MinistryWatch Podcast

Karl Vaters is not against bigness on principle. He is quick to point out that large churches can use their size to do things that smaller churches simply cannot. But he also says that the things that big churches do better are few, and that getting big, pursuing growth, often comes at great financial and spiritual cost. His new book is called De-Sizing The Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What’s Next. He says that numbers are meant to inform us, not define us, and he goes on to say that our obsession with numbers is literally killing the church and its witness in the world. Karl Vaters knows of what he speaks. He grew up studying the Church Growth Movement, but he realized that most churches in America have less than 100 members, and that if he really wanted to make a difference, he should put his energies there. In addition to being a pastor, he has written other books, including The Church Recovery Guide, 100 Days to a Healthier Church, and Small Church Essentials. He and his wife Shelley have three children and two grandkids. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, former CEO of Orange, Kristen Ivy, originally admitted to an “inappropriate relationship” with the ministry’s founder Reggie Joiner. Now, she’s reclassifying that relationship as clergy abuse. We’ll have details. Also, summer is the season of short-term missions—but The Chalmers Center has some warnings before posting about those trips on social media. We’ll take a look.  And, former S-B-C leader and long-time megachurch pastor Ed Young announces he’s retiring. But first, a young American missionary couple and a ministry leader were killed by gangs in Haiti. Natalie and Davy Lloyd  were American Missionaries working with Missions in Haiti, Inc. and Jude Montis was the Haitian director of the organization Jude Montis. The three, were killed by gang members near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday night (May 23). 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 Fiona Andrè, Bob Smietana, Kim Roberts, Brittany Smith, Jessica Eturralde, and Christina Darnell. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s MinistryWatch podcast we remember Marshall Allen, an investigative journalist who was a friend and supporter of MinistryWatch. To read a transcript of this podcast, click here. You’ll also find there links mentioned in today’s episode. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God blss you.

On today’s program, the U-S Department of Justice has indicted a former professor and interim provost of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for obstructing justice in a sexual misconduct case. We’ll have details. Also, the Boy Scouts of America changes their name in hopes of boosting its dwindling numbers—but instead, a different scouting ministry is being flooded with requests for more information. We’ll take a look at Trail Life USA later in the program. And, World Vision is ordered to pay $120-thousand in a discrimination case. But first, Forerunner Church—the official church of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City—held its last Sunday worship service last week. FINAL THOUGHTS: 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, Bob Smietana, Tony Mator, Stephen Clark, Theresa, Jessica Eturralde, Clemente Lisi, Marci Seither, Kathryn Post, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Religion UnPlugged for contributing material for this week’s program. Until next time, may God bless you.

Exploring the controversy around David French and the PCA, lessons learned from the cancellation of the panel, analyzing ideological shifts, and French's departure to a Baptist Church. Reflecting on the PCA's decision and the need for soul searching in light of the controversy.

On today’s program, a North Carolina Sheriff’s office has called in the FBI to help investigate the death of pastor’s wife, Mica Miller. We’ll have details. And, Haitian workers are concerned Christian donors could be hurting the very people they’re trying to help…and ask donors to redirect their money away from orphanages. We’ll take a look. Also, Gospel for Asia founder K-P Yohannan dies following a tragic accident. But first, another church is being told by its city to close its temporary homeless shelter, accusing them of zoning violations. Another city is trying to close a church-hosted shelter by accusing it of a zoning violation. 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, Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, Shannon Cuthrell, Fiona Andrè, Jessica Eturralde, Stephen Clark, Bethany Starin, and Brittany Smith. A special thanks to A-G News for contributing material for this week’s program. Until next time, may God bless you.

Author and journalist Katelyn Beaty discusses the negative impact of fame and celebrity culture on the evangelical church, highlighting how profits and personal empires can distort the message of faith. She explores the intertwining of fame and the evangelical movement, emphasizing the need for accountability and transparency in Christian ministries. Beaty also delves into the challenges of navigating the Christian book publishing industry and promotes the value of ordinary faithfulness over the pursuit of glamour within American religious circles.

On today’s program, an investigation into the death of a South Carolina pastor’s wife, 30-year-old Mica Miller, has captured the attention of people across the nation, raising questions about mental health and abuse. We’ll look at the latest findings. A Pennsylvania pastor faces a gunman in the middle of his Sunday sermon. We’ll have details. A new Southern Baptist report details where member churches stand with attendance, baptisms, and sexual abuse reforms. We’ll take a look. But first, a lawsuit against Christian author and radio host Eric Metaxas is moving forward despite concerns about free speech.  I wanted to remind everyone that it’s a new month, May, and we have a new book we’d like to share with our donors. Katelyn Beaty’s book “Celebrities For Jesus” is a fantastic book about the trend in evangelicalism toward the idolization of celebrity pastors and leaders. It has a lot of insight about many of the issues we cover regularly here at MinistryWatch, and I think if you like MinistryWatch, you are going to find this book valuable. We’ll send it to you absolutely free, as our thank you, for a gift of any size to MinistryWatch this month. Just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. Until next time, may God bless you.

Aaron Renn discusses the changing perception of Christianity, dividing history into positive, neutral, and negative worlds. He shares insights on challenges faced by American evangelicals, analyzes political scandals across generations, and explores evangelical responses to a negative world. The discussion also covers opportunities for Christians to help in addressing societal challenges and highlights Renn's book 'Life in the Negative World.'

Bestselling author Wayne Grudem retires after 50 years of teaching. Topics include United Methodist Church's decision on LGBTQ clergy, challenges for churches disaffiliating, Crossroads Church's $21 million expansion, legal troubles for a pastor helping the homeless, church official's misconduct, and trends in Christian ministries.