MinistryWatch Podcast

Regular listeners to this podcast, or readers of our website, know that we cover a lot of stories about sexual abuse. We take no pleasure in these stories, but we believe they are important.  To explain why, I would use a simple analogy.  I would ask you to imagine that you have a headache.  If you think this headache is caused by sinus pressure, or perhaps too much coffee, you will take a couple of aspirin and go about your business. But what if that headache is the symptom of a brain tumor, and those headaches are a warning from your body to do something? That’s why we cover sexual abuse stories:  We believe that just as headaches can be a warning that something in our physical bodies is amiss, the stories we do at MinistryWatch – especially their frequency and severity – should be a warning to us that something in the Body of Christ is amiss, and we need to do more than take a couple of aspirin and get on with our lives. But we need more than a good diagnosis.  We need a cure.  That’s why I’m delighted to have Jeff Dalrymple on the program. Jeff is helping the church to act in biblical ways.  He leads a group called ECAP, the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention.  The group has been around for only a few years, but MinistryWatch was an early fan.  More than 20 MinistryWatch stories at least mention ECAP and its work, and I’m delighted to have Jeff on the program today. Prior to joining ECAP, Jeff was a vice president at Southern Seminary in Louisville Kentucky. Jeff and I have mentioned a number of resources on today’s program.  Here are a few links to help you find them: First, here’s a link to ECAP’s website.  Also, here’s a link to MinistryWatch’s coverage of ECAP’s activities.  Finally, here’s a link to a book we mentioned today, Dr. Michael Kruger’s Bully Pulpit. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, former megachurch pastor James MacDonald has been arrested in California. We’ll have details.  We also have an update on our “Pastors and Planes” project, which we’re doing in conjunction with The Trinity Foundation.  Find out which ministries are using donor dollars to fly around in private jets. And we remember Charles Stanley and George Verwer, two giants in the evangelical church, both of whom passed away in the past week. We begin today with news that another pro-life Pregnancy Resource Center has been vandalized. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kim Roberts, Anne Stych, Bob Smietana, Steve Rabey, Christina Darnell, Rod Pitzer—and you, Warren. Until next time, may God bless you.

On this week’s EXTRA episode, we’re doing something a bit different.  We’re featuring a short conversation with my MinistryWatch co-host Natasha Smith. Natasha shares a bit of her background, how she got to MinistryWatch, and some big news coming up in her life. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Compassion International paid Hillsong $1-million a year to sponsor its concert tour.  We’ll have details. Have you ever wondered why all the songs on Christian radio sound the same?  There’s a reason, and that reason is money.  We’ll explain. We begin today with the resignation of the chairman of the board of Bob Jones University. FINAL THOUGHTS:  A quick shout-out to the folks in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I’m there this week, and I had a chance to meet with supporters of MinistryWatch who live in the area.  That was such an encouraging time for me.  We had a great visit. And a reminder that I’ll be in Orlando, Florida, in May, and in Southern California in June, doing similar events.  If you live in these areas, check your in-box for dates, times, and places for events in your vicinity. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Anne Stych, Katelyn Beaty, Bob Smietana, Richard Levey, Rod Pitzer—and you, Warren. Special thanks to The NonProfit Times and Katelyn Beaty with The Beaty Beat for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

Regular listeners to this podcast, or readers of our website, you know that we cover a lot of financial frauds.  It’s reasonable to ask, and often we get this question:  “Are you guys just going for sensationalism, or is financial fraud really that big a problem?” The answer is not one that any of us want to hear.  It really is a big problem. That’s why I wanted to have Matthew Branaugh on the podcast.  He’ll help us identify just now bit a problem it is, and he’ll also give us some advice about how we can reduce the chances of fraud happening to the ministries and churches we lead and love. Matthew Branaugh is an attorney, and the content editor for Church Law & Tax at Christianity Today. He leads an award-winning team of editors and designers with the planning, creation, and publishing of ChurchLawAndTax.com and numerous print and digital resources. Matthew earned his juris doctor (JD) with honors from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Matt and I have mentioned a number of resources on today’s program.  