Episodes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) – It happens with a couch or mattress. It happens with two chairs facing each other across a table. While refugees’ initial days and months in America can be complex and filled with paperwork and immigration meetings, churches have learned there are direct, simple ways to meet needs. Not long after it began six years ago, Living Hope Church in Columbus was helping deliver donated furniture on behalf of a group of non-profit organizations. It became apparent that the items wer...

Today I welcome back to the program Al Fadi, with the Strategic Resource Group, an organization that funds projects to reach unreached people groups in the Middle East and North Africa, the so-called MENA region of the world. Al has been on the program before to discuss a bible translation project for Hejazi speaking people. This is an Arabic language spoken by more than 11 million people. More than three years ago, I started reporting on a new initiative by the Strategic Resource Group that – i...

On today’s program, new life breathed into a lawsuit against Dave Ramsey’s company. A former employee claims he was fired for not sharing Ramsey’s religious beliefs on how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll take a look at the court’s latest ruling in the case. And, a Southern Baptist pastor in Florida faces a minimum sentence of life in prison without parole over harrowing child abuse allegations—but new state laws also mean the death penalty is on the table. Also, Andrew Wommack announces p...

Former video editor claims he was fired for failing to follow Ramsey's faith-based beliefs on how to deal with COVID-19 pandemic. By Bob Smietana for Religion News Service A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a former employee who claimed Ramsey Solutions, the company run by Christian personal finance guru Dave Ramsey, discriminated against him during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brad Amos, a former video editor at the Franklin, Tennessee-based company, sued Ramsey Solutions in 2021, saying h...

Here at MinistryWatch, we constantly consume all kinds of media. We are constantly looking for stories, and we are constantly looking at how other media outlets handle the stories we cover. We ask: How can we add value to a story? Is this a story that fits our mission? Should we even cover this story at all? Answering these questions is not always easy, but asking them and struggling with the answers have made me a better journalist and a better reader and viewer of other people’s work. In the p...

On today’s program, after a slew of controversies, Southern Baptists chose a low-key leader. We take a closer look at new SBC President Clint Pressley. And, Pastors and politics—legally, what are churches and other Christian nonprofits allowed to do when it comes to this year’s presidential campaign? We also highlight the results are in from our summer survey of top ministry executives. They tell us their biggest challenges—and hopes for the future. But first, a former youth volunteer for Vineya...

On today’s MinistryWatch EXTRA episode, Warren Smith shares a review he wrote for “The Dispatch” of Megan Basham’s new book Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded The Truth for a Leftist Agenda. The fundamental flaw of the book is that it fails to note that the real problem in evangelicalism is that pastors have succumbed to the populist right in far greater numbers than they have to the progressive left, and the consequences for the Gospel and the purity of the church have been far ...

On today’s program, Liberty University reaches a settlement with former president Jerry Falwell Jr. after years of back-and-forth lawsuits between the two parties. Now, they say they are putting the past behind them. We’ll have details. A small university in North Carolina is beating the odds…while other Christian colleges face closure, this school is thriving. We take a look at what they’re doing. Also, Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church released its annual report—the Charlotte-area church saw r...

You may have heard the term ex-vangelical. An ex-vangelical is someone who formerly identified as an evangelical, but no longer does so. The phenomenon has created a sub-genre of books from memoirs – such as those by Josh Harris, Rachel Held Evans, and others -- to more journalistic accounts, such as Sarah McCammon’s “The Ex-Vangelicals.” But is there really a groundswell of people leaving evangelicalism? Are these books fair representations of evangelicalism? Is the rejection of the ex-vangelic...

The 2024 Summer Olympics are about to begin in Paris, and that event should be of interest even to those who don’t much care about sports. For one thing, it’s the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Olympics, also held in Paris, in which Christian missionary Eric Liddell won a gold medal. That story was famously recounted in the Academy Award winning movie “Chariots of Fire,” and the story and that movie has become a part of the lore of the modern evangelical movement. Another story unfolded 48 years ...

On today’s program, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention—fired its president Brent Leatherwood this week…then less than 12 hours later reversed course and said he was NOT fired. We’ll have details. Also, Life Surge wealth conferences draw big audiences with its celebrity speaker lineup and wealth-building tools…we’re taking a closer look to see if it’s delivering on its promises. And, New York Theological Seminary closed its doors ear...

Carlos Campo has one of the most interesting biographies I know about. His parents were entertainers who had hit records and a national profile in the 1940s and 50s. Carlos Campo’s mother was Betty Clooney, who with her sister Rosemary rose to the top of the music industry. That also makes Carlos Campo a part of a family that some consider entertainment royalty, a family that includes actor George Clooney, journalist and TV host Nick Clooney, and actor and voice over artist Miguel Ferrar. Campo ...

