MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, a bizarre story out of Haiti. Haitian gangs are using churches to smuggle arms into the country.  We’ll explain how that scheme works. And a church in Alabama has to pay back nearly a half-million dollars given to it a decade ago because the man who gave the gift has now declared bankruptcy. And this church is not alone. We’ll have details. Later in the program, we look at the popular bible app YouVersion. It’s released its annual list of the most searched Bible verses of the year. We begin today with news that an engineer for one of the nation’s largest Christian broadcasters has been sued over misappropriation of funds.The Association of Professional Radio Engineers (APRE) has filed a suit against Shane Toven, a senior broadcast engineer employed by Educational Media Foundation. Educational Media Foundation is the parent company of the K-Love radio network. FINAL THOUGHTS As I have said before, we are in the most critical time of the year for Christian ministries, including MinistryWatch, when it comes to fundraising. We need to raise about a quarter of our budget, about $117 thousand, in the months of November and December. We just passed the $78,000 mark, so we are about 2/3 of the way there. Which is great.  But we have less than 10 days to go. If you’ve already given, THANK YOU.  If you have not, I hope you will prayerfully consider a gift to MinistryWatch before year-end. And, of course, MinistryWatch is not alone. Some ministries raise 30 or 40 percent of their budgets during the last two months of the year. If you’d like to help us reach our year-end goal, just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. But whether you give to us or not, we hope you will use our database to help you make giving decisions. And that you will give wisely and generously during this season. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and 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, Steve Rabey, Tim Padgett, Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to WLRN for contributing material for this week’s podcast. .Until next time, may God bless you.

Dr. Russell Moore is editor in chief of “Christianity Today” and previously served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Today we discuss his new book Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call For Evangelical America.” The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh. We get database, technical, editorial, and other support from Christina Darnell, Kim Roberts, Casey Sudduth, and Stephen DuBarry. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Brian Houston of Hillsong infamy is starting a new church. We ask:  is it too soon?  Also on today’s program: Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer Kansas City has apologized for past behaviors, sort of. We also have an update on the lawsuit against prosperity gospel preacher David Taylor. We finally have a court date. Finally, American Life League has published a list of which non-profit organizations you should not support based on their abortion positions. Some of the ministries on the list may surprise you. We begin today with news from one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in the state of Arkansas. FINAL THOUGHTS: As I have said before, we are in the most critical time of the year for Christian ministries, including MinistryWatch, when it comes to fundraising. We need to raise about a quarter of our budget, about $117 thousand, in the months of November and December. We just passed the $66,000 mark, so we are over half-way there. If you’ve already given, THANK YOU.  If you have not, I hope you will prayerfully consider a gift to MinistryWatch before year-end. And, of course, MinistryWatch is not alone. Some ministries raise 30 or 40 percent of their budgets during the last two months of the year. If you’d like to help us reach our year-end goal, just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. But whether you give to us or not, we hope you will use our database to help you make giving decisions. And that you will give wisely and generously during this season. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and 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, Brittany Smith, Bob Smietana, Steve Rabey, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Christina Darnell, and Rod Pitzer. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s MinistryWatch EXTRA episode, we have Tim Alberta. Tim writes for The Atlantic and is the author of a new book that I think will likely cause shock waves in the public conversation about evangelicalism and its relationship to politics. FINAL THOUGHTS: Thanks to Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh for producing today’s program. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, former Hillsong Atlanta pastors announce their divorce on social media. We’ll have details. And a judge rules that World Vision is liable for discrimination after rescinding a job offer after discovering a woman was in a same-sex marriage. Plus, both David C Cook and Museum of the Bible announce new CEOs. We’ll take a look. We begin today with news that the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia has ousted its pastor Liam Goligher. Although Goligher is no longer pastoring the influential church—associated with the Presbyterian Church in America—some critics are asking what took so long. FINAL THOUGHTS We are in the most critical time of the year for Christian ministries, including MinistryWatch, when it comes to fundraising. We need to raise about a quarter of our budget, about $116 thousand, in the months of November and December. We just passed the $60,000 mark, so we are over half-way there. If you’ve already given, THANK YOU.  If you have not, I hope you will prayerfully consider a gift to MinistryWatch before year-end. And, of course, MinistryWatch is not alone. Some ministries raise 30 or 40 percent of their budgets during the last two months of the year. If you’d like to help us reach our year-end goal, just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. But whether you give to us or not, we hope you will use our database to help you make giving decisions. And that you will give wisely and generously during this season. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and 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 Steve Rabey, Brittany Smith, Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Daniel Ritchie, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren. Until next time, may God bless you.

