MinistryWatch Podcast

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.  

On today’s abbreviated MinistryWatch EXTRA episode, I’m going to give you an update on what’s going on here at MinistryWatch. Regular listeners know that late last year I started dropping in these monthly updates, and it appears that many of you find them interesting and helpful, as they’ve become some of our most listened to episodes. Today I’ll give you an update on what we’re doing, and let you know what we have planned over the next few months. The first things I want you to know is that February was a record month of us on the website.  I’ll explain why. The second thing I want you to know is that I have some travel coming up over the next few months, and I hope to use this travel as an opportunity to see some of you.  I’ll be in Chicago, Orlando, Colorado Springs, and Los Angeles between now and June, and I hope to see some of you face-to-face. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh.   We get database, technical, and editorial support from Stephen DuBarry, Christina Darnell, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, Kim Roberts, and Anne Stych. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Super Bowl winning NFL coach Tony Dungy has backed out of a conference hosted by Prosperity Gospel Preacher Andrew Wommack.  CBS anchor James Brown has, too. We explain why later in the program. Allen Stanford, who amassed billions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme that used unwitting Christian financial planners to sell his investment products, is now serving what will likely amount to a life sentence in jail. More than a decade after his sentencing, some of his victims may get some of their money back. Prosperity Gospel preachers and others made more than 300 flights on private aircraft during the month of February alone.  We’ll have the latest in our “Pastors and Planes” project. And a lot more…. 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 Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Anne Stych, Steve Rabey, Kathryn Post, Christina Darnell, Rod Pitzer—and you, Warren. Special thanks to The NonProfit Times for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, we have news from ACSI – the Association of Christian Schools International. They’re growing and changing, and not all of those changes are for the better. I’ll explain later in the program. We also have the latest news from Asbury University, where a revival started that is now sweeping the country. And we take a look at The John Ankerberg Show.  The popular apologetics teacher is under fire for his use of private jets and lavish travel. We begin today with the latest from the United Methodist Church. Bishop Scott Jones isn’t the first United Methodist bishop to join the Global Methodist Church since the theologically conservative denomination launched in May, but his exit from the UMC has arguably caused the greatest stir.   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 Ryan Gabrielson, J. David McSwane, Jessica Eturralde, Dale Chamberlain, Kim Roberts, Phil Cooke, Fiona Morgan, Bob Smietana, Steve Rabey, Emily McFarlan Miller, Christina Darnell, Rod Pitzer—and you, Warren. Special thanks to churchleaders.com and ProPublica for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

An important part of what we do here at MinistryWatch – especially with these “Extra” episodes — is to bring to you thought leaders who have important things to say both to donors and to ministry leaders. That’s why I’m pleased to have back on the program Phil Cooke. Phil wrote a provocative article for his webite, PhilCooke.com.  It’s called “Can Christian Critics Just Give The Asbury Revival, The Chosen, and He Gets Us A Rest? Phil graciously consented to let us reprint that article on the MinistryWatch website.  You can find it here. And to be on the program today to talk about the article and some of the ideas it raises. Phil Cooke is a working producer in Hollywood who also has a Ph. D. in theology.  He’s the author of a half-dozen books on media and marketing and has been a contributor to Fast Company, Forbes, and The Huffington Post.  He is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as well as the Producer’s Guild of America. FINAL NOTES: In today’s program I mentioned my article about Lonnie Frisbee. You can find the article here. Also, before we go, I’d like to remind you that MinistryWatch is donor supported.  We take no money from ministries.  All of our content is free.  No paywall.  That means we couldn’t do what we do without faithful donors.  You guys are the real heroes of this enterprise.  So if you’d like to join that heroic group by pitching in to make sure that MinistryWatch remains a viable endeavor, you can go to MinistryWatch.com 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, technical, and editorial support from Stephen DuBarry, Christina Darnell, Emily Kern, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky is entering a new phase, but it is also spreading to other locations. We also have updates on the Southern Baptist Convention’s struggles with one of its former presidents, Johnny Hunt. And in MinistryWatch’s quarterly survey of ministry executives, we’re seeing a shift.  Leaders are becoming slightly less concerned about finding qualified staff, and more concerned about finding donors.  We’ll have details later in the program. We begin today with a story that Saddleback Church, founded by Pastor Rick Warren, has been kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention for ordaining women. Here are a few links I promised to include in the Show Notes: Warren’s interview with Rick Warren The most recent article about our quarterly ministry leaders survey.  (It links to past stories about this survey.) “When A Church Is Not A Church,” which outlines MinistryWatch’s concerns about ministries identifying themselves as churches. Final Thoughts: A reminder that this is the last week you can give to MinistryWatch and receive a copy of the book “Handling Allegations in a Ministry” by Theresa Lynn Sidebotham.  This is a valuable resource for pastors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, and active and involved church members and ministry donors.  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 Steve Rabey, Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Dale Chamberlain, Adelle Banks, and Kim Roberts. Special thanks to churchleaders.com for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  We’ve got an update on what Christian ministries have been doing to relieve the suffering.  And the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have now claimed more than 45,000 lives.  We’ll have an update on relief efforts and how you can help. We begin today with a story that’s been Christian social media for the past week or more, and that’s the Asbury Revival. Here are some links I mentioned on today’s program: The MinistryWatch 1000 Database Explaining Our Five-Star Financial Efficiency Rating System Understanding Our Donor Confidence Score More Information On Disaster Relief Efforts in Turkey and Syria IN CLOSING:  I want our listeners to know that if they give to MinistryWatch during the month of February, we’ll send them a copy of the book “Handling Allegations in a Ministry” by Theresa Lynn Sidebotham.  This is a valuable resource for pastors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, and active and involved church members and ministry donors.  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 Steve Rabey, Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Bob Smietana, Dale Chamberlain, Yonat Shimron, Timothy Cockes, Christina Darnell, and Rod Pitzer. Special thanks to Baptist Press and churchleaders.com for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.