MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, former CEO of Orange, Kristen Ivy, originally admitted to an “inappropriate relationship” with the ministry’s founder Reggie Joiner. Now, she’s reclassifying that relationship as clergy abuse. We’ll have details. Also, summer is the season of short-term missions—but The Chalmers Center has some warnings before posting about those trips on social media. We’ll take a look.  And,...

On today’s MinistryWatch podcast we remember Marshall Allen, an investigative journalist who was a friend and supporter of MinistryWatch. To read a transcript of this podcast, click here. You’ll also find there links mentioned in today’s episode. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God blss you.

On today’s program, the U-S Department of Justice has indicted a former professor and interim provost of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for obstructing justice in a sexual misconduct case. We’ll have details. Also, the Boy Scouts of America changes their name in hopes of boosting its dwindling numbers—but instead, a different scouting ministry is being flooded with requests for more inf...

  On today’s EXTRA Episode, Warren Smith identifies four lessons we can learn from the controversy surrounding David French and the Presbyterian Church in America. To read more about this controversy: https://ministrywatch.com/editors-notebook-the-pca-david-french-debacle/ https://ministrywatch.com/pca-cancels-anti-polarization-panel-with-david-french-for-being-too-polarizing/ The producer fo...

On today’s program, a North Carolina Sheriff’s office has called in the FBI to help investigate the death of pastor’s wife, Mica Miller. We’ll have details. And, Haitian workers are concerned Christian donors could be hurting the very people they’re trying to help…and ask donors to redirect their money away from orphanages. We’ll take a look. Also, Gospel for Asia founder K-P Yohannan dies followi...

Katelyn Beaty believes that some Christian leaders use their fame and influence in positive ways. But too often, she says, fame and celebrity are cultivated for their own sake, or for the sake of profits and the building of personal empires. We see this phenomenon most conspicuously with the prosperity Gospel preachers. But, increasingly, these practices of the Prosperity Gospel have crept into ma...

On today’s program, an investigation into the death of a South Carolina pastor’s wife, 30-year-old Mica Miller, has captured the attention of people across the nation, raising questions about mental health and abuse. We’ll look at the latest findings. A Pennsylvania pastor faces a gunman in the middle of his Sunday sermon. We’ll have details. A new Southern Baptist report details where member chur...

For centuries, Christianity has been seen as a positive force in the world – even by those who are not Christians. But my guest today, Aaron Renn, argues that this perception has changed. In a widely read and discussed article for “First Things” magazine, first published a decade ago, Renn said that the world up until 1964 was a “positive world” for Christianity. From 1964 to 2014, we lived in wha...

On today’s program, the top legislative body of the United Methodist Church gathered in Charlotte, N.C., this week for its long-awaited General Conference. There, delegates cast decisive votes on issues of gender and sexuality.  We’ll have details. And, an Ohio church is under fire AGAIN for opening its doors to shelter the homeless. We’ll take a look. Also, Wayne Grudem, bestselling author of ‘Sy...

Nancy French was not a household name in American politics — because she mostly operated behind the scenes. But she was well known in the highest levels of Republican circles. She was the ghost writer for politicians and conservative celebrities, with five books she wrote making it to the New York Times Bestseller List. But she found the Republican Party to be going down a path she could not...

On today’s program, Arkansas pastor Steven Smith steps down after fallout from mishandling abuse allegations against a former children’s minister. We’ll have details. Also, controversial megachurch pastors Mark Driscoll and John Lindell seemed to reconcile on stage at the Stronger Men’s Conference last week…but since then, tensions between the two leaders have only intensified. We’ll take a look....

On today’s EXTRA Episode, MinistryWatch President Warren Smith has some additional thoughts about the Mark Driscoll-John Lindell controversy. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Thanks to Casey Sudduth, Stephen duBarry, Kim Roberts, Rod Pitzer, and Christina Darnell for additional support. Until next time, may God bless you.