The story of the Gaderene Demoniac in Mark 5 is one of my favorite stories. In a celebrity soaked age, it has lessons for pastors and ministry leaders. I identify five of them. By the way, if you’d like to read this episode, complete with links mentioned today, click here. FINAL THOUGHTS: The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh. We get technical, database, and editorial support from Christina Darnell, Kim Roberts, Casey Sudduth, and Stephen DuBarry. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, New York opened a one-year window to allow adult abuse survivors to file lawsuits that were barred by the statute of limitations—that window closed on Thanksgiving Day. We’ll have an update. And we’ll look at a recent statement by the International House of Prayer in Kansas City about its investigation into its founder Mike Bickle. Also, religious groups are no longer the most trusted charities, according to a recent report by the Better Business Bureau.  We’ll have details later in the program. We begin today with news that Crandall University has fired its professor of religious studies for sexual misconduct. FINAL THOUGHTS: The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and 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 Brittany Smith, Kim Roberts, Fiona André, Shannon Cuthrell, Jessica Eturralde, and Rod Pitzer. Until next time, may God bless you.

Any assessment of Contemporary Christian Music in the 1980s and 90s would have to include the name Steve Camp. His first national release, “Sayin’ It With Love,” topped the then fledgling Christian charts in 1978, 45 years ago.  He put out a steady stream of top selling albums and singles for the next 20 years. But in 1998 he did something that amplified his influence far beyond the Christian music scene. While on tour in Europe, he visited the church where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, an event that many say ushered in the Reformation. Camp sent out his own 107 theses on Reformation Day (October 31), 1998, calling for a reformation in contemporary Christian music: calling Christian musicians to make direct, uncompromising music that confronts the world with the message of the scriptures. Camp’s 107 Theses was widely covered at the time in Christian media, and some of the ideas he introduced are being hotly debated even today. So when I heard that Steve Camp had a new album out, his first in more than 15 years, I could not resist the opportunity to have a chat with him. We talk about his new album, “Neighbors in an Age of Rage,” and his work as a pastor of a church in Florida. By the way, you can find Steve Camp’s 107 Theses here. FINAL THOUGHTS If you enjoy interviews such as this, please consider supporting MinistryWatch.  I’m recording this on “Giving Tuesday,” and I know that many of you will be supporting us today. I’m grateful for that. But please know that our needs go on year-round, and we’d love to hear from you any time. In fact, I have a special challenge for you today. This year is the 25thanniversary of MinistryWatch, and we are hoping that 100 people will help us celebrate by making a commitment of $25 per month. Just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page, and we’ll have a way there for you to make a recurring $25 per month contribution. That would be a huge help to us as we end 2023 and begin the new year. The producers for today’s program are Jeff McIntosh and Rich Roszel. We get database, technical, and editorial support from Christina Darnell, Kim Roberts, Stephen duBarry, and Casey Sudduth. Until next time – may God bless you.

During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, you will compelling, even heartbreaking, appeals for funds. One of them came to me from Prison Fellowship Ministries. It began: “Bibles are desperately needed in America’s prisons. Every gift you give will put Bibles and Christian content into the hands of a waiting prisoner.” But is that true? We tried to find out, and our search highlights the fact that donors to Christian ministries need to give generously, but also wisely. In this episode of the MinistryWatch podcast, we highlight some of the questions we ask, and suggest that you should be asking them too. FINAL WORDS: The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh. We get database, technical, and other support from Casey Sudduth, Stephen DuBarry, Christina Darnell, and Kim Roberts, Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless you.

On today’s program, the International House of Prayer in Kansas City has stripped its founding leader Mike Bickle of his duties pending a formal investigation into allegations of clergy sexual abuse. We’ll have details. Also, Bible publishers—are they stewards of God’s Word…or profiteers? We take a closer look. Then, later in the program, church switchers share the reasons behind their congregational change. We begin today with news that pastor and author Scott Sauls has resigned from leadership at his Nashville megachurch. FINAL THOUGHTS I do want to mention to our listeners that we are in the most critical time of the year for Christian ministries, including MinistryWatch, when it comes to fundraising. We need to raise about a quarter of our budget, about $110 thousand, before the end of the year, and we need to raise about $40,000 of that this month alone. We have Giving Tuesday coming up the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. That’s November 28. And I hope those of you who are listening to this will prayerfully consider making a gift to us on that day. And, of course, MinistryWatch is not alone. Some ministries raise 30 or 40 percent of their budgets during the last two months of the year. If you’d like to help us reach our year-end goal, just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. But whether you give to us or not, we hope you will use our database to help you make giving decisions. And that you will give wisely and generously during this season. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and 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, Shannon Cuthrell, Jon Here, Aaron Earls, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.