MinistryWatch Podcast

Warren Smith and Natasha Smith
  • 4.7 (128)
  • News
  • Updated Weekly

Transparency and accountability are vital to the renewal of the evangelical church in America. Hosts Warren Smith and Natasha Smith highlight the top stories of the week from the unique MinistryWatch perspective and give you a peek behind the curtain to show why and how we do the investigations we do.

  1. 5d ago

    Ep. 630: Christian Ministries Get $2-B in Gov’t Funds, SBC Faces New Lawsuit, New India Regs Impact Ministry

    On today’s program, the State Department funnels $2 billion to Christian ministries to provide health and humanitarian aid in more than a dozen countries. We’ll have details. And, new regulations make it harder for Christian ministries to operate in India — but one ministry we talked with remains committed to preaching the gospel there. Plus, a cybersecurity breach exposes donor date.  But first, the Southern Baptist Convention is facing a new federal lawsuit. Parents in South Carolina have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the SBC and its Executive Committee. They’re also suing Pawleys Island Community Church, its academy, and several former leaders.  The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get editorial, database, and other technical support from Christina Darnell, Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, Heidi Allums, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Henry Durand, Adelle Banks, Yonat Shimron, Bob Smietana, Kim Roberts, Neva Piombino, Aaron Earls, Michaela Gordoni, Makella Knowles, and Jessica Eturralde. A special thanks to the Christian Index and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

  2. 6d ago

    Ep. 629: Christian Ministries To Receive $2-Billion in Foreign Aid, Remembering Bonhoeffer

    Here are links to some of the stories mentioned in today’s episode:   Christianity Today reports that “after making deep cuts in global health, food assistance, and other foreign aid based on allegations of fraud and abuse in USAID, the Trump administration announced $2 billion in humanitarian-aid funding for faith-based groups, with a consortium of US Christian organizations overseeing $1.4 billion.” Here’s Warren’s 2016 talk to the Western Conservative Summit. It’s called: “The Political Illusion: Choosing Christianity Over Political Ideology.” The talk begins at the 2:35 mark. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) does an annual survey that with a sample size of more than 68,000 from more than 400 colleges and universities. It’s one of the most comprehensive surveys of its kind. The survey asks about church attendance, and – according to Ryan Burge, who has parsed the numbers – “the two most “teched up” majors are the least Christian: data science and computer science. Just 27-28% of these folks identify as Protestants, Catholics, or generic Christians. In contrast, about 30% say that they are atheist/agnostic and another 13% are non-religious. In other words, they are about fifteen points more apt to be nones than Christians. An excellent article in the online British publication “Premier Christianity” by Derek Hughes reflects on the “quiet power of slow faithfulness and asks whether Christians have forgotten how to commit to work whose fruit they may not live to see.”   The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m Christina Darnell, along with Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

  3. Aug 12

    Ep. 628: The Founder of The Master’s Program Bob Shank

    Today my guest is Bob Shank, a businessman, pastor, entrepreneur, mentor and author who has spent much of his life helping Christian leaders think differently about what it means to live a significant life. Bob began his career in the construction business, where he spent 14 years as an entrepreneur and executive. In 1984, he made a dramatic career change, leaving the business world to devote himself to ministry and founding Priority Living, an organization designed to help people in the marketplace integrate their faith with their work and calling. He later served for four years as the senior pastor of an Orange County megachurch. But perhaps Bob’s most enduring contribution has been The Master’s Program, which he launched in 1997. It is a multi-year mentoring and leadership-development program designed to help Christian leaders discover their unique Kingdom calling and move beyond simply pursuing career success toward what Bob calls “Kingdom significance.” Over the years, he has personally mentored thousands of leaders from both the marketplace and ministry. Bob has also helped found The Barnabas Group and has served on the boards of numerous churches, ministries and organizations, including Samaritan’s Purse. Today we’re going to talk about leadership, calling, success, significance—and what it looks like to make the second half of your life count. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

  4. Aug 7

    Ep. 627: EPC Split, New Charges in Pawley’s Island Case, 50 Largest Media Ministries

    On today’s program, a fifth person is arrested after a South Carolina church allowed a registered sex offender to work near children, and hid it from parents. We’ll have details. Plus, at least two new breakoff denominations are forming over divisions within the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. We’ll take a look. And, the 50 largest media ministries in the MinistryWatch database.  But first, a well-known pastor is now facing serious criminal charges involving a minor. Kenneth Baldwin is the former senior pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia. He’s now been arrested in Pennsylvania on 13 criminal counts, including unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a minor. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get editorial, database, and other technical support from Christina Darnell, Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, Heidi Allums, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Stacey Horton, Henry Durand, Fiona Andre, Richard Levey, and Makella Knowles. A special thanks to the Christian Index and The NonProfit Times for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

  5. Aug 6

    Ep. 626: Are Data Centers of the Devil?

