MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, ministry leader Sean Feucht is being accused of moral, ethical, and financial failure by former leaders of his various nonprofits. The accusers issued a formal statement this week detailing their accusations and are calling for an independent investigation. And, with the construction of a new school campus, Pastor Doug Wilson’s empire continues to grow in Idaho. We’ll take a look. Plus, Tim Dalrymple is leaving his role at Christianity Today to take the helm of the John Templeton Foundation. But first, Robert Morris is pushing back on Gateway Church’s claims that they didn’t know the details of his sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire. 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, Jack Jenkins, Tracy Simmons, Bob Smietana, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. 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, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, ministry leader Sean Feucht is being accused of moral, ethical, and financial failure by former leaders of his various nonprofits. The accusers issued a formal statement this week detailing their accusations and are calling for an independent investigation. And, with the construction of a new school campus, Pastor Doug Wilson’s empire continues to grow in Idaho. We’ll take a look. Plus, Tim Dalrymple is leaving his role at Christianity Today to take the helm of the John Templeton Foundation. Natasha: But first, Robert Morris is pushing back on Gateway Church’s claims that they didn’t know the details of his sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire. Warren: According to court documents filed by Morris in Tarrant County, Morris asserted that Gateway elders “knew the facts pertaining to Pastor Morris’s admittedly highly inappropriate relationship with [Clemishire] as early as 2005 and most certainly by August of 2007.” The court documents are part of his effort to seek Christian arbitration in settling the dispute over his retirement benefits. Natasha: One of the issues of contention between Gateway and Morris has been whether they knew Clemishire was just 12 years old when Morris began abusing her. Warren: Morris pointed to a demand letter written by Clemishire’s attorney, now Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, in 2007 that referred to the sexual assaults beginning when Clemishire was just 12 years old. He said the board of elders received a copy of the letter at the time it was written. Drummond secured an indictment against Morris in Oklahoma for five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Natasha: So why is Morris bringing all of this up now? Warren: In his court filings, Morris said he was bringing this documentation of Gateway’s knowledge to light due to the church’s “repeatedly and misleadingly accusing Pastor Morris of lacking transparency” and “public blame shifting.” In his most recent court filing, Morris says he still stands ready to mediate and sent such an offer on May 19, stating, “Morris will agree to mediate the case in Tarrant County provided that such mediation take place with all due haste.” He asked the court to order the parties to mediation and to grant his request to compel the parties to arbitration before the Institute for Christian Conciliation. Natasha: Next, a musician and ministry leader has been accused by former employees. Warren: Five former leaders of groups associated with Sean Feucht have issued a formal statement bringing to light what they call “longstanding and serious moral, ethical, financial,

Warren Hello, everyone. I’m Warren Smith and I’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. On today’s episode, I’m pleased to have Kim Roberts on the program. If you are a regular reader of MinistryWatch, you know Kim’s name. She is MinistryWatch’s most prolific contributor, and – more to the point today – she is also the manager of MinistryWatch’s quarterly survey of Christian ministry executives. Kim, welcome to the program, and let’s begin with some basic mechanics about the survey. Kim We have more than 1000 ministries in our database, and we send our survey mostly to the CEOs of those organizations. How that we’ve been at this a while, we typically get more than 100 responses, which we feel like is enough to give us a flavor for what these ministry executives are thinking. We’ve been conducting this quarterly survey since October 2022, so nearly three years. Warren We ask a lot of the same questions quarter after quarter, so we can see if sentiment is changing on issues like the state of the economy and the financial health of their own organizations. But we also usually ask one or two new questions each quarter. One of the questions we’ve been asking for the past quarter or two has been about Donald Trump. We asked the ministry executives if they thought President Trump’s policies would have a positive or negative impact on their work. What did you learn? Kim About 27% of Christian ministry leaders told MinistryWatch they believe the Trump administration’s policies will have a negative impact on the organization they lead or the work they do. This is an increase from 19% who gave the same answer in our January survey. Warren OK, so that’s an 8 percent increase. Significant, but not huge. Kim Not huge, but you get a more complete picture when you look at the percentage of executives who are optimistic about Trump’s policies. In January, nearly 55% of respondents were optimistic that the new administration’s policies would have a positive impact. That has dropped to 38% in this month’s survey. That’s a 17 percent drop, which is much more significant. Warren One of the questions we ask every quarter is one about revenue. Any changes? Kim According to the survey respondents, revenue has not increased over the last 12 months as much as it had previously. Only about 16% saw an increase of at least 10% or more in revenue — down from about 21% of respondents in January. Warren About 21% saw their revenue remain flat in that same period. That result is similar to the survey results from July. Kim We also asked a related question about whether ministry leaders believe a recession is on the horizon for the U.S. economy. Leaders are not as optimistic about the state of the nation’s economy as they were in January, with 49% responding that they do not think the U.S. will enter a recession in the next year, down from 62% in January. A majority of leaders — 51% — believe the economy is already in a recession or will enter one in the next six months to a year. Warren Despite their predictions of a recession, ministry leaders are optimistic their revenue will grow over the next 12 months. Kim That’s right. A majority — 51.4% — believe their revenue will grow between 1% and 10% over the next year, and a healthy 19% believe it will grow by more than 10%. About 21% believe their revenue will remain flat. Warren OK, so ministry leaders are optimistic, but they still cite fundraising as the primary challenge they face in leading their ministry. As in January, about 50% of ministry executives cited fundraising as their biggest challenge. Kim When we first began the survey in October 2022, finding and keeping qualified staff was a persistently challenging situation faced by ministry leaders. While it remains a challenge cited by about 25% of respondents in this quarter’s survey, it is down from over 40% when the survey began. Warren A couple of questions that we’ve been asking for a while showed some...

