Warren Cole Smith: Avoiding Financial and Governance Disasters

Guest Bios Show Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLrIUkMsHo When you give to a church or nonprofit, how do you know your money is being well spent? How do you know if leadership is truly being held accountable? In this session from the recent Restore Conference, veteran journalist and MinistryWatch president Warren Cole Smith answers these vital questions. As Warren explains, the evangelical church has been completely incapable of policing itself. In scandal after scandal, elder boards often protect their pastors rather than holding them accountable. And many Christian organizations are so invested in celebrity pastors and megachurches that they look the other way too. So, how do you know if your church or nonprofit is being governed well and handling its money appropriately? One tool is to follow the work of Christian journalists. Reporting the unvarnished truth, so corruption and abuse can be exposed and dealt with is a major reason The Roys Report and MinistryWatch exist. But there’s another crucial component—and that’s educating donors and supporters to detect the red flags and take action. Tune in for his insights on how to detect financial and governance disasters before they make headlines. This Week’s Guest Warren Cole Smith After several years of growing the Colson Center’s reach and impact by creating partnerships with key Christian leaders and strategic Christian organizations around the country, Warren is now the President of MinistryWatch. Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine and has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Show Transcript SPEAKERS WARREN COLE SMITH, JULIE ROYS JULIE ROYS 00:04 When you give to a church or nonprofit, how do you know your money is being well spent? How do you know if leadership is truly being held accountable? Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And in this episode, veteran journalist and president of Ministry Watch, Warren Cole Smith, answers these vital questions. As Warren explains in this message from the recent Restore conference, the evangelical church has shown itself completely incapable of policing itself. As scandal after scandal has shown, elders often protect their pastors rather than holding them accountable. And many Christian organizations are so invested in celebrity pastors and mega churches that they look the other way. So how do you know if your church or nonprofit is being governed well in handling its money appropriately? Well, one way is following the work of Christian journalists reporting the unvarnished truth so corruption and abuse can be exposed and dealt with, is a major reason The Roys Report, as well as Ministry Watch, exist. But there’s another crucial component, and that’s educating donors and supporters to detect the red flags and take action. And that’s what Warren does extremely well in this podcast. So, I’m so excited to share it with you. But first, I’d like to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University, and Marquardt of Barrington. Judson University is a top ranked Christian University providing a caring community and an excellent college experience. Plus, the school offers more than 60 majors great leadership opportunities and strong financial aid. Judson University is shaping lives that shaped the world. For more information, just go to judsonu.edu Also, if you’re looking for a quality new or used car, I highly recommend my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Marquardt is a Buick GMC dealership where you can expect honesty, integrity, and transparency. That’s because the owners there Dan and Curt Marquardt are men of character. To check them out, just go to buyacar123.com. Well, again, you’re about to hear a talk by Warren Cole Smith, on how to detect financial and governance disasters before they make head