Ep. 398: Bible Society of India, Alistair Begg, Morningstar Fellowship

MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, the former president of Bible Society of India has been arrested for financial corruption related to his position at another ministry…raising questions about how he handled finances at the Bible Society. We’ll take a look.

And, an Illinois pastor has made it his mission to provide his community access to healthy food…by setting up a low-cost grocery store in a food desert.

Also, Alistair Begg announces his 20-25 retirement.

But first, Morningstar Fellowship Church in South Carolina is facing two more lawsuits that are alleging sexual abuse. Two more lawsuits have been filed against MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, S.C., and its leaders for not reporting sexual abuse allegations to law enforcement.

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, Jessica Eturralde, Bethany Starin, Tony Mator, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—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 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 former president of Bible Society of India has been arrested for financial corruption related to his position at another ministry…raising questions about how he handled finances at the Bible Society. We’ll take a look.

And, an Illinois pastor has made it his mission to provide his community access to healthy food…by setting up a low-cost grocery store in a food desert.

Also, Alistair Begg announces his 20-25 retirement.

Natasha:

But first, Morningstar Fellowship Church in South Carolina is facing two more lawsuits that are alleging sexual abuse.

Warren:

Two more lawsuits have been filed against MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, S.C., and its leaders for not reporting sexual abuse allegations to law enforcement.

A previous lawsuit was filed on August 7 against MorningStar and its leaders alleging that Erickson Lee used his access to children through the church’s “Young Special Forces” program to groom and eventually abuse children in the church.

Lee was arrested in May on charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and on September 5 entered into an offered plea deal to serve nine years in prison, according to Randy Hood, attorney for the plaintiffs.

Natasha:

What are these new lawsuits?

Warren:

Two more alleged victims have come forward to seek accountability for their abuse from Morningstar Fellowship Church and its leaders.

All of the lawsuits have been filed anonymously by John Doe #1, John Doe #2, and John Doe #3 who are now over age 18, but were 13 years old when the alleged abuse began.

Leaders named in the lawsuit include Rick Joyner, David Yarns, and Erickson Lee’s father, Douglas Lee, who was the former head of security for the church.

“This is about accountability and responsibility,” Hood said. “Churches have to create policies and procedures to protect children. They need to monitor and supervise people who are over children.”

Natasha:

Because of previous allegations of sexual assault at MorningStar in the early 2000s, the lawsuits claim that Joyner, Yarns, and Lee knew of the risks and had a duty and opportunity to protect vulnerable children from being exploited and abused while participating in the youth programs at MorningStar.

Warren:

Instead, the lawsuit asserts, the leadership ignored “signs of provision of alcohol and pornography to minors and signs of sexual exploitation or abuse of minors by church staff, members, or volunteers.”

The claims against MorningStar and its leadership are for negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, civil conspiracy, and the intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress.

Natasha:

Next, an official associated with the Bible Society of India was arrested for financial corruption.

Warren:

Last September, Anglican Bishop P.C. Singh, who served as the president of the Bible Society of India from 2019-2022, was arrested for criminal breach of trust, cheating, forging documents, and criminal conspiracy while transferring the government land given on lease to the Church of North India.

Singh is accused of selling land that didn’t belong to him for 30 million Rupees ($360,000) then keeping the money. He was later arrested again for money laundering charges. Singh was removed from leadership in the Church of North India in 2022.

Natasha:

How is that linked to the Bible Society?

Warren:

Rev. Chittranjan Polson, who served as auxiliary secretary for the Allahabad Auxiliary of the BSI, is uneasy about Singh’s former leadership role at BSI and whether he and his associate B.K. Patnaik might have been part of covering up financial irregularities Polson discovered while examining the auxiliary’s finances. According to social media posted by BSI, Singh was first elected as its president in 2019.

Polson brought these irregularities and concerns to the attention of the United Bible Societies (UBS) in July 2023. He reached out again in June of this year.

He says his service at the BSI auxiliary was terminated after he raised his concerns about the alleged corruption.

