MinistryWatch Podcast

Every church should be a safe space for everyone who comes in. Every church should also be equipping people to confront the powers of darkness and help those in trouble. Unfortunately, far too many churches are unsafe internally, which leaves them unprepared to confront external dangers. An unsafe church creates a toxic environment that works against the gospel. A safe church is battle-ready to combat the worst of the world’s problems. Make My Church Safe by respected pastor, Sam Rainer, is designed to be a brief and general overview of the best practices regarding church safety for a broad audience. Sam Rainer serves as president of Church Answers. He is the co-founder of Rainer Publishing, and he also serves as lead pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Southwest Florida. Sam has written hundreds of articles for several publications. He is a frequent conference speaker on church health issues. Sam holds a BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of South Carolina, an MA in Missiology from Southern Seminary, and a PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University. Thanks for joining us today. If you like what you are hearing on the MinistryWatch podcast, please like and rate us on your podcast app. Or, you can go old school, and simply tell a friend. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m Warren Smith, and I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for another episode of the MinistryWatch podcast.

On today’s program, an independent investigation into the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and its founder Mike Bickle was released this week…finding 17 cases of abuse leveled against him. Samaritan’s Purse dodges the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid. Other ministries—especially those working to resettle refugees—aren’t faring as well, however…many face furloughs as they scramble to support the thousands of refugees already in the United States depending on them for rent and basic necessities. We’ll take a look. And, the 50 largest relief and development ministries in the MinistryWatch database. But first, Church of the Highlands founding pastor Chris Hodges announced Sunday that he is stepping down as lead pastor. Hodges planted Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2001, and has seen explosive growth in its 24 years. According to Outreach 100, about 60,000 congregants attend the worship services on a given weekend, making it the second largest church in the nation in attendance. Hodges made his announcement Sunday (Feb. 2), the same day the church celebrated its 24th anniversary. Hodges said Mark Pettus will step into the role of lead pastor, and he will take on the role as founding pastor. 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 Daniel Ritchie, Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, Mark Wingfield, Tony Mator, Jack Jenkins, Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Adelle Banks, Kim Roberts, Mark Kellner, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to Baptist News Global and the Baptist Paper 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 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, an independent investigation into the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and its founder Mike Bickle was released this week…finding 17 cases of abuse leveled against him. Samaritan’s Purse dodges the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid. Other ministries—especially those working to resettle refugees—aren’t faring as well, however…many face furloughs as they scramble to support the thousands of refugees already in the United States depending on them for rent and basic necessities. We’ll take a look. And, the 50 largest relief and development ministries in the MinistryWatch database. Natasha: But first, Church of the Highlands founding pastor Chris Hodges announced Sunday that he is stepping down as lead pastor. Warren: Hodges planted Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2001, and has seen explosive growth in its 24 years. According to Outreach 100, about 60,000 congregants attend the worship services on a given weekend, making it the second largest church in the nation in attendance. Hodges made his announcement Sunday (Feb. 2), the same day the church celebrated its 24th anniversary. Hodges said Mark Pettus will step into the role of lead pastor, and he will take on the role as founding pastor. Natasha: What does he plan to do next? Warren: Hodges said he would increase his efforts at Highlands College as chancellor. Hodges said he’s not retiring, and he’s not burned out, but he has reached a state in life in which he wants to empower other leaders. Natasha: Next, the report is out, detailing abuse by IHOP KC founder, Mike Bickle. Warren: Mike Bickle, the influential founder of the International House of Prayer, a global missionary group, committed sexual abuse or misconduct involving at least 17 survivors, according to an independent report released Monday (Feb. 3).

By Warren Cole Smith On today’s podcast episode, we think through the relationship between Christian charity and the role of government in helping the poor. Here are the articles I mentioned in today’s podcast: Did Evangelicals Break Haiti? “Faith-Based FEMA” To The Rescue…AGAIN The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time…may God bless you.