In 1985, Neil Postman published Amusing Ourselves to Death. That means this year is the 40th birthday of this landmark book. And in that 40 years, Postman’s troubling prophesies have mostly come true. Screens have reshaped our minds, our relationships, and our culture. Ivan Mesa and Brett McCracken say that “social media and smartphones have brought an appetite for distraction, an epidemic of loneliness, and increased rates of mental health challenges. Their new book, Scrolling Ourselves to Death, is a collection of essays by them and many others who have studied not only Neil Postman’s book, but also the culture – examining both through a Christian worldview lens. Both Postman’s original book, and this new book celebrating Postman, have much to offer Christians today, and I’m delighted to have both Brett and Ivan on the podcast. Brett McCracken is a senior editor for The Gospel Coalition and the author of many excellent books, including one of my recent favorites, The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World. Ivan Mesa ha a PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the editorial director for The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m your host Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Gateway Church has named a new senior pastor. The appointment comes a year after child sexual abuse accusations surfaced against founding pastor Robert Morris. We’ll have details. And, the Department of Justice is suing a city in Idaho for discriminating against Christ the Redeemer Church—a church plant of Doug Wilson’s Christ Church. The church has been seeking a permit to meet in an old bank building—a request the city has denied. We’ll take a look. Plus, Gereld Duane Rollins—who sued SBC legend Paul Pressler for sexual abuse—has died. His lawsuit sparked a Southern Baptist abuse reckoning. But first, Fuller Seminary reaffirms its stance on biblical sexuality. The board of Fuller, a leading evangelical seminary voted to affirm its long-standing stance on biblical marriage and human sexuality during its May meeting. But an email to supporters May 22 caused confusion. The email defined the biblical and historical understanding of biblical sexuality as “a union between a man and a woman and sexual intimacy within the context of that union.” But in the same email, the seminary’s president also acknowledged that some “faithful” Christian denominations “have come to affirm other covenantal forms of relationship,” an unusual stance for an evangelical seminary. 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, and Laura Erlanson. A special thanks to Baptist Press 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 this week from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, Gateway Church has named a new senior pastor. The appointment comes a year after child sexual abuse accusations surfaced against founding pastor Robert Morris. We’ll have details. And, the Department of Justice is suing a city in Idaho for discriminating against Christ the Redeemer Church—a church plant of Doug Wilson’s Christ Church. The church has been seeking a permit to meet in an old bank building—a request the city has denied. We’ll take a look. Plus, Gereld Duane Rollins—who sued SBC legend Paul Pressler for sexual abuse—has died. His lawsuit sparked a Southern Baptist abuse reckoning. Natasha: But first, Fuller Seminary reaffirms its stance on biblical sexuality. Warren: The board of Fuller, a leading evangelical seminary voted to affirm its long-standing stance on biblical marriage and human sexuality during its May meeting. In an email to supporters May 22, Fuller caused confusion. The email defined the biblical and historical understanding of biblical sexuality as “a union between a man and a woman and sexual intimacy within the context of that union.” But in the same email, the seminary’s president also acknowledged that some “faithful” Christian denominations “have come to affirm other covenantal forms of relationship,” an unusual stance for an evangelical seminary. Natasha: The acknowledgment that denominations can disagree on the issue and remain faithful led to an online firestorm about whether married gay students who belong to so-called “affirming” denominations might be allowed at the school. Or what will happen to faculty who affirm same-sex marriage. Warren: When asked how the comments about affirming Christians might affect the seminary’s ban on LBGTQ relationships for students, a spokesperson confirmed there was no official change to policy. “The board has made no changes to Fuller’s Community Standards, which all students commit to adhere to upon enrollment, and which states Fuller’s belief that ‘sexual union m...