Here is the survey we discussed: https://www.churchlawandtax.com/web/2021/september/why-every-church-is-at-risk-of-fraud.html This free on-demand webinar also discusses the findings: https://pages.churchlawandtax.com/preventing-fraud-in-your-church MinistryWatch publishes a list of “75 Red Flags” that ministry leaders can use to do a “deep dive” into their own organizations.  You can download the PDF for free here: https://ministrywatch.com/75-red-flags-is-a-guide-for-donors-who-want-to-dig-deep/ The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, the president of Bob Jones University resigns in what some media reports have called a coup by some of the hardline fundamentalist board members at the school. We also look at the remarkable growth of the relief and development ministry Convoy of Hope. We also look at why so many ministry leaders have been resigning lately.  Is it part of a trend, and – if so – why? We begin today with a major lawsuit against the United Methodist Church. More than 180 churches have joined together to sue the North Georgia Conference and its leaders, seeking to leave The United Methodist Church with property. It’s the most congregations that have banded together in a single lawsuit since the denomination began undergoing a slow-motion separation several years ago. FINAL THOUGHTS:  I want our listeners to know that on April 26 I’ll be doing a webinar I’m calling “Ask Me Anything.”  When we’ve done webinars in the past, we always have a Q&A time, and often we get questions that have nothing to do with the topic of the webinar, so I decided to schedule a webinar where you could – as the title suggests – “Ask Me Anything.” Check your inbox in the next week or so for an invitation to this webinar.  It’s absolutely free, but you will need to register to get links and additional information. I also want to mention that I’ve got a bit of travel coming up in the next few months.  I’ll be in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, next week, and I’m hosting a lunch for donors, readers, and listeners on Wednesday.  If you live in Pennsylvania, you should have already received an invitation.  Again, it’s free, but you will need to sign up to get details (and so I can let the restaurant know how many people we’ll have.) In May I’ll be in Orlando, Florida, for the annual convention of the National Religious Broadcasters.  We’ll be doing a reader and listener lunch there, as well.  Again, check your inbox for details. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Shannon Cuthrell, Heather Hahn, Kim Roberts, Steve Rabey, Bob Smietana, Christina Darnell and Warren Smith. Special thanks to UM News, Covenant College, and World Hope International for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you…and Happy Easter.  He is risen indeed!

On today’s program, controversial pastor, Carl Lentz, is back in the pulpit two years after the scandal that forced him out of Hillsong. Popular Christian apologist John Ankerberg is facing accusations by a whistleblower that he took money that donors thought was going to pay for audio Bibles and used that money for other purposes. We begin today with the story that has horrified the entire nation this week.  The story of a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville. A community is reeling after a shooter killed three children and three staff members at a small Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday. FINAL THOUGHTS:  I want our listeners to know that TODAY is the last day they can give to MinistryWatch during the month of March, they’ll receive a copy of my book “Faith Based Fraud: Learning From the Great Religious Scandals of our Time.” It’s our thank you gift for a donation of any size to MinistryWatch in March.  Just go to the MinistryWatch website and hit the donate button at the top of the page. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Jesse Jackson, Roxanne Stone, Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Anne Stych, Christina Darnell, Eric Obernauer, Dale Chamberlain, Aaron Earls—and you, Warren. Special thanks to The NonProfit Times, ChurchLeaders.com, and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, we take a look at a Nigerian Prosperity Gospel preacher whose church, called the Winner’s Chapel, now has locations in 30 US cities.  We also have new information about The King’s College, the Manhattan Christian college facing a financial crisis. And a well known Christian filmmaker has pled guilty to felony sex charges. We’ll have details. We begin today with two stories about the Southern Baptist Convention.  The first one is about former SBC President Johnny Hunt, and the second one is about Karen Swallow Prior. FINAL THOUGHTS:  I want our listeners to know that if they give to MinistryWatch during the month of March, they’ll receive a copy of my book “Faith Based Fraud: Learning From the Great Religious Scandals of our Time.” We’ve offered this book in the past, but it’s been more than a year since the last time we offered it, and we have literally tens of thousands of new people on our email list, so we’re making it available again.  