If you are a regular reader of MinistryWatch, you know that we write a lot about ministries that care for the least and the lost in our culture. The Bible is clear that care for the poor should be one of chief concerns as Christians, but helping the poor in ways that are actually helpful is not easy. The issues are complex, and solutions require wisdom and discernment. One of the smartest, and most compassionate, people working in this field is my guest today, James Whitford. Whitford earned his doctorate from the University of Kansas Medical Center before he and his wife, Marsha, founded Watered Gardens Ministries in 2000. Watered Gardens has been on the forefront of the “effective compassion” movement for more than a decade. In 2019 it won WORLD Magazine’s “Hope Award for Effective Compassion.” Whitford and Watered Gardens take no government funds, and they put Scripture front and center in their work. Whitford says that true freedom and dignity cannot flourish if people are trapped in dependence – whether than dependence is on alcohol, drugs – or the government. Whitford has taken the lessons he learned at Watered Gardens and created True Charity, a network of like-minded organizations (now numbering more than 200), that champions the “resurgence of civil society in the fight against poverty.” James has a new book out. It’s called The Crisis of Dependency: How Our Efforts to Solve Poverty Are Trapping People In It And What We Can do To Foster Freedom Instead. I’ve been a fan of James Whitford for a couple of years, and now I’ve become a big fan of this book. I think every Christian donor who cares about helping the poor should have this book. And if you will stay tuned until the end of the program, I’ll let you know how you can get your own copy. But until then, here’s my interview with James Whitford. That brings to a close my interview with James Whitford. His new book is The Crisis of Dependency: How Our Efforts to Solve Poverty Are Trapping People In It And What We Can do To Foster Freedom Instead. We are making this book our donor premium for the month of February. That means that if you give a gift of any size to MinistryWatch, we’ll send you a copy of this book as our thank-you gift. Just go to MinistryWatch.com and hit the donate button at the top of the page. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We technical, database, and editorial support from Christina Darnell, Casey Sudduth, Stephen duBarry, and others. I’m your host, Warren Smith. I hope you will join me again on Friday, when Natasha Cowden and I will bring you our take on the news of the week from MinistryWatch. Until then…may God bless you.

On today’s program, The King’s College in New York City shut its doors in 2023 under a mountain of debt—now, it’s launching a ‘go-forward plan’ in an effort to reopen. We’ll have details. And, a ministry in the U-K is urging Christians to stop giving to orphanages…and instead give to organizations that focus on family-based care. But when it comes to effective orphan care, is that the best way forward? We reached out to U-S based ministries to get their take. Plus, a NC church is shutting its doors…and is leveraging an IRS mandate to donate its assets to more than 75 charities. But first…a group of pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey is asking the Supreme Court to consider its case in protecting donor information. First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its case about the state asking it to disclose information about its donors. 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, Elizabeth Coffee, Nathan Mayo, Tony Mator, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Religion UnPlugged, Baptist Press, The Living Church, and Lifeway Research 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 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, The King’s College in New York City shut its doors in 2023 under a mountain of debt—now, it’s launching a ‘go-forward plan’ in an effort to reopen. We’ll have details. And, a ministry in the U-K is urging Christians to stop giving to orphanages…and instead give to organizations that focus on family-based care. But when it comes to effective orphan care, is that the best way forward? We reached out to U-S based ministries to get their take. Plus, a NC church is shutting its doors…and is leveraging an IRS mandate to donate its assets to more than 75 charities. Natasha: But first…a group of pregnancy resource centers in New Jersey is asking the Supreme Court to consider its case in protecting donor information. Warren: First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its case about the state asking it to disclose information about its donors. In November 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin demanded that First Choice turn over many documents, including information it provides to clients, statements about abortion pill reversal, documents about personnel and outside organizations with which it works, and donor information. Natasha: Platkin has openly expressed his hostility toward pregnancy centers. He issued a consumer alert—drafted with the help of Planned Parenthood—complaining that such centers do not provide or refer for abortion. He also signed an open letter pledging to take legal action against pregnancy centers. Warren: Alliance Defending Freedom, on behalf of First Choice, challenged the attorney general’s subpoena based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The subpoena chills the right to freedom of association and freedom of speech, the brief argues. The federal courts dismissed the case, claiming it was not ripe until the state court enforced the subpoena. The attorney general then filed an enforcement action in state court. There is a split in the U.S. Courts of Appeal about how to handle this question of whether a state investigatory claim has to be adjudicated in state court before a federal court has jurisdiction. Natasha: Next, an update from The King’s College. Warren: The King’s College – the four-year school forced to shut i...

