Warren Smith and Natasha Smith
330 episodes listed below
Christian accountability reporting with receipts.
MinistryWatch Podcast tracks the institutions, leaders, lawsuits, ratings, and controversies shaping evangelical public life. Its reporting is plainspoken and accountability-minded, with regular attention to money, governance, abuse, religious liberty, and the practical consequences for churches and donors.
PRESS PLAY
MinistryWatch Podcast is a reporting-driven Christian news show about power, money, responsibility, and trust inside evangelical institutions. It has the feel of a compact weekly desk report. A typical episode can move from a church’s declining tithes to a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, then to summer camp safety rules in Texas or allegations of financial misconduct at a local church. The show does not treat ministry as automatically above scrutiny. It asks what happened, who was affected, how organizations responded, and what donors or church members should know before giving confidence. The pacing is brisk. The language is measured. Recent coverage includes Elevation Church, Horizons International, Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision, Columbia International University, Dad’s Place, St. Andrew’s Chapel, the Presbyterian Church in America, and the Salvation Army. The show is especially attentive to ratings, financial efficiency, transparency grades, donor confidence scores, and institutional accountability. Those tools are not side details; they are part of the editorial method. Episodes also step outside the usual charity and philanthropy lane when a story touches religious liberty, nonprofit influence, Christian media, military chaplaincy, donor intent, or the moral use of money. The interview with John Coleman on Good Money fits that broader concern, connecting purpose, work, retirement, and stewardship. The tone can be warm, but it is rarely casual. Serious stories are named plainly, including abuse, excommunication, criminal charges, lawsuits, humanitarian suffering, and AI-related harms. The show’s strength is its refusal to separate Christian mission from governance. It is built for listeners who want faith-informed reporting that still expects records, standards, and consequences.
Made for: For Christians, donors, ministry leaders, journalists, and church members who want sober reporting on evangelical institutions. It especially suits listeners who care about governance, transparency, stewardship, and abuse prevention.
What sets it apart: The show combines Christian news judgment with a ratings-and-donor-confidence lens, making financial transparency part of the story rather than a footnote. Its coverage links law, money, and institutional conduct without turning every segment into outrage.
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.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Its Music value lies in treating creative ownership as part of a broader conversation about institutions, ethics, and stewardship.
MinistryWatch Podcast turns evangelical institutions into subjects for scrutiny, pairing headline briefings with explanatory conversations about governance, money, law, and leadership.
Church headlines meet donor scores and state statutes before your skepticism gets to clock out.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Church money, Lebanon aid, and Texas camp safety are handled as reporting, not sermonizing.
MinistryWatch Podcast links three reporting lanes: a Georgia United Methodist Church case involving a $500,000 theft charge and a church shutdown, aid efforts in Lebanon, and Texas camp-safety legislation shaped by last year’s deadly floods.
A steady accountability roundup, with the ECFA section giving it the most practical value.
MinistryWatch opens with a compact accountability roundup: a leadership removal in Raleigh, a lawsuit against God International that alleges sex trafficking and forced labor, and ECFA's new leader care standard all sit in the same hard-news lane.
A clear case for creativity, ownership, and patent protection.
This episode treats creativity as both calling and property, moving from the creation story and the image of God into a practical defense of patent protection.
A brisk ministry-news episode that connects church conflict, donor power, and accountability.
MinistryWatch uses this episode to tie together public disruption, church lawsuits, and the less visible workings of philanthropic power. It begins with a Minneapolis church weighing legal options after protesters stormed a service, then shifts into a clear explanation of family…
A brisk accountability roundup where scandal, reporting law, and ministry money stay in the same frame.
Ministry Watch opens as a sober roundup of accountability stories, and it works best when scandal, reporting law, and ministry governance stay tightly connected.
Two Bible translators unpack Scripture's hardest passages, from Revelation's 666 to the Witch of Endor.
Live sermons with Easter-shaped urgency.
The program opens with Elevation Church, where campus growth is happening at the same time as tithes and attendance decline.
This episode features a discussion about Children's Hunger Fund, a ministry that has achieved top ratings for financial efficiency and transparency, as part of Ministry Watch's coverage of charity and philanthropy news.
