Allan Bouquin · @disciple78
20th Apr 2021 from TweetCaster
Christian Radio Wars Roil Orlando. Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, Asheville Dream Center "Ministries Making A Difference". Plus More Stories.
Make a donation of any size during the month of April and our thank-you gift is a copy of "Prodigal Press," by Marvin Olasky and MinistryWatch President Warren Cole Smith.
Please Donate and Thank You.
Dear MinistryWatch Friends:
Before we get started today, I'd like to share with you a way you can help MinistryWatch for free that I think will benefit you, too. Simply follow up on Twitter. Having more Twitter followers helps us get discovered and raises the visibility of our stories. It will also help you because we send these emails out only once a day (mostly), but we're posting new content to Twitter throughout the day. So, please follow us by hitting this link:
https://twitter.com/MinistryWatch
Thanks for indulging me that. Now, on to the stories:
Two of the best and best known Christian radio stations in the nation ("The Z" and "The JOY FM") are suddenly in a battle for air superiority in a market known as a headquarters for Christian ministry: Orlando. And some of the techniques being used by one of the stations has taken a turn for the surreal. Read more here:
https://ministrywatch.com/dueling-christian-radio-stations-roil-orlando-market
We had so much new content on the site yesterday, I didn't get a chance to mention that this week's "Ministries Making A Difference" went up. This week we highlight the work of Abara Frontiers, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, and the Asheville Dream Center:
https://ministrywatch.com/ministries-making-a-difference-19
The MinistryWatch Extra podcast this week is a discussion with WORLD Magazine's Editor Michael Reneau. We discuss recent WORLD cover stories, and why and how they covered some tough issues, including immigration.
https://ministrywatch.com/podcast-episodes
Also, on the "regular" MinistryWatch podcast: We dig into the news of the week, exploring "the stories behind the stories." On this week's program, Christina Darnell sits in for Natasha Smith (no relation!) and we discuss the anti-sex trafficking industry, the shake-ups at Liberty University, and much more. You can hear the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast apps, or you can simply click here.
Does your ministry use social media...badly?
MinistryWatch now offers online short courses that cover change management, social media, cryptocurrency, the use of matching gifts, and more.
Use the code "MinistryWatch" to get a 10 percent discount.
Learn more here by clicking here.
From The "In Case You Missed It" File
Ole Anthony, a ministry watchdog, a friend to me and to MinistryWatch, and one of the true "characters" of evangelicalism, died over the weekend. You can read more about this remarkable man here:
https://ministrywatch.com/obituary-ole-anthony-our-president-pastor-friend-and-longtime-nemesis-of-televangelists-dead-at-82
Prison Fellowship has announced that in-person ministry is resuming in some prisons, and the ministry has joined forces with Christian rapper Lecrae and pop star Justin Bieber to hold ministry events.
https://ministrywatch.com/lecrae-bieber-appear-at-prison-events-as-ministries-return-to-correctional-facilities
Christian ministries, including World Relief, have persuaded the Biden Administration to reverse course on immigration numbers. Read more here:
https://ministrywatch.com/christian-ministries-other-faith-groups-get-biden-to-reverse-course-on-refugee-cap
Liberty University has sued its former president Jerry Falwell, Jr., for $10-million, citing conspiracy and breach of contract. You can read more here:
https://ministrywatch.com/liberty-university-sues-former-president-jerry-falwell-jr-for-10-million-citing-conspiracy-breach-of-contract
A Christian college, College of the Ozarks, is fighting back against the Biden Administration's attempt to re-define the word "sex" in its fair housing requirements. Read about the lawsuit the the school has filed, with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, here:
https://ministrywatch.com/christian-college-files-suit-challenging-biden-administration-on-gender-identity
The leadership of New York Christian camp Circle C Ranch defended operations director Wayne Aarum against claims that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with multiple girls beginning decades ago, saying an internal investigation showed there was “no substantial credible evidence” of misconduct.