On today’s “Extra” episode, Warren Smith reads an excerpt from his recently published book, A Lover’s Quarrel With The Evangelical Church. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, the lawsuit against Kanakuk Kamps brought by Logan Yandell has been dismissed. Yandell was a former camper who was sexually abused at the camp by leader Pete Newman. We’ll take a look. Also, in the next episode of our Generous Living series, a story about how $4 an hour changed the life trajectory of a young mom. And, Pastors and Planes—after tracking planes owned by more than 40 ministries, who was the biggest user of private aircraft…and how much did it cost donors? But first, an Ohio pastor has been found guilty of criminal charges for providing temporary shelter to homeless people in his community. Dad’s Place, a church in Bryan, Ohio, has been battling with the city since last winter to provide shelter to homeless persons in the area. Now, the pastor, Chris Avell, has been found guilty in municipal court of a criminal charge related to a fire code violation, fined $200, and given a 60-day suspended sentence. 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, Elizabeth Coffee, Nathan Mayo, Tony Mator, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Echoes Magazine 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 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, the lawsuit against Kanakuk Kamps brought by Logan Yandell has been dismissed. Yandell was a former camper who was sexually abused at the camp by leader Pete Newman. We’ll take a look. Also, in the next episode of our Generous Living series, a story about how $4 an hour changed the life trajectory of a young mom. And, Pastors and Planes—after tracking planes owned by more than 40 ministries, who was the biggest user of private aircraft…and how much did it cost donors? Natasha: But first, an Ohio pastor has been found guilty of criminal charges for providing temporary shelter to homeless people in his community. Warren: Dad’s Place, a church in Bryan, Ohio, has been battling with the city since last winter to provide shelter to homeless persons in the area. Now, the pastor, Chris Avell, has been found guilty in municipal court of a criminal charge related to a fire code violation, fined $200, and given a 60-day suspended sentence. The sentence is stayed pending an appeal by Avell, who is represented by First Liberty, a nonprofit law firm that defends religious liberty, and two other law firms. Natasha: What’s been the main issue for Dad’s place? Warren: According to First Liberty, the Bryan city officials are demanding that Dad’s Place install an expensive fire suppression system even though it does not place similar requirements on all of its motels, most of its apartment complexes, and even a senior living facility. Natasha: Next, the latest from  Kanakuk Kamps. Warren: The lawsuit brought by former camper Logan Yandell against Kanakuk Kamps has been dismissed. Missouri Judge Raymond Gross granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment because he said the claims were time-barred and because Yandell could not “establish actionable fraud or civil conspiracy against these defendants.” The judge dismissed all of Yandell’s claims for relief. Natasha: What’s the background to Yandell’s story? Warren: Yandell is a Kanakuk camp sexual abuse survivor who filed a lawsuit against the camp in 2022. He was sexually abused by former Kanakuk employee Peter Newman, who is currently serving two life prison sentences plus 30 years for his abuse convictions. Yandell reached a settlement agreement with Kanakuk in 2010...

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in this column that you would see some subtle changes here at MinistryWatch in 2025. One of those changes would be in the way we cover stories that relate to what we might call the “brokenness” in the world. It’s not enough simply to say what happened. We want to do a better job of saying why and how something happened, and to be more explicit about the lessons that we can learn from that story. We published a couple of examples of that approach in the past two weeks. I’d like to talk about them today. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

On today’s program, Joyce Meyer joins a slew of popular televangelists who have pulled their programs from Daystar Television Network amid accusations the network’s president Joni Lamb covered up the sexual abuse of her granddaughter. We’ll have details. Also, a long-time employee of a Florida church was sentenced to 2 years in prison for embezzling almost $1 million…the church is speaking out now with lessons it has learned. We’ll take a look. And, legendary coach and founder of Promise Keepers, Bill McCartney, has died after a long battle with dementia. At its height in the 1990s, Promise Keepers drew millions of men to its events. But first, a Pennsylvania pastor has been suspended by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church after he and his church tried to leave the denomination. 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, Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Diana Chandler, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren. 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 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, Joyce Meyer joins a slew of popular televangelists who have pulled their programs from Daystar Television Network amid accusations the network’s president Joni Lamb covered up the sexual abuse of her granddaughter. We’ll have details. Also, a long-time employee of a Florida church was sentenced to 2 years in prison for embezzling almost $1 million…the church is speaking out now with lessons it has learned. We’ll take a look. And, legendary coach and founder of Promise Keepers, Bill McCartney, has died after a long battle with dementia. At its height in the 1990s, Promise Keepers drew millions of men to its events. Natasha: But first, a Pennsylvania pastor has been suspended by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church after he and his church tried to leave the denomination. Warren: Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church (BHPC) is a Pittsburgh-area church and has been seeking to dissolve its affiliation and exit the denomination for over a year. The church and presbytery have been at loggerheads over several issues, not the least of which is the roll of voting members entitled to participate in an exit vote. The Presbytery of the Alleghenies brought charges against Pastor Nate Devlin and the elders of  BHPC, the trial of which began in November. The judicial commission encouraged BHPC and the presbytery to attempt mediation. Natasha: But they couldn’t reach a resolution so they went to trial Warren: The trial occurred on January 11, According to the presbytery’s judicial commission, Devlin was “convicted by sufficient proof of the sins of contempt and immorality” and suspended from his office as teaching elder until he demonstrates repentance, including publicly acknowledging his “wrongdoing” and removing posts and other communications that “disparage” fellow teaching and ruling elders. Devlin’s suspension began Tuesday (Jan 14). Natasha: What was his reaction? Warren: Devlin told MinistryWatch. “It is unprecedented that a presbytery would try a pastor and the entire church session,” He said he felt compelled to see the trial through and “bear witness to the truth.” In their closing statement at the trial, Devlin and the BHPC session said, “[W]e have consistently acted in good faith, driven by a deep love for our church, and we are not guilty of the charges against us.” Natasha: Next, televangelists are pausing their programs on Daystar. Warren:

MinistryWatch’s annual lists of highly paid executives, just published, are among our most read posts of the year. They also generate the most questions and comments. I’m going to take this EXTRA episode to answer some of these questions, and to ask a few of my own. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you!