentine Center, and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Advisory Board. She has also served on the board of directors of the South Carolina Network of Child Advocacy Centers. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.

We know how to solve some of our nation’s most intractable problems, but will we? In this Extra episode, Warren Smith examines President Trump’s decision to cut $2 billion to nonprofits, some of them faith-based organizations, that deal with mental health and addiction recovery issues. And this his reversal on Wednesday, when the administration restored those grants. It is not yet clear what impact the 48 hours of chaos will have. But they provide us an opportunity to have a national conversation regarding what kind of help actually helps. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. To read a transcript of this episode, with links to resources mentioned, click here.

On today’s program, the pastor of Arise Vineyard in California has resigned after old allegations resurfaced of inappropriate behavior. We’ll have details. And, medical debt continues to be a growing burden for many American families—but churches are partnering to help pay it off. We’ll take a look. Plus, a Baptist news publication is sued for defamation by a former college professor who says he was falsely accused of sexual abuse. But first, a Florida woman is charged for impersonating the father of a Camp Mystic victim to raise money through a GoFundMe page. The complaint identifies Maitlin White, who used Matthew Childress’ name and his daughter’s picture to start a GoFund Me campaign to raise money. Childress lost his daughter Chloe during the July 4 floods that swept through Camp Mystic last year, killing 27 campers and counselors. 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, Daniel Ritchie, Isaac Wood, Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Joseph Abboud, Kelly Van Duine—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Chimes, the student-run news publication for Biola University, for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

Regular listeners to MinistryWatch know that one of the things we like to do here is celebrate what I sometimes call the “non-celebrity” Christian leader. We’ve seen so many of the toxic effects of celebrity leadership that we sometimes forget that it’s a choice, and that it is possible to pursue our calling without pursuing celebrity. A group of people I admire for their approach to their art is a group of artists and others in Nashville associated with The Rabbit Room. These people include Andrew Peterson, who I have had on this podcast and my predecessor podcast at WORLD Magazine three or four times. But he has many fellow travelers in the Nashville music scene, including Andrew Osenga, who was a recent guest on the program, but also Randall Goodgame, Douglas McKelvey, Sandra McCracken, Charlie Peacock, Steve Taylor, John Mays – all of whom have been guests on this program. But man guy I’ve been wanting to talk with for years is…finally…my guest today. That man is Ben Shive. If you have even a passing knowledge of the Christian music scene, you probably know who Ben is. He has been involved in almost all of Andrew Peterson’s music for the past 25 years, co-writing his hit “Is He Worthy?”  He was also a co-writer on Keith & Kristyn Getty’s “Christ Is All in All.” He has produced music for Peterson and the Gettys, for JJ Heller, Dave Barnes, and MercyMe, and he won a Dove Award for his work with Brandon Heath. You can hear his playing and arrangements on the songs of Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Chris Tomlin. I wanted to talk with Ben about his work, of course, but also what it was like to be a part of a creative community, and what it takes to hold that community together for decades. We had our conversation via zoom. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

Still, seeing a Christian leader fall is discouraging. For some it can be devastating. That is why thinking deeply about these stories is important, and ultimately good for us and the church. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Kingdom of God Global Church—the church founded and led by self-proclaimed apostle David E. Taylor—is asking the U.S. government to return assets it seized in its investigation against its embattled pastor. We’ll have details. And, as more pastors are facing criminal charges for not reporting abuse, MinistryWatch took a deep dive into mandatory reporting laws—what are they, how have they evolved, and what do church leaders need to know. Plus, our annual list of highly paid ministry executives. But first, Philip Yancey, a beloved evangelical author and speaker, is withdrawing from public ministry after confessing a long-term affair.  To read all the stories in today’s podcast, go to www.MinistryWatch.com  Click here to read “Are We Paying Our Ministry Leaders Too Much?” 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 Bob Smietana, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Yonat Shimron, Tony Mator, Steve Rabey—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Baptist News Global for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.