It’s our thank you gift for a donation of any size to MinistryWatch this month.  Just go to the MinistryWatch website and hit the donate button at the top of the page. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Jesse Jackson, Bob Smietana, Audrey Jackson, Kim Roberts, Anne Stych, Steve Rabey, Yonat Shimron, Christina Darnell, Meagan Saliashvili—and you, Warren. Special thanks to ChurchLeaders.com and The Christian Chronicle for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s MinistryWatch EXTRA episode, we’re doing something a bit different.  Let me explain. More than a year ago, in September of 2021, I wrote an article called “Just How Broken Is The Bible Translation Industry.” In that article I highlighted some of the problems I had seen in Bible translation world, from deceptive marketing practices to excessive spending on fundraising. I have a link to that article here. That article caused a minor stir in the Bible translation world.  I ended up having a lot of constructive conversations, and a few uncomfortable conversations, with leaders of Bible translation organizations. One of the men who read that article was Andrew Case. Andrew Case is a thought leader in the Bible translation world.  I’ve had Andrew on this podcast to talk about open sourcing of Bible translation and Bible translation tools, and I found him to be helpful on these and many other issues. You can find that conversation, as well as a more complete biography of Andrew Case, here. In fact, Andrew Case has his own podcast called “Working In The Word” that is listened to by Bible translators and their supporters around the world. And that gets me to my point: Last week Andrew devoted an entire podcast episode to examining and critiquing my 2021 article.  I should say up-front that Andrew did not consult me in advance of doing this episode.  He did not tell me he was going to do it.  I also want to be clear that he had no obligation to do so. But when I saw the episode show up in my podcast feed, I did have some trepidation. Because I had not spoken with Andrew about the article, I didn’t know if he would be supportive or critical. But after listening to the episode, I concluded that Andrew did a fair-minded assessment of the article, and he did some additional reporting – such as attempting to contact the Bible translation organizations I mention in my article.  I was trying to start a conversation with my article, and Andrew has joined that conversation, and I think that’s helpful. So I reached out to Andrew to ask if I could air his podcast on our podcast.  He graciously said yes, and what you will hear on today’s podcast is Andrew’s podcast in its entirety, with no edits or commentary from me. And if you would like to subscribe to Andrew’s podcast, you can do so here. And, by the way, Andrew did not require or even ask me to include a link to his podcast.  But if you are interested in Bible translation, either as a leader in a Bible translation organization, as a donor, or as a Christian concerned about the Great Commission, I think you’ll find Andrew’s podcast challenging and helpful. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh . We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Christina Darnell, Anne Stych, and Kim Roberts. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Arizona Christian University’s student teachers are no longer welcome in the local public school system, and the college is fighting back.  We’ll have details. A Ponzi scheme that targeted Christians defrauded investors of more than $80-million.  One of the perpetrators of the fraud cooperated with authorities and got off with a slap on the wrist.  We ask why? The ministry behind the popular devotional magazine “Our Daily Bread” was the victim of a data breach.  Some donors are complaining that they weren’t notified in a timely manner.  We’ll have more later in the program. We begin today with news that Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University. Jerry Falwell Jr. claims his former employer has withheld $8.5 million in retirement benefits that were previously promised to him.  FINAL THOUGHTS:  I want our listeners to know that if they give to MinistryWatch during the month of March, they’ll receive a copy of my book “Faith Based Fraud: Learning From the Great Religious Scandals of our Time.” We’ve offered this book in the past, but it’s been more than a year since the last time we offered it, and we have literally tens of thousands of new people on our email list, so we’re making it available again. It’s our thank you gift for a donation of any size to MinistryWatch this month.  Just go to the MinistryWatch website and hit the donate button at the top of the page. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.  We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Dale Chamberlain, Kim Roberts, Anne Stych, Steve Rabey, Kathryn Post, Christina Darnell, Rod Pitzer, Emily McFarlan Miller—and you, Warren. Special thanks to ChurchLeaders.com for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.