Natasha:

Did the United Bible Societies respond?

Warren:

After several requests over the course of a few weeks, UBS told MinistryWatch that “there has been no indication or evidence of financial misconduct involving BSI funds that would have triggered any internal reviews, either by the BSI or UBS…The BSI operates under a constitutionally established leadership structure, where the General Secretary, as Chief Executive Officer, is solely responsible for overseeing financial and administrative matters.”

UBS clarified that Singh’s position as president was honorary only with no financial authority at BSI but was removed from that position “after the controversy surrounding him became public,” which was in 2022.

Natasha:

Next up, a pastor has been sentenced for Fraud.

Warren:

A federal jury has sentenced Miracle Mansion CEO Michael Mandel Baldwin to two years of prison for using the mansion project to front an investment scheme.

On August 20, the jury sentenced Baldwin, 55, to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on charges of wire and securities fraud.

Natasha:

Can you give us some background?

Warren:

In October 2021, authorities arrested Baldwin for allegedly swindling members of a Charlotte, N.C., church out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the indictment, he used that money to fund his personal lifestyle.

Court records say that Baldwin deceitfully obtained over $740,000 from investors by promising to use their funds for the development of the Miracle Mansion, including purchasing land.

According to court records, Baldwin misled prospective investors and victims by claiming that high-ranking administrators at Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, as well as The Kennedy Center, had approved and backed Miracle Mansion. High-ranking officials from Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A, on the other hand, testified during the trial that they were unaware of Baldwin and his idea and did not endorse it, refuting Baldwin’s allegations.

While operating as the Miracle Mansion’s CEO, Baldwin was working as the assistant pastor and musical director for Crossroads Baptist Church in Northern Virginia, where his brother is senior pastor and his father is the church’s founder and pastor emeritus.

Natasha:

Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, Heavenly Square Grocery fills a gap in an Illinois food desert.

I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.

BREAK

SECOND SEGMENT

Natasha:

Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast.

Next, the story we promised before the break…

Warren:

When you walk into Heavenly Square Grocery in Danville, Illinois, you’ll notice three things: it’s clean, everyone is friendly, and the food is priced fairly.

Heavenly Grocery opened its doors this past spring, on May 1, in a part of Vermilion County that’s considered a food desert.

Pastor Thomas Miller, pastor of New Life Church of Faith, which owns the shopping center where Heavenly Square Grocery is located said “There are 11,000 people in a 2-mile radius of our location, and they have no access to healthy food,” “The purpose for this location was that we saw a big need to support the community.”

Natasha:

Timothy Meneely, medical director of Carle Medical Office Center at The Riverfront in Danville. Noted that Illinois has 102 counties and Vermilion County ranks at 100 in the state for health outcomes. This grocery store is trying to make it easier to access healthy food for those who need it most.

Warren:

In addition to the grocery store, there is now a community garden, a mobile market that drives through main sections of the county, and a kids program that educates about health and diet.

They even worked with distributors to get Heavenly Square Grocery re-zoned, so pricing was lowered appropriately for the area’s needs.

Once Heavenly Square Grocery is turning a profit, Miller said he plans to use those funds to open a restaurant or a laundry mat, something that provides support to the community.

Natasha:

Our next story involves a defamation case

Warren:

The Supreme Court of Texas heard oral arguments this week related to the case of plaintiff Jane Roe suing Southwestern Baptist Seminary and its former President Paige Patterson for defamation related to a sexual assault she reportedly suffered in 2015.

Roe claims Paige Patterson provided false and defamatory information about her in an attempt to “defend [his] reputation” that were then produced in three separate publications.

The case was filed in federal district court, but on appeal the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit certified two questions about Texas state law for the state’s highest civil appellate court to answer.

Natasha:

What are the questions?

Warren:

Can a person who supplies defamatory material for publication be liable for defamation?

If so, can a defamation plaintiff survive summary judgment by presenting evidence that a defendant was involved in preparing a defamatory publication, without identifying any specific statements made by the defendant?