I was recently trying to remember the first time I met S.D. (Sam) Smith, the creator of the wildly popular Green Ember books. I think it was at a homeschool conference a decade ago, back when I was working at The Colson Center. I noticed that one of the booths in the exhibit hall was crowded with kids and their parents. It was Sam’s booth, and the kids were going just crazy in their enthusiasm for Sam’s “rabbits with swords,” the heroic and delightful characters who are the stars of the Green Ember books. Since then, Sam’s Green Ember books – plus other series that we’ll talk about today – have sold more than 1.5 million books. Sam’s brother Josiah is a key partner in the cottage industry that the Smiths have created, and his son – also named Josiah – is now a co-writer of the Jack Zulu books. I’m also pleased to say that Sam has become a good friend, so this conversation might get a little free-wheeling. We talk about writing the Green Ember and Jack Zulu books, a kickstarter campaign that has already raised more than $200,000 for a video game based on one of the characters in the Green Ember series, and why he has chosen to stay in West Virginia when conventional wisdom says he might have an easier time of it if he moved to Nashville, New York, or one of the other so-called “cultural centers” in the country. I think you’ll find Sam’s perspective both encouraging and challenging. We had this conversation via zoom. That brings to a close my conversation with S.D. (Sam) Smith. You can find out more about Sam and his work at www.sdsmith.com. By the way, since Sam and I spoke, his kickstarter campaign has significantly exceeded its $200,000 goal. Congratulations to Sam and his team on this milestone. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m  your host Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Liberty University reached a settlement with disgraced former President Jerry Falwell Jr. last year, but the terms of that settlement were only disclosed this week. We’ll have details. And, Bob Jones University names a new president just a month after its current leader announced he is stepping back. Many alumni aren’t happy with the choice. We’ll explain why. Plus, beloved Bible study author Kay Arthur has died at 91. We’ll look back at the ministry founder’s life. But first, police close its investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Daystar. The police department investigating accusations that sexual abuse was covered up by Daystar Television Network’s founding family, Joni and Marcus Lamb, has announced it is closing the investigation. According to the Colleyville Police Department in North Texas, the allegations were thoroughly investigated over the last year and a half, but no one will be charged in the matter. 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, Marci Seither, Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, Brittany Smith, 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.   MANUSCRIPT:  FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you this week from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, Liberty University reached a settlement with disgraced former President Jerry Falwell Jr. last year, but the terms of that settlement were only disclosed this week. We’ll have details. And, Bob Jones University names a new president just a month after its current leader announced he is stepping back. Many alumni aren’t happy with the choice. We’ll explain why. Plus, beloved Bible study author Kay Arthur has died at 91. We’ll look back at the ministry founder’s life. Natasha: But first, Police close its investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Daystar. Warren: The police department investigating accusations that sexual abuse was covered up by Daystar Television Network’s founding family, Joni and Marcus Lamb, has announced it is closing the investigation. According to the Colleyville Police Department in North Texas, the allegations were thoroughly investigated over the last year and a half, but no one will be charged in the matter. Dara Nelson, Colleyville Police Department’s public information officer, in a statement. “The case is closed with no charges filed. In Texas, there is no statute of limitations for sexual assault of a child. If any new evidence emerges in this case, it will be thoroughly investigated,” she added. Natasha: Warren, can you briefly give us a little more background to this story? Warren: Last fall, Jonathan Lamb, son of Daystar founders Marcus and Joni Lamb, and his wife, Suzy, publicly accused Daystar leaders of covering up abuse involving their daughter from several years prior. The couple accused a Lamb family member, identified as “Pete,” of the abuse. Pete submitted to two lie detector tests, and no evidence was ever produced implicating him in the abuse, according to a statement on Daystar’s website. Both “Pete” and Daystar denied any wrongdoing. Natasha: But the family isn’t convinced. Warren: In a post on X, Suzy Lamb called the investigation closure “a formality,” adding that victims of abuse often take years to speak up. She also said “Pete” was not exonerated of the alleged abuse. “When our child is ready to speak – she will and the case will be wide open again,” Suzy Lamb wrote. “Till then we rest and trust God to bring justice.”