https://ministrywatch.com/leadership-of-circle-c-christian-camp-defends-operations-director-from-sexual-misconduct-allegations
CityGate, formerly known as the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, is working hard to make its leadership, and the leadership of their member organizations, more diverse. Read about those efforts here:
https://ministrywatch.com/citygate-network-seeks-greater-diversity-in-national-rescue-mission-leadership
Bernard Madoff, the perpetrator of what some people call the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died last Wednesday in a North Carolina prison. What many people don't know is that his was also one of the largest faith-based frauds in history. I devoted nearly a chapter to Madoff in my upcoming book "Faith-Based Fraud." You can read an excerpt, and find out how evangelicals can prevent such frauds, by clicking here:
https://ministrywatch.com/mad-about-madoff
The shakeups continue at Liberty University. Jonathan Falwell was just named the new campus pastor of the school:
https://ministrywatch.com/jerry-falwell-sr-s-son-jonathan-falwell-to-replace-resigning-liberty-university-campus-pastor
And Trey Falwell, the son of Jerry Falwell Jr., resigned as a vice president of the college:
https://ministrywatch.com/liberty-university-shake-ups-continue-as-falwell-jr-s-son-leaves-post-as-vp
On March 28 and 30, MinistryWatch published three articles on Kanakuk Ministries. Kanakuk attorneys have demanded that we retract those articles. You can read our response -- including two corrections and one clarification to those articles -- by clicking here:
https://ministrywatch.com/ministrywatch-answers-kanakuk-demand-for-retraction-of-stories
A reminder that our monthly list for April includes the largest missionary and Bible translation organizations in the country. Wycliffe Bible Translators tops the list, with more than $200-million in revenue. See the complete list here:
https://ministrywatch.com/50-largest-missions-and-bible-translation-organizations
Americans, mostly evangelical Christians, donate more than $100-million a year to organizations fighting sex trafficking. MinistryWatch took a look at the financial statements of the largest organizations -- including International Justice Mission -- to see where all that money is going:
https://ministrywatch.com/anti-sex-trafficking-organizations-where-does-the-money-go
We regularly profile ministries that are doing great things for their neighbors and for the glory of God. Today, we feature a story about Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Kalispell, Montana. It's part of the "compassionate army" of more than 2000 pregnancy resource centers around the country.
https://ministrywatch.com/the-hope-of-pro-compassionate-care
The Bible translation industry is at a crossroads, and that's why MinistryWatch has focused coverage on it in the past year, coverage you can read here. Our most recent story is about a relatively new organization called illumiNations, an alliance of Bible translating organizations raising money to complete the task of Bible translation by 2033. A worthy goal, but such promises have been made -- and broken -- before:
https://ministrywatch.com/bible-translation-organizations-form-alliance-to-translate-bibles
Have you wondered why and how MinistryWatch does what it does?
Learn more about MinistryWatch, our leadership, and our approach to journalism by reading the stories below, or by clicking here.

News About MinistryWatch, and "Evergreen" Resources
We have entered into a collaborative relationship with Dunham+Company to offer training courses for ministry and church leaders. They include on-line short courses on social media for non-profits, cryptocurrency, using Google Ads, and more. Use the code "MinistryWatch" at checkout and you'll get a 10 percent discount, and MinistryWatch will receive a portion of the proceeds. To learn more, click here:
https://ministrywatch.com/ministrywatch-courses-for-ministry-leaders
I want to remind you that we have added Statement of Faith" to the "About MinistryWatch" tab on the MinistryWatch website. If you'd like to see it, click here, and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
When we do investigative stories here at MinistryWatch, we often get emails from readers asking: Did you follow Matthew 18 before you wrote this story? Matthew 18 is a powerful prescription for dealing with conflict and wrongdoing in the church. We examine this passage -- how to apply it and how it can be misused -- here:
https://ministrywatch.com/matthew-18-and-the-christian-journalist
At MinistryWatch, we value transparency. That's why we think it is a bad idea for a ministry to claim to be a church just so it can get out of the requirement to release its Form 990. Read more about our position here:
https://ministrywatch.com/when-a-church-is-not-a-church
MinistryWatch has made enhancements to its Financial Efficiency Ratings that will make it easier for donors to make "apples-to-apples" comparisons of ministries. Read more about these changes and how they can help donors make better giving decisions here:
https://ministrywatch.com/ministrywatch-enhances-financial-efficiency-rating-formula
Lots of non-profits utilize "matching" or "challenge" gifts. What are they? What's the difference between them? Are they ethical? Are they effective? MinistryWatch answers these questions in an article we posted in December. To read more, click here:
https://ministrywatch.com/a-primer-on-challenge-gifts-and-matching-gifts
The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention has issued new guidelines for ministries to protect children from harm. Read the details here:
https://ministrywatch.com/evangelical-council-for-abuse-prevention-develops-child-safety-standards-for-ministries
If you are a "list person" (as I am), you might want to know that we have all our lists under a single tab on the website. You can find past lists by clicking here:
https://ministrywatch.com/category/monthly-lists
A reminder that we have added salary information for nearly 3000 executives from more than 800 ministries to our database. We believe this information -- posted prominently on the ministry profiles in our database -- will provide one more tool for donors who want to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of ministries. You can read more about how to use this new tool here:
https://ministrywatch.com/ministrywatch-adds-compensation-data-to-ministry-profiles
Please Donate and Thank You.
Thanks for your interest in MinistryWatch.com
All best.
Warren Smith
President
MinistryWatch.com