Natasha:

What’s the background to this case?

Warren:

Roe was a student at Southwestern in 2015 when she claims to have reported an attack and rape on campus to then-President Paige Patterson. Issues about how Patterson’s comments about women and his handling of sexual assault charges eventually led to his termination as the seminary president.

There’s a lot more on this story and how the oral arguments and counterpoints to the two questions in our full story so I’d encourage you, if you’re interested to check it out on MinistryWatch.com

The Texas Supreme Court will send its opinion of these two questions to the Fifth Circuit for use in its review of the underlying federal case. The Texas Supreme Court will not decide the case on its merits.

Natasha:

Next, a southern California pastor has been arrested for child sex abuse.

Warren:

For three years, police in Ontario, California, had their sites on a local pastor suspected of child sexual assault, but lacked enough evidence to act.

Then in July, another alleged victim came forward.

On Sept. 5, police made their move, and as ChurchLeaders.com reports, 47-year-old Jose Alcides Vasquez was arrested at his home about 50 miles away in Menifee.

The eight charges against Vasquez include lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14, aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, oral copulation with a child under 16, and two counts each of oral copulation with a child under 10 and sodomy of a child under 10.

The abuses allegedly occurred at Vasquez’ former residence in Ontario, and police believe he may have other victims.

Vasquez surrendered without incident and is being held on $500,000 bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Natasha:

Our next story has a similar theme.

Warren:

A Colorado Springs pastor MinistryWatch reported on a year ago has been sentenced and is serving time in prison.

Last September, investigators discovered that Jonathan Shaheen, 31, was exchanging explicit images of and with two underage girls—one 9 years old and the other 5 years old—through the girl’s mother, who was once his lover.

According to the arrest affidavit, Shaheen expressed interest in having sexual intercourse with the two children, as well as their mother, who texted the photos to Shaheen.

In 2022, police traced the texts to Shaheen while investigating the mother and her partner in New Mexico for exploiting children.

Natasha:

So what happened with that case:

Warren:

Judge Jill Brady sentenced Shaheen to two years in the Department of Corrections with a mandatory three-year parole upon release. He is not currently listed as a sex offender.

Natasha:

Warren, we’re going to take another break. When we return, our lightning round of ministry news of the week.

I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith. More in a moment.

BREAK

THIRD SEGMENT

Natasha:

Welcome back. I’m Natasha Cowden, with my co-host Warren Smith and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch Podcast.

Warren, we like to use this last segment as a sort of lightning round of shorter news briefs.

What’s up first?

Warren:

Truth for Life radio Bible teacher Alistair Begg announced his retirement as senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Begg, 72, broke the news to his congregation Sunday, Sept. 8, giving a projected end date of Sept. 14, 2025.

The Scottish-born evangelical, well known for his radio broadcasts syndicated on over 1,800 networks across North America, explained the early announcement is intended “to make it clear [it] is not precipitous.” He also said the advance notice will help his “ambition to pass the baton safely into the hands of my successor” and will give the church “time to adjust to the prospect of and to prepare in a timely way for what this transition will mean.”

Natasha:

What’s next?

Warren:

Like other Americans, pastors are deciding who they’ll vote for in the November election.

Compared to previous elections, however, they’re much more hesitant to share their preference.

Almost all U.S. Protestant pastors (97%) plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to a Lifeway Research study conducted Aug. 8-Sept. 3, 2024. But almost a quarter (23%) refused to answer the question of whom they’ll cast their ballot for.

Natasha:

But that means three-quarters of them did answer. What did they say?

Warren:

Among those who plan to vote and shared their preference, 50% say former President Donald Trump is their choice, while a quarter (24%) back Vice President Kamala Harris and 23% are undecided. No third-party candidate garnered more than 1% support.

Self-identified evangelical pastors are more likely to vote for Trump (61%), while half of mainline Protestant pastors (50%) say they support Harris.