FIRST SEGMENT Warren Hello everybody.  I’m Warren Smith, coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha  I’m Natasha Cowden in Denver, Colorado. We’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren On today’s program, General Episcopal Theological Seminary thought it had found a solution to its financial woes—until 7 bishops intervened, saying they didn’t want to be in partnership...

Ten years ago, Eric Metaxas was the belle of the evangelical ball. Indeed, his evangelical bona fides were nearly impeccable. Early in his career he wrote for Veggie Tales and worked for Chuck Colson. He wrote humorously but piercingly about Christian apologetics. His biography of Bonhoeffer was named the book of the year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It sold more than a mil...

SHOW NOTES: On today’s program, a proposed State Department rule could impact employment regulations for nonprofits…and some ministry leaders are voicing concern. We’ll take a look. And, the North Carolina pastor who went viral for remarks he made from the pulpit about rape has apologized—but the controversy, which has sparked ongoing protests, caught the attention of lawmakers and inflamed the st...

You’ve probably heard that you should achieve balance in your life. Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying that “No one ever said on their death-bed that they wish they had spent more time at the office.” Maybe you’ve read the popular Christian book “Half-Time” by Bob Buford, in which he said you should reach a place in your career in which you pivot from “success to significance.” My guest today, Da...

On today’s program, North Carolina Pastor Bruce Frank is joining the crowded Southern Baptist Convention presidential race. Frank was a former leader of the SBC’s abuse task force. We’ll have details. And, Bishop TD Jakes is mentioned in a lawsuit against music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs—though the lawsuit does not accuse the bishop of wrongdoing. We’ll take a look. Also, another Christian college i...

Andrew Peterson is, as the old saying goes, a “man of many parts.” I first discovered Andrew’s music in the late 1990s, when his song “Nothing to Say” first became a favorite – and it still is. I began following his musical career and quickly discovered that he had more on his mind that music. He was building a community of artists in Nashville that were slowly making something great. Musicians su...

On today’s program, an Arizona church is fighting to continue its food pantry ministry—but city zoning regulations threaten to shut it down. We’ll have details.  Also, the rise in crypto currency is forcing nonprofits to consider the pros and cons of taking crypto donations. We’ll take a look. And, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability announces a new leadership standard. But first,...

This week, the podcast highlights how the lessons of Lent and Holy Week can inform the way we lead and give in this post-modern age. To read a written version of today’s podcast episode, click here. The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, Happy Easter. Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

On today’s program, another person has sued the Assemblies of God and the denomination’s college ministry Chi Alpha. The victim, who is blind, claims he was sexually abused by one of the Chi Alpha leaders over the span of five years. We’ll have details. Also, Christians are often among the first to give to humanitarian aid nonprofits when a crisis hits—but where does the money go? We talked with s...

Leadership books have become a dime-a-dozen. But books that combine rigorous academic research, boots-on-the-ground leadership experience, and an understanding of scripture and church and ministry dynamics…well, those books are rare indeed. But that’s what we have in a new book called “End The Reign of Pain: Identifying and Treating Toxic Leadership.” In this book, by Dr. Rickardo Bodden unpacks w...

On today’s program, the American Bible Society is closing its state-of-the-art museum in Philadelphia…after spending nearly $100 million on it over the past decade. We’ll have details. Also, Texas church members support wildfire relief efforts—while also suffering losses of their own. We’ll take a look.  And, Trinity International University is cutting programs and changing leadership in hopes of...

In the early 1950s, war had left tens of thousands of orphans in South Korea. Everett Swanson arrived there to preach the Gospel to the troops there, but he was overcome by the starving children, and he faced the question, “What are you going to do?” That question compelled Everett Swanson to start an organization that became Compassion International, now one of the largest orphan care organizatio...

On today’s program, Liberty University faces a record-breaking $14 million fine from the Department of Education. We’ll have details. Also, Dream City Church in Arizona partners with Turning Point USA to host a politically flavored conference for ministry leaders. Featured speakers included Eric Metaxas, Sean Feucht, and Jentezen Franklin. We’ll take a look. And, later in the program, Wycliffe Bib...