The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability was formed in 1979 in response to a wave of church financial scandals. Based in Winchester, Va., the ECFA has 2,000 member evangelical Christian organizations that adhere the ECFA principle, or Standards of Responsible Stewardship, which “focus on board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fund-raising, and proper use of charity resources.” […]

Wall Watchers is a evangelical-oriented ministry that encourages financial accountability and increased stewardship among Christian churches and organizations. Founded in the 1990s, Wall Watchers expanded with an adjunct group: MinistryWatch, which aims to provide “the donating public with access to organizational and financial profiles on 400 of the largest Christian ministries in the United States.”

Benjamin Reynolds is director of the LGBTQ Religious Studies Center at Chicago Theological Seminary.

Lallene Rector is president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. She is also director of its WomenIMAGES center.

The National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management is a Catholic organization founded in 2005 out of concerns over financial mismanagement uncovered during the sexual abuse crisis. The NLRCM says its mission “is to promote excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resources development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. by greater incorporation of […]

Marks is a lecturer in the theology department at the University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. He is also the author of over a dozen articles in systematic theology and the author/editor of several texts in theology. His primary research area is contemporary systematic theology, although his doctoral work dealt with nineteenth-century German Protestant theology. […]

FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities Inc.) is a Washington, D.C.-based consortium of private charitable foundations and individual donors who try to foster stewardship and religious philanthropy. The organization has become increasingly interested in stewardship issues in recent years. Loretta Dees is the communications director.

The International Catholic Stewardship Council is a leading organization promoting increased stewardship in the Catholic Church. Research has shown that on average, Catholics tend to put less than Protestants — perhaps half as much — in the weekly collection plate. The ICSC, based in Dearborn Heights, Mich., is stepping up efforts to encourage giving. The group has […]

Giving USA of Chicago, Ill., is the leading foundation dedicated to promoting overall philanthropy and ethical standards for charitable organizations. In its most recent annual survey, using data from 2006, Giving USA reported that Americans gave more than $295 billion to the nation’s 1.4 million charitable and religious organizations, with the largest single share—almost one-third—going to the religious […]