Ep. 401: Steve Lawson, Steve Morgan and The Network, and Vince Bantu

MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, longtime pastor Steve Lawson was removed as pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas over an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a woman…now, ministries are dropping the author and teaching fellow as ripples of his affair spread. We’ll take a look.

And, devastated families share stories of being cut off by adult children involved in The Network—an association of churches started by Steve Morgan. We’ll have details.

Plus, two prominent pastors announce their plans for retirement.

But first, Fuller Seminary Professor Vince Bantu is being accused of a secret second marriage. Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, the denominational seminary for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), acknowledged that former professor Vince Bantu engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student during his tenure there.

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, Tony Mator, Mallory Challis, G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Daniel Ritchie, Marci Seither, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell.

A special thanks to Baptist News Global 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, longtime pastor Steve Lawson was removed as pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Dallas over an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a woman…now, ministries are dropping the author and teaching fellow as ripples of his affair spread. We’ll take a look.

And, devastated families share stories of being cut off by adult children involved in The Network—an association of churches started by Steve Morgan. We’ll have details.

Plus, two prominent pastors announce their plans for retirement.

Natasha:

But first, Fuller Seminary Professor Vince Bantu is being accused of a secret second marriage.

Warren:

Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, the denominational seminary for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), acknowledged that former professor Vince Bantu engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a student during his tenure there.

The incident arose because of an investigative article published in Christianity Today about Bantu’s alleged secret marriage.

Covenant said after the student filed a Title IX complaint against Bantu, the seminary confronted him, he confessed to the relationship, and he resigned from his position in 2018.

Natasha:

But he didn’t stop teaching.

Warren:

That’s right, Bantu joined the faculty of Fuller Seminary in 2019 as an associate professor of church history and black church studies.

Covenant said they were contacted by Fuller about the reason for his departure and they “shared with Fuller Seminary all the details of what had happened in 2018.

Natasha:

He doesn’t just teach at Fuller, he’s also a pastor.

Warren:

Bantu left his co-pastoring position at Outpour Community Church shortly after the Covenant complaint, and founded a new church, Beloved Community Church. He also began meeting with two other pastors as part of an accountability group.

Those pastors, Darren Young and Thurman Williams, met with Bantu regularly to provide moral support and mutual discipleship. Young and Williams told CT about Bantu’s alleged secret marriage to a second wife based on conversations with him during accountability meetings. They said he argued that one way for him to avoid sexual temptation was to marry multiple women.

Natasha:

Is Fuller doing anything about these allegations?

Warren:

General Counsel Lance Griffin said in a statement.“Fuller Seminary is committed to thoroughly investigating any allegations of inappropriate conduct,We are aware of these allegations and can confirm an internal investigation is underway.”

Natasha:

Along similar lines, leaders respond to Steven Lawson’s moral disqualification.

Warren:

Last week, MinistryWatch reported that Trinity Bible Church of Dallas had “indefinitely removed” its lead pastor Steven J. Lawson “from all ministry activities” due to an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman.

Lawson has been a leading figure in evangelical circles. In addition to pastoring at Trinity, Lawson is the founder of OnePassion Ministries. He was professor of preaching and dean of D.Min. studies at The Master’s Seminary (TMS), and frequently preached for John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church (GCC) and its conferences.

Shortly following Trinity’s announcement (Sept. 20), both GCC and TMS scrubbed Lawson from their websites, but have yet to formally address Lawson’s moral failure.

Natasha:

How has the church responded?

Warren:

On Sunday, Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Elder Mark Becker ​​addressed his congregation for the first time since Lawson’s dismissal.

He acknowledged the emotional and difficult week following Lawson’s removal, and noted that while questions persist, the focus will be on how the church will move forward. He gave no further information on the nature of Lawson’s moral failure.

Natasha:

Lets look at one more story before we take our first break, what do you have?

Warren:

Less than two months ago, Pastor Rodney Finch told his Calvary Chapel Cary congregation in Apex, North Carolina, “The time for me to go is now.”

Finch’s resignation came amid an uproar over the discovery he had listed the church property for sale without telling anyone—the latest in a long string of alleged scandals, lies, secrets and financial missteps.

But on Sept. 22, Finch was back in the pulpit. And the pastors he’d tapped to replace him were gone, having announced their own resignations the previous Sunday.

Natasha:

What happened?

Warren:

In audio obtained by MinistryWatch, Finch addressed church members after the service to explain his return. He admitted that, behind closed doors, he had made a deal with the other pastors, Ralf Stores and Scott Burrell, that he would not relinquish his authority until the church agreed to a plan to fund his retirement, using profits from the future sale of the church.

Then, when the leadership offered Finch a payout amount, he refused to sign what he called “almost like blackmail,” because the contract required him to simultaneously surrender his authority rather than quit at a later time of his choosing.