    In today’s extra episode, Christina Darnell and Warren Smith about some news items that are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” Here are some links to resources mentioned in today’s episode:  According to The Conversation, “A trove of recent articles bemoan the collapse in recreational reading among younger Americans, with COVID-related reading declines, artificial intelligence and social media often described as causes.” You can find the complete article here. John Stonestreet and Tim Padgett have done us a service by speaking out strongly against sports gambling, which has become a scourge on the nation and threatens to ruin fair play in sports. They write, “A recently released report shows a clear correlation between legalized gambling and gambling addiction. While this should surprise absolutely no one, there is further evidence that the explosion of legalized sports gambling was a bad idea.” All these factors may play a role, but a new article by the Institute for Family Studies suggests that the quality of relationships is a key factor. Laurie DeRose highlights the recent research indicating that people who want children are more likely to have them if they are in high-quality relationships. To hear Warren’s recent conversation with Malcolm Guite, click here. Until next time, may God bless you.

  6. Aug 5

    Ep. 625: Inside America’s Megachurches

    For more than two decades, if you wanted to know what was really happening inside America’s megachurches, one name has consistently risen to the top: Dr. Warren Bird. Along with sociologist Scott Thumma, Bird has conducted the most comprehensive longitudinal research ever undertaken on the nation’s largest Protestant churches. Their latest study for the Hartford Institute for Religion Research is called “Megachurch Resurgence.” It reveals a surprising story: after the disruptions of the pandemic, America’s megachurches aren’t simply surviving—they’ve staged a remarkable resurgence, with new findings on attendance, finances, church planting, diversity, leadership, and the future of large congregations. Today we’ll unpack what those numbers mean—and why they matter for the broader American church. And, we have a link to the complete study here. Warren Bird is one of the nation’s leading researchers on church leadership and congregational trends. He earned his Ph.D. in the sociology of religion from Fordham University, has authored or co-authored more than 35 books and dozens of major research reports, and has spent years helping church leaders understand what makes healthy ministries flourish. His partnership with Scott Thumma has produced the definitive series of megachurch studies dating back to 2000, making him one of the most respected voices on this important and often misunderstood corner of American Christianity. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. I’m your host Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

  7. Jul 31

    Ep. 624: Camp Mystic, Focus on the Family, Fount Church Pastor Departs

    On today’s program, a Florida mom has been sentenced to prison after impersonating the father of a Camp Mystic flood victim. She used that fake identity to launch a GoFundMe campaign. We’ll have details. Plus, Focus on the Family launches the search for its next president. Jim Daly’s retirement is on the horizon after more than 20 years at the helm. We’ll take a look. And, charitable giving last year topped $600 billion, outpacing inflation for the second year in a row. But…Religion saw the slowest growth.  But first, a New York City megachurch says goodbye to its founding pastor. Four months ago, Fount Church’s board said an outside investigation cleared its founding pastors of financial wrongdoing. Now, founding pastor Josh Kelsey has left the church. He’s permanently relocating to Australia. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get editorial, database, and other technical support from Christina Darnell, Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, Heidi Allums, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Jessica Eturralde, Kim Roberts, Michaela Estruth, Bob Smietana, Diana Chandler, Tony Mator, and Makella Knowles. A special thanks to Baptist Press for contributing material for this week’s podcast. You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

  8. Jul 30

    Ep. 623: Lancaster Bible College, Planned Parenthood, Theo of Golden, and More

    In today’s extra episode, Christina Darnell talks with Warren Smith about some news items that are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” They include: Lancaster Bible College has been reaccredited. Planned Parenthood releases its annual report. You can find the 2024-2025 annual report here. Allen Levi’s book Theo of Golden continues to be a publishing phenomenon. (Here’s an interview Warren did with Allen before he was famous.) Warren and Christina discuss Ryan Burge’s recent article about three misconceptions people have about data. People are finally beginning to pay attention to the coming population collapse and its consequences. Glenn Stanton wrote an excellent analysis of new United Nations data, and his conclusions are sobering. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

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About

Transparency and accountability are vital to the renewal of the evangelical church in America. Hosts Warren Smith and Natasha Smith highlight the top stories of the week from the unique MinistryWatch perspective and give you a peek behind the curtain to show why and how we do the investigations we do.

Information

  • Creator
    Warren Smith and Natasha Smith
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © MinistryWatch
  • Show Website
    MinistryWatch Podcast