Jessica Eturralde

2 months ago | ministrywatch.com | Jessica Eturralde

An Ohio grand jury has indicted the son of Faith Life Church leaders Gary and Drenda Keesee on 27 counts related to sexually abusing minors. On Monday, April 21, the jury charged Gary Thomas “Tom” Keesee Jr. for crimes that allegedly happened between May 2002 and October 2011, including those against his own younger sister. Out of the 27 charges, 11 counts are of first-degree felony rape and third-degree felony gross sexual imposition. Police arrested Keesee last Friday.

2 months ago | ministrywatch.com | Jessica Eturralde

A TN missionary to South Africa who was reportedly kidnapped and held for ransom has been safely recovered following a shootout that left three dead. On Thursday, April 10, as 45-year-old missionary Josh Sullivan stood in the pulpit of the Fellowship Baptist Church during a prayer meeting of about 30 attendees—including his wife, Meagan, and their six children. At least four masked men stormed into the church and kidnapped the pastor at gunpoint. The incident happened at around 7 p.m. local time.

2 months ago | ministrywatch.com | Jessica Eturralde

Florida police have charged a church financial secretary with bilking her church out of nearly half a million dollars. On April 11, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) arrested Melissa Ganey English (Rhoden), 44, for allegedly embezzling funds from Amelia Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach, where she worked. Court documents say English managed the church’s finances for about 11 years—the last five of which she reportedly embezzled.

2 months ago | ministrywatch.com | Kim Roberts |Jessica Eturralde |Christina Darnell

Here at MinistryWatch, one of our goals is to equip donors with the information they need to make wise decisions with their giving. That’s why we manage our database, which rates more than 1,000 of the country’s largest ministries based on their financial efficiency, financial transparency, and their donor confidence score. Each week, we highlight ministries in our database that have had rating changes, plus a brief explanation about why it matters.

2 months ago | ministrywatch.com | Jessica Eturralde

Faith Life Church, a megachurch in New Albany, Ohio, faces mounting scrutiny as a current abuse scandal prompts questions about past allegations to resurface. A recent string of sexual abuse allegations has an earlier financial investigation, and widespread criticism over its use of employee nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).