On today’s program, Warren Smith talks with Michael Reneau of The Dispatch about his new column “Dispatch Faith.” They also unpack the mission of The Dispatch, his role there, the state of American journalism, and a whole lot more. Before joining The Dispatch, Michael Reneau was the editor of WORLD Magazine. He also served as editor of the award-winning paper The Greenville Sun, based in Greenville, Tennessee. He is married and he and his wife have four children. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.

If you are a conservative, Bible-believing Christian, there’s a lot to like about the Rev. Calvin Robinson. Raised in England, he stood up to the liberalism of the Church of England and, as a result, that church would not ordain him. He is a powerful communicator who puts his gifts in service of pro-life causes, the sanctity of marriage, and other important issues. Then there’s the “other” Calvin Robinson. If you’ve been following the news about Robinson this week, you probably know that Calvin Robinson, too. That Calvin Robinson is an agent provocateur. He made what appeared to be a Nazi-like salute at a pro-life event in January. He has been fired or suspended from media and ministry jobs. This Calvin Robinson is a guy who seems to be in love with the spotlight, but not at all in love with those in authority over him telling him what to do. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. The host is Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Calvin Robinson was dismissed by the Anglican Catholic Church earlier this year after making a nazi-like salute at a pro-life summit. This week, another denomination has restored him to service…but not without pushback. We’ll have details. The Episcopal Church is ending its partnership with the U.S. after refusing to settle refugees from South Africa. We’ll take a look. Plus, long-time Carolina University President Charles Petitt passed away last week. His two-decade tenure transformed the small North Carolina school. First, influential Calvinist pastor has been suspended from his church over multiple fake social media accounts he ran where he criticized pastors and elders in his inner circle. 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, Kathryn Post, Tony Mator, Jack Jenkins, Bruce Barron, Kim Roberts,  Shannon Cuthrell, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Illinois Baptist and Bruce Barron 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 this week from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, Calvin Robinson was dismissed by the Anglican Catholic Church earlier this year after making a nazi-like salute at a pro-life summit. This week, another denomination has restored him to service…but not without pushback. We’ll have details. And, the Episcopal Church is ending its partnership with the U.S. after refusing to settle refugees from South Africa. We’ll take a look. Plus, long-time Carolina University President Charles Petitt passed away last week. His two-decade tenure transformed the small North Carolina school. Natasha: But first, influential Calvinist pastor has been suspended from his church over multiple fake social media accounts he ran where he criticized pastors and elders in his inner circle. Warren: Josh Buice, founder of the G3 Conference and pastor of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, was placed on indefinite leave last week after church leaders “uncovered irrefutable evidence that Dr. Buice has, for the past three years, operated at least four anonymous social media accounts, two anonymous email addresses, and two Substack platforms.” According to a statement from the church. “These accounts were used to publicly and anonymously slander numerous Christian leaders, including faithful pastors (some of whom have spoken at G3 conferences), several PMBC elders, and others,” “These actions were not only sinful in nature but deeply divisive, causing unnecessary suspicion and strife within the body of Christ, and particularly within the eldership of PMBC.” Natasha: Buice has also resigned as president of G3, which was founded in 2019 and brought in $2.3 million in revenue for the 2023 calendar year, according to its public IRS financial disclosures. The group grew out of a conference started by Buice in 2013 — the name G3 stands for “Gospel, Grace, Glory.” The group claimed its annual conference drew 6,500 people in 2021, according to the G3 website. Warren: The board of G3 has canceled the group’s annual conference, which had been planned for September, and promised full refunds. Natasha: So who was he criticizing? Warren: Buice especially criticized former Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore and Bible teacher Beth Moore (not related) for allegedly promoting liberal ideas in the church, as well as former SBC President Ed Litton for alleged sermon plagiarism. He has also apparently been running anonymous social media accounts that criticized other pastors...

I went on a road trip this week from my home in Charlotte, N.C., through Nashville to Branson, Mo., where I spoke at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Press Association. From there I drove home through Terre Haute and Indianapolis, Ind., and Beckley, W.Va. In 72 hours, I put in more than 1800 miles. It wasn’t all windshield time. I stopped for meetings all along the way, and I learned that real, life-changing and culture-changing work is happening in places that are not New York or Washington, or Los Angeles. Here’s what I learned…. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.