On today’s program, Village Church Pastor Matt Chandler is under fire after his church hired a man who, in the past, was convicted of child sexual abuse. That man was his father. We’ll take a look. Also, Robert Morris—the Gateway Church pastor accused of abusing a young girl starting when she was 12 years old—is having his radio and tv programs canceled…and is receiving no severance after resigning from his posts. We’ll have details. And, the closure of another Christian college—the Florida camp...

For the past 100 years, radio has proven to be a persistent medium. Television, podcasts, and other digital media have taken their slices of the market, but radio has not gone away. In some ways it is as strong today as ever. About eight in 10 Americans over the age of 12 listen to terrestrial radio in a given week. And as long as there has been radio, there has been Christian radio. In fact, Reginald Fessenden, a radio pioneer who held hundreds of patents, claims to have made the first radio br...

On today’s program, a South Carolina church is facing fallout after it became known that its pastor is a registered sex offender for abusing a minor. Leaders knew when they hired him, but didn’t alert members. We’ll have details. And, years ago a handful of Dallas-area churches that started as multi-site campuses of The Village Church transitioned to becoming independent churches as part of a church-planting initiative. We checked in to see how they are doing. Plus, another Christian university ...

We live in a polarized time. People with whom we disagree are not just wrong, but evil – or so we (and they) often think. John Inazu thinks that posture towards those with whom we disagree is neither helpful nor biblical. He thinks empathy, curiosity, and love – both loving our neighbors but also loving our enemies – is both a biblical approach, and an approach that is more likely to change hearts and minds. John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washi...

The book, "Jesus Calling," has sold more than 45 million copies, but it has been the object of criticism from its first publication date in 2004 until now. The Presbyterian Church in America’s decision to do an in-depth study of the book is a gift to the broader Christian church, presenting the opportunity to settle controversies about the book once and for all.

On today’s program, the Christian Reformed Church synod have voted to suspend leaders within the denomination who approve of LGBTQ lifestyles…their message: repent or disaffiliate. We’ll have details. Also, ministries continue to distance themselves from megachurch pastor Robert Morris after a woman claimed he abused her starting when she was 12 years old. We’ll look at the latest. And, a new report shows that donors gave more in 2023…but the real dollar impact was rocked by inflation. But first...

Christian colleges and universities are in a tough spot. Spiraling costs and shrinking demographics, plus technological and other cultural concerns, are putting unprecedented pressure on them. We’ve reported on the closures of many Christian colleges here at MinistryWatch, and our reporting has barely touched the magnitude of the problem. According to Higher Ed Dive, at least 116 colleges have closed since 2016. Between 2010 and 2020, 29 Christian colleges closed or merged with other schools. On...

On today’s program, Megachurch Pastor Robert Morris resigns as senior pastor of Gateway Church after a woman claims he abused her decades ago starting when she was 12 years old. We’ll have details. And, Lincoln Christian University closes its doors debt free…with plans to continue its ministry through a new institute. We’ll take a look. And, Southern Baptist Convention legend Paul Pressler died earlier this month, his legend mired with accusations of sexual abuse. But first, Appalachian Bible Co...

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has been one of the success stories in recent American church history. Most denominations in the U.S. are in decline, but ACNA, founded just 15 years ago, has grown to more than 1000 congregations and a membership of 120,000. In today’s commentary, I share my thoughts about what’s needed to keep ACNA on an upward trajectory. In today’s podcast, I promise a few links. Here they are: As I have written elsewhere, Anglicanism has the potential to breathe n...

On today’s program, almost 11-thousand Southern Baptists gathered in Indianapolis this week, facing a long list of key decisions, including abuse reform, a constitutional amendment about women pastors, and the election of a new president. We’ll take a look . Also, megachurch pastor and bestselling author Tony Evans is stepping away from his pastoral role due to ‘sin.’ Details have been few, but we’ll tell you what we know. And, seven key executives at K-LOVE have left in the last 18 months…we’re...

A couple of months ago I came across an article that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind. It’s called “The End and Future of the Church/”Para-Church” Relationship: A Call for Generous Partnership.” The article was written by two people I have come to respect a great deal in the past few years. One of them is Amy Sherman, who has written a number of important books on the Christian response to poverty. Her co-author is my guest today, Scott Harris. Scott is the Vice President of Church and ...

On today’s program, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Reform Task Force will be ending next week…without any names on its website of pastors credibly accused of abuse…and with no clear path forward. We’ll take a look. And, Salem Media Group pulls Dinesh D’Souza’s movie ‘2000 Mules’ from all its streaming platforms. We’ll have details. Plus, a Texas United Methodist megachurch announces it will continue to NOT host same-sex weddings at its facilities. This, despite the denomination’s ruling...