This episode covers recent developments in Christian ministry, including Columbia International University leaving the ECFA, a deposed Anglican bishop returning to ministry, and Dad's Place winning a legal fight for homeless shelter rights.
This episode discusses whether nonprofits contribute to urban decline, critiquing an analysis that suggests they do while highlighting the growth of nonprofits and leadership programs.
This episode features an interview with John Coleman about his book 'Good Money', which explores how to build a financial life with purpose by connecting money to calling, happiness, and human flourishing.
This episode covers news stories about evangelical church accountability, including a pastor's release from jail, AI-generated abuse images, and Salvation Army donations.
This episode covers news about military chaplains removing rank insignia and a Pew study on religious radio station availability.
Warren Smith explains the importance of MinistryWatch's ministry rating system, drawing an analogy to the mutual fund industry.
This episode covers turmoil at St.
An extra episode of MinistryWatch podcast discussing a podcast interview with former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and reflecting on redemption and church leadership.
Warren Smith discusses the 25th anniversary of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and argues it has outlived its usefulness.
This episode covers recent scandals in evangelical megachurches, including the replacement of pastors at Angelus Temple and Brady Boyd's resignation, and investigates fundraising transparency for Bible distribution to Iran.
This episode covers a lawsuit against Harvest Christian Fellowship over abuse in Romania, donor-advised fund considerations, a historic campus donation, Beth Moore ending events, and a Liberty University discrimination case.
The episode starts with a leadership removal in North Carolina.
This episode features an interview with Clint Presley, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, reflecting on his leadership tenure and discussing issues facing the SBC and evangelicalism.
This episode covers controversies in evangelical churches, including clergy abuse allegations at Bethel Church, a lawsuit over a camp tragedy, ethical issues in fundraising, and the closure of a relief hub.
This episode covers financial scandals and legal disputes in Christian ministries, including a church property lawsuit, embezzlement cases, and a plane crash involving a Christian aviation ministry.
Warren Smith welcomes Jim Edwards for a conversation centered on Edwards's book To Invent Is Divine.
This episode covers news about a lawsuit against Waterstone, the He Gets Us campaign, donor generosity study, CBN job cuts, and a Lutheran church leader's arrest for child pornography.
The episode covers sexual abuse in a Christian scouting program, financial transparency issues at the Passion Conference, and the pro-life movement's unity, plus the Jesus Film's digital shift.
The program opens with stories about church conflict, financial power, and legal accountability.
This episode features an interview with Laura Thien, the new president of GRACE, discussing the organization's mission to address sexual abuse in Christian environments through investigations, training, and survivor-centered approaches.
This episode features an interview with musician, band leader, and producer Ben Shive, discussing his work and the non-celebrity approach to Christian leadership in the Nashville music scene.
Warren Smith and Christina Darnell host from North Carolina.
This episode features an interview with Religion News Service reporter Kathryn Post discussing the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), its controversies, and the host's personal connections to the denomination.
This episode features a re-aired interview with Rusty and Carol Leonard, the founders of Ministry Watch, discussing the organization's 25th anniversary and their personal journey.
Host Warren Smith interviews data guru Ryan Burge about his book on the decline of moderate congregations and its impact on democracy and faith.
This episode covers the not-guilty verdict in Bishop Stuart Ruck's trial, scrutiny of International Servants' claims in Belize, and Elevation Church's college launch.
Host Warren Smith discusses God's good design for sexuality and gender with Elizabeth Urbanovitz, focusing on a biblical, formative approach for parents.
This episode covers abuse lawsuits against Pastor Greg Laurie, a DOJ tax fraud case against LifeSurge founder, and reports on religious decline and giving trends.
Host Warren Smith interviews Dan Darling about his new book defending Christian patriotism and distinguishing it from Christian nationalism.
This episode covers a pastor's resignation due to adultery, a church's food ministry legal victory, and a survey on ministry executives' recession fears.
Host Warren Smith interviews Doug Cobb about the Finishing Fund, a venture capital approach to funding evangelistic work globally.
Host Warren Smith interviews Andrew Ocinga about his new book on authentic faith, blending music discussion with spiritual insights.