Natasha:

Finch railed against the former board and pastors for suspecting him of attempting to secretly form a limited liability company to steal money from the sale of the church. Their treatment of him, he claimed, had helped push him out the door.

Warren:

He said, “I had had it, I am not the guy who ever even wanted to be a pastor, to be quite honest with you. I have been serving the Lord in this church for 30 years out of total obedience to God. I don’t need it. I didn’t want it. I don’t need it.”

As previously reported by MinistryWatch, those 30 years have been mired by a host of issues, such as soliciting funds for a new church building that was never built and keeping budget information and even the church by-laws hidden from his own team. Another scandal was Finch’s long struggle with a drug addiction he hid from his congregation even as he pushed the board to cover $50,000 of a luxury rehabilitation program—which he then quit without telling the church.

Natasha:

Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, parents devastated when their children cut off contact after getting involved in Network churches.

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:

The Network is…well…a network of churches was started by Steve Morgan, a pastor who began his career as part of the Vineyard USA association of churches, but left that group to start The Network in 2006.

Until recently, the network had 26 member churches. Morgan is the lead pastor of Joshua Church in Austin, Texas. But a number of churches have recently left The Network, and that has generated scrutiny about Morgan and his organization.

Natasha:

And you’ve got a specific example of those concerns.

Warren,

Yes, we heard from one mother who says churches in The Network operate in a cult-like manner. Some of those behaviors resulted in her become estranged from her daughter and son-in-law.

This mother, Melanie, began searching online and found similar stories. She wanted to warn others, so Families Against Cults on Campus (FACC) was born and began creating content, including testimonials.

The YouTube channel has gotten tens of thousands of views.

By the way, we use only Melanie’s first name because she fears retribution.

Natasha:

An online forum, Leaving the Network, was created to “platform the stories of those who have left Steve Morgan’s Network of Churches and to create a public record of the inner workings and history of The Network.”

Warren:

The Leave the Network group has heard from many families who noticed rapid changes in loved ones who became involved in a Network church. Examples include drastic personality changes, loss of interest in hobbies, significant financial commitment to the church, abrupt priority shifts, Network gatherings prioritized over family celebrations, and increased control of their lives by Network leaders.

MinistryWatch reached out to Joshua Church in Austin where Steve Morgan is lead pastor to ask for comment, but we did not receive a reply before time of publication.

Natasha:

Next is the latest from Kanakuk Camps.

Warren:

“Protect Children. Support Survivors. Protest Pete Newman’s Parole!” are the opening lines readers will see when they click on the new website, protestpetesparole.com.

As the September 25 parole hearing for serial child sexual abuser Peter Newman approached, survivors and advocates call for support in urging the Missouri Department of Corrections Board and Parole to deny his possible release. Previously, survivors and advocates have urged concerned citizens to write letters to the parole board expressing their grievances regarding Newman’s crimes.

Natasha:

How is this website involved?

Warren:

This new website offers visitors a way to fill out an online form to submit their letters directly to the parole board. The form includes the option to submit an editable pre-loaded statement or follow a template to craft your own.

In addition to letter-writing, the website also links to a petition against Newman’s parole, which will be “submitted to the Missouri Parole Board as part of Newman’s hearing.”

Natasha:

How is his parole possible?

Warren:

Despite being sentenced to two life terms plus 30 years — a total of 90 years, with 30 counting for each life sentence — Newman is eligible for parole after serving just 15.

Natasha:

Now that the parole hearing has taken place, what can be expected next?

Warren:

After a hearing, the parole board typically takes eight to 12 weeks to come to a decision. If Newman’s parole is denied, he will be eligible for a reconsideration hearing every one to five years until a release date is established. The new website reminds viewers that all evidence from the Sept. 25 hearing can be used in future hearings, including contributions to the petition as supporters continue to sign.

Natasha:

Our next story has to do with helping Churches keep their buildings.

Warren:

As many as 100,000 church-owned buildings are expected to be sold or repurposed by 2030, according to an analysis by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Though Sunday attendance has recovered in part from COVID-19 restrictions, a decades-long decline has continued to take its toll, and the squeeze on churches has only gotten tighter in the post-pandemic economy.

As a result, congregations face hard choices about what to do with large sacred structures that are underutilized, costly to keep up and suffering from deferred maintenance.

Natasha:

But a recent gathering of churches hopes to make a difference

Warren:

100 church leaders and congregants who gathered online and in person Friday and Saturday (Sept. 20-21) to hear from a lineup of real estate experts about how to reimagine a new future for church buildings. The Future of Church Property conference, organized by Princeton Theological Seminary, focused on turning community needs into grants, partnerships with developers and new business-driven income streams.

Natasha:

What were some of the take-aways from the conference?

Warren:

Congregations were urged to consider social enterprise, a term for using business principles to address social problems while generating revenue. Attendees heard about congregations that had escaped financial dire straits and galvanized new ministry momentum by leasing space to the public for community and commercial use.

