MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, another congregation is leaving the Hillsong fold…leaving only 5 Hillsong churches in the U-S. We’ll have details. And, T.D. Jakes filed an affidavit in response to allegations that he made sexual advances toward two other ministers decades ago. We’ll take a look. Plus, the Presbyterian Church in America issued an apology and removed a webpage with advice on how immigrants can avoid being detained. But first, after months of turmoil, Calvary Chapel Cary in North Carolina is closing. Months after Calvary Chapel Cary discovered its lead pastor, Rodney Finch, had secretly listed the church for sale, the 9.8-acre property in Apex, North Carolina, is back on the market, and weekly services have ceased. The real estate scandal was not Finch’s first controversy. Rather, it brought to a boil years of tensions and demands for greater transparency and accountability.  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 Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Jessica Eturralde, Adele Banks, Marci Seither, Bob Smietana, and Christina Darnell. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:    FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you today from Colorado Springs, Colorado. 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, another congregation is leaving the Hillsong fold…leaving only 5 Hillsong churches in the U-S. We’ll have details. And, T.D. Jakes filed an affidavit in response to allegations that he made sexual advances toward two other ministers decades ago. We’ll take a look. Plus, the Presbyterian Church in America issued an apology and removed a webpage with advice on how immigrants can avoid being detained. Natasha: But first, after months of turmoil, Calvary Chapel Cary in North Carolina is closing. Warren: Months after Calvary Chapel Cary discovered its lead pastor, Rodney Finch, had secretly listed the church for sale, the 9.8-acre property in Apex, North Carolina, is back on the market, and weekly services have ceased. The real estate scandal was not Finch’s first controversy. Rather, it brought to a boil years of tensions and demands for greater transparency and accountability. Natasha: As MinistryWatch previously reported, Finch hid a years’ long drug addiction and pushed the board to secretly cover $50,000 of a luxury rehabilitation program with church funds. Warren: But then he left the program early without telling anyone. Between 2012 and 2017, he aggressively solicited restricted funds to build a new church, but the work was never started, and funds were secretly put toward other purposes. In addition, Finch has faced multiple abuse allegations by family members. Natasha: Next, another church is splitting from Hillsong Warren: Hillsong San Francisco is splitting from Hillsong Church and becoming an independent congregation, Hillsong Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley announced during the online broadcast Sunday, Feb. 16. Natasha: Since 2020, 11 churches have left the Hillsong fold as scandals have emerged involving multiple Hillsong leaders. Only five Hillsong congregations remain in the U.S.: New York City, Boston, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Warren: Hillsong founder Brian Houston resigned in 2022 following the discovery of inappropriate texts sent to a staff member and time he had spent in a woman’s hotel room during a conference. Houston was also accused of lavish spending and misuse of funds. In December 2023, he and his wife Bobbie announced plans to launch a new church. Carl Lentz, who led Hillsong NYC, was fired in 2020 after he admitted to an extramarital affair. In May 2023,

Last week, on my trip to Southern California, I learned about a model for collaboration and funding ministries that is slowing growing across the country. That model is the brainchild of The Barnabas Group. That’s a group of Christian businesspeople and philanthropists – called “partners” who pay $2100 a year to be a part of the group. Those dues pay for quarterly meetings where the partners gather to hear Christian ministries tell their story. Over the past 25 years, The Barnabas Group has helped more than a thousand Christian ministries learn the power of having a network.

On today’s program, two former leaders from Archegos Capital Management have dropped their financial claims against disgraced Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang. Why did they drop out, and what does that mean for the other staff members hoping to collect $32 million? We’ll have details. And, the controversial ‘He Gets Us’ ads showcased its message again at Sunday’s Super Bowl game. After critics last year labeled the ads too political, this year’s version was decidedly less so. We’ll take a look. Plus, Mission Aviation Fellowship co-founder Jack Hemmings dies at 103…in 2024, he became the oldest pilot to fly a spitfire. But first, a second minister is accusing megachurch pastor and author T.D. Jakes of sexual abuse. 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 Adelle Banks, Tony Mator, Kathryn Post, Marissa Greene, Mark A. Kellner, Kim Roberts, Zach Rivas, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith—and you, Warren. A special thanks to 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 today from Newport Beach, California. 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, two former leaders from Archegos Capital Management have dropped their financial claims against disgraced Christian philanthropist Bill Hwang. Why did they drop out, and what does that mean for the other staff members hoping to collect $32 million? We’ll have details. And, the controversial ‘He Gets Us’ ads showcased its message again at Sunday’s Super Bowl game. After critics last year labeled the ads too political, this year’s version was decidedly less so. We’ll take a look. Plus, Mission Aviation Fellowship co-founder Jack Hemmings dies at 103…in 2024, he became the oldest pilot to fly a spitfire. Natasha: But first, a second minister is accusing megachurch pastor and author T-D Jakes of sexual abuse. Warren: The Rev. Richard Edwin Youngblood, the brother of a minister who has accused Bishop T.D. Jakes of sexual misconduct, has made his own accusation against Jakes, claiming the Texas megachurch leader climbed into bed with him on a church business trip. The claims were made in a legal filing responding to a defamation lawsuit Jakes brought in November against Youngblood’s younger brother, Duane Youngblood, a Pennsylvania man who made allegations against Jakes in two 2024 interviews. Natasha: What was that lawsuit about? Warren: Jakes’ suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, includes denials by Jakes that Jakes tried to groom and sexually abuse him. The suit also said the younger Youngblood is a parolee after convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors. Duane Youngblood has sought a court’s dismissal of Jakes’ suit. Richard Youngblood was among six people who signed sworn affidavits included in the January filing that testified that they had heard Duane Youngblood describe the alleged misconduct by Jakes. Natasha: Next, a case has been dropped against Bill Hwang. The hard task of discerning victims from victimizers continues in a fraud case that shook two typically unrelated worlds—Wall Street and Christian ministry. Warren: In late January, two former Archegos Capital Management leaders withdrew their bids against company founder Bill Hwang. They were among about 20 staff members seeking to collect $32 million of a more than $9 billion judgment against Hwang. Natasha: Bloomberg reports that Archegos’ former co-CEO Andy Mills and trader Daiki Taniguchi dropped out after government prosecutors characterized them and a third claim...

Conservatives, Christian conservatives in particular, have always had a troubled and inconsistent relationship with the idea of government funding flowing to non-profits and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.

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.