Half of U.S. Protestant pastors (50%) say they are either a registered member or consider themselves to be a part of the Republican party. One in 5 (18%) are Democrats, and 25% say they’re independent.

Natasha:

Next up is MinistryWatch’s August Index.

Warren:

The MinistryWatch Index inched up slightly in August but has remained mostly flat this summer.

That said, the less than 1 percent increase, to 156, represents a new record for the index, which tracks revenue for 38 of the largest Christian ministries in the nation. On August 1, the revenue of these ministries was $9.9 billion.

Though there was no growth during July, this number represents 10.6 percent year-to-date.

Though the organizations in the MinistryWatch Index have continued to grow this year, that growth significantly lags last year’s rise. In 2023 the Index grew 24.1 percent. The relatively slow growth of the MinistryWatch Index for 2024 could suggest concern about the future of the economy.

A recent survey conducted by MinistryWatch of ministry executives found that fundraising has now replaced finding and recruiting staff as their top leadership concern. This concern seems well-founded. A recent survey found that giving by evangelicals is down.

Natasha:

And who is in our Ministry Spotlight this week?

Warren:

Orange, a children’s ministry that develops curriculum for churches, saw its Ministry Watch Donor Confidence Score (DCS) drop to a 55 this week. That takes it out of the “Give With Confidence” category and lowers it to the “Give With Caution.”

The DCS is based on 20 questions about how a ministry operates. Questions are weighted, and answers help determine a ministry’s overall score. Orange lost DCS points, in part, because it is not a member of the ECFA and does not have “at least four independent board members for every non-independent member.”

Natasha:

Those are not the only reasons to exercise caution, are they?

Warren:

In addition, the ministry has been in the news this year due to sexual abuse allegations against its founder Reggie Joiner. Back in April, both Joiner and CEO Kristen Ivy resigned unexpectedly from the organization—with Ivy disclosing a past inappropriate relationship with Joiner. A month after the resignation, Ivy accused Joiner of “clergy sexual abuse.”

In 2023, the ministry had a revenue of $27.2 million and its total expenses were $28.5 million. According to its 990s, Orange has spent more than it has made three of the last five years.

In 2023, Reggie Joiner collected a salary of $462,292, and Kristen Ivy received a salary of $357,709. Its board chair, Joel Manby, was paid $93,465.

Natasha:

And who did we highlight in Ministries Making a Difference?

Warren:

Highland Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, has opened its Wellness Center to the community on Mondays as an urgent care. Volunteer medical professionals offer services free of charge to treat non-life-threatening conditions, regardless of whether or not patients have health insurance. The church’s Wellness Center also offers courses in finance, ESL, citizenship, and birthing classes.

The Sunset International Bible Institute’s Adventures in Missions (AIM) program has partnered with Ultimate Escape to provide counseling on sexual trauma for young adults training to become missionaries. Steve and Holly Holladay—both of whom were victims of sexual abuse themselves—started Ultimate Escape in 2004 to address addictive sexual behaviors in teens, but have since expanded the ministry to help people of all ages with an added focus on sexual trauma.

Two foundations and a corporation are investing in Water Mission to help launch a professional water utility in Uganda. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Stone Family Foundation, and Georg Fischer Corporation are collaborating to provide safe water access to rural communities in the country’s Luuka District, where just 9% of people have access to safely managed drinking water services. Water Mission has 4 stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 100.

Ministries of Jesus raised $67,640 through its benefit golf scramble last month. MOJ provides holistic care to people in Oklahoma through medical care, dental clinics, licensed counseling, social services, and more. Ministries of Jesus has 5 stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 98.

Natasha:

Warren, any final thoughts before we go?

Warren:

8 Tales of Transformation

Webinar: Introduction to Intelligent Giving with Al Mueller of Excellence in Giving.

Natasha:

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, Jessica Eturralde, Bethany Starin, Tony Mator, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren.

A special thanks to Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week’s podcast.

I’m Natasha Cowden, in Denver, Colorado.

Warren:

And I’m Warren Smith in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Natasha:

You’ve been listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.