The assembled church leaders were directed to resources such as the Good Futures Accelerator course from Rooted Good for other ideas on how to forward their missions while raising revenue.

Natasha:

And some churches have used their property to help with the housing crisis.

Warren:

Churches with land or buildings that can be developed into housing have huge opportunities in the current housing crisis. Take Arlington Presbyterian Church, for example, across the Potomac River from Washington, which built 173 affordable housing units, working with a nonprofit developer who pieced together $71 million in direct funding and tax breaks for the project from multiple sources.

The project not only allowed the congregation to keep a presence at its location, but it also spawned new energy for the congregation as it has mobilized to reach out to its new community and serve its needs.

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:

Pastor, author and radio personality Chuck Swindoll announced he will preach his final sermon as pastor in October.

Swindoll has been pastoring at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, since 1998.

Still, at almost 90 years old, Swindoll insists his age will not keep him from continuing to serve in other ministry-related capacities.

Swindoll will turn his attention to his broadcast ministry, Insight For Living, which he has led and preached with for over 45 years.

Jonathan Murphy, the former chair of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, will now serve as Stonebriar’s senior pastor.

Natasha:

What’s next?

Warren:

Sunday, September 22, marked the 19^th anniversary of Pastor Steve Gaines’ leadership at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee. It also marked a new transition for one of America’s largest Southern Baptist churches—finding a new pastor to lead the 30,000-member congregation.

Gaines read a letter from the pulpit announcing his retirement. He said, “My race as senior pastor of Bellevue is coming to an end, but my commitment to you is to keep running with all my strength and effectively hand the baton to the next senior pastor,”

Gaines, 66, served Southern Baptist churches in Alabama and Texas before coming to the Memphis area of Tennessee to pastor Bellevue Baptist Church. Gaines served as SBC president from 2016 to 2018. He is also former president of the Tennessee Baptist Pastors Conference.

Gaines assured them he is not leaving or retiring, but simply changing direction.

Gaines said he plans to travel more and minister at different churches as an itinerant preacher. Bellevue will remain his ministry’s home base. The couple also looks forward to spending more time with their four adult children and 18 grandchildren.

Natasha:

Next, More Americans are dying of opioid abuse, but fewer churches are serving those with opioid addictions

Warren:

A Lifeway Research study found Protestant pastors say their church is currently serving people with opioid addictions, but that support is primarily spiritual. Almost 3 in 4 (72%) offer spiritual support including prayer or discipleship. Fewer say they’re providing physical support including food, shelter or clothing (41%) or a 12-step program or other support groups for substance abuse (32%). Around 1 in 5 (21%) say they aren’t doing any of these, while 1% aren’t sure.

Statistically fewer churches today say they are offering spiritual support, down 10 percentage points from 82% in 2018, or substance abuse support groups, down 8 points from 40%.

Natasha:

And who is in our Ministry Spotlight this week?

Warren:

Avant Ministries, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, no longer makes its Form 990 public.

According to its Guidestar profile, the organization is now classified as a church.

Because it does not make its Form 990 or its audited financial statements public, Avant’s Donor Confidence Score is now a “Withhold Giving” designation of 36 with a D Transparency Grade.

According to limited financial information from its ECFA profile, Avant Ministries’ revenue was $26.9 million in 2023. Its total expenses were $25.4 million with $25.4 million in net assets.

The ministry’s website states it is “an interdenominational, multinational missionary sending organization that has focused on planting and developing churches in the unreached areas of the world since the 1890s.”

Natasha:

And who did we highlight in Ministries Making a Difference?

Warren:

On September 28, Elim Christian Services is hosting its annual Dutch Fest, complete with Dutch fare, wooden shoe dancers, reptile shows, petting zoo, train rides, and Elim’s Dutch Village shops. All proceeds go to Elim, which serves Illinois youth and adults with disabilities through its school and other programs. Elim also offers consulting services to schools who need expertise in special education. Elim Christian Services has 5 stars, an “A” transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 100—the highest in each of MinistryWatch’s three database categories.

Five hundred and fifty kids participated in Miracle Hill Ministries’ Kids Ninja Challenge, running a ninja obstacle course to raise $140,000 for the South Carolina ministry. Miracle Hill provides the most comprehensive homeless services in the state. Other areas of service include children’s foster care program and an addiction recovery program. Miracle Hill Ministries has 4 stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 90.

Natasha:

Warren, any final thoughts before we go?

Warren:

8 Tales of Transformation

Webinar: October 24. Understanding MinistryWatch’s Rating System.

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, Tony Mator, Mallory Challis, G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Daniel Ritchie, Marci Seither, Aaron Earls, Brittany Smith, and Christina Darnell.

A special thanks to Baptist News Global 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.