Ep. 430: Kanakuk, Climbing the “Benefits Cliff,” and Pastors and Planes

MinistryWatch Podcast

On today’s program, the lawsuit against Kanakuk Kamps brought by Logan Yandell has been dismissed. Yandell was a former camper who was sexually abused at the camp by leader Pete Newman. We’ll take a look. Also, in the next episode of our Generous Living series, a story about how $4 an hour changed the life trajectory of a young mom. And, Pastors and Planes—after tracking planes owned by more than 40 ministries, who was the biggest user of private aircraft…and how much did it cost donors?

But first, an Ohio pastor has been found guilty of criminal charges for providing temporary shelter to homeless people in his community. Dad’s Place, a church in Bryan, Ohio, has been battling with the city since last winter to provide shelter to homeless persons in the area. Now, the pastor, Chris Avell, has been found guilty in municipal court of a criminal charge related to a fire code violation, fined $200, and given a 60-day suspended sentence.

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, Elizabeth Coffee, Nathan Mayo, Tony Mator, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren.

A special thanks to Echoes Magazine 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, the lawsuit against Kanakuk Kamps brought by Logan Yandell has been dismissed. Yandell was a former camper who was sexually abused at the camp by leader Pete Newman. We’ll take a look.

Also, in the next episode of our Generous Living series, a story about how $4 an hour changed the life trajectory of a young mom.

And, Pastors and Planes—after tracking planes owned by more than 40 ministries, who was the biggest user of private aircraft…and how much did it cost donors?

Natasha:

But first, an Ohio pastor has been found guilty of criminal charges for providing temporary shelter to homeless people in his community.

Warren:

Dad’s Place, a church in Bryan, Ohio, has been battling with the city since last winter to provide shelter to homeless persons in the area.

Now, the pastor, Chris Avell, has been found guilty in municipal court of a criminal charge related to a fire code violation, fined $200, and given a 60-day suspended sentence.

The sentence is stayed pending an appeal by Avell, who is represented by First Liberty, a nonprofit law firm that defends religious liberty, and two other law firms.

Natasha:

What’s been the main issue for Dad’s place?

Warren:

According to First Liberty, the Bryan city officials are demanding that Dad’s Place install an expensive fire suppression system even though it does not place similar requirements on all of its motels, most of its apartment complexes, and even a senior living facility.

Natasha:

Next, the latest from Kanakuk Kamps.

Warren:

The lawsuit brought by former camper Logan Yandell against Kanakuk Kamps has been dismissed.

Missouri Judge Raymond Gross granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment because he said the claims were time-barred and because Yandell could not “establish actionable fraud or civil conspiracy against these defendants.”

The judge dismissed all of Yandell’s claims for relief.

Natasha:

What’s the background to Yandell’s story?

Warren:

Yandell is a Kanakuk camp sexual abuse survivor who filed a lawsuit against the camp in 2022. He was sexually abused by former Kanakuk employee Peter Newman, who is currently serving two life prison sentences plus 30 years for his abuse convictions.

Yandell reached a settlement agreement with Kanakuk in 2010, but he claimed in the lawsuit that the settlement was based on false and fraudulent representations by the Kanakuk defendants.

In his order, Judge Gross wrote that a fraud claim must be brought within five years of the date it occurred. In this lawsuit, Yandell argued that he didn’t learn about the fraud until the investigative report was released in 2021.

The judge dismissed the conspiracy claims because they could not survive without the underlying fraud claim.

Natasha:

Let’s look at one more story before we take a break -what do you have?

Warren:

As part of its effort to be transparent about abuse by former youth pastor Jackson Gatlin, the Duluth Vineyard church has published an extensive timeline of events with details and attachments.

“Just like the abuse itself, ours and Vineyard USA’s response to the abuse needs to come out into the light,” reads the introduction to the timeline on the church’s website. It also links the investigation report produced by GRACE, an organization that helps churches investigate and respond to abuse.

While the church values transparency, it says there are limitations on what it can say in order to protect victims.

Natasha:

What can you tell us about the timeline?

Warren:

The timeline begins in 2014 with reports of spiritual abuse and bullying by Michael Gatlin, former pastor of the Duluth Vineyard church, and a leader in Vineyard USA. While the church leadership undertook an investigation at the time, they now recognize that it was inadequate.

The next entry is about the initial report against Jackson Gatlin on October 6, 2022, when he was accused of having sex with a high school student 10 years earlier while serving as a volunteer youth leader at the church.

Within the next two months, Duluth Vineyard made a police report about Gatlin’s misconduct and made Jackson’s parents, Michael and Brenda Gatlin, aware of the report, telling them they must cooperate in the investigation. Michael Gatlin was the lead pastor of Duluth Vineyard at the time, and Brenda Gatlin was employed as a superregional leader by Vineyard USA.

In December 2022, the church told the congregation about the abuse allegations and also announced its victim support through compassionate care and licensed therapy.

Natasha:

What happened to the Gatlin family?

Warren:

Michael and Brenda Gatlin resigned.

In May 2023, Michael, Brenda, and Jackson Gatlin were placed under church discipline. The Gatlins’ ordination as pastors was revoked, and the steps for reconciliation and restoration were explained.

According to the timeline, as of January 10, 2025, neither Michael, Brenda, nor Jackson Gatlin have expressed or demonstrated “a willingness to participate in the process of reconciliation and restoration the Special Committee described.”

A post on the Vineyard USA website about the Guidepost report says it “is committed to acknowledging our past shortcomings, being transparent when issues arise, building a stronger culture of accountability among pastors and leaders at all levels, and implementing better systems to address concerns regarding leadership conduct when they arise.”

Natasha:

Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, how the so-called ‘benefits cliff’ makes rising out of poverty difficult for low-income families…and how one mom is helping other women overcome it.

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:

By the time Kayla Carter was 17, she thought her life was on track. She’d finished high school early. She was working and saving money for a move to college in Arlington.

Just as she was set to make her move, Carter’s life changed forever.

While working an office supply sales job, Carter was sexually assaulted by a coworker and became pregnant. After praying and seeking counsel, Carter decided her journey would mean keeping and raising this baby. That decision would prompt her to move back into her parents’ home. She had her daughter, Audrey, found a job waiting tables, and enrolled in UTSA.

Natasha:

But when her next job offer came, she some tough decisions to make

Warren:

At the time, Carter was using childcare assistance and WIC, a nutrition program for pregnant or breastfeeding women and families with children younger than five.

While considering the offer for this new job, she learned that this higher hourly wage would disqualify her from the childcare assistance on which she had been reliant. Despite the pay raise, Carter would technically bring home less income every month than if she were to keep waiting tables.

This dilemma is not uncommon. There’s even a name for it: the benefits cliff.

Natasha:

What is the benefits cliff?

Warren:

People hit the benefits cliff when a small increase in income leads to a significant reduction or complete loss of certain government benefits or assistance programs. This reality can create a disincentive for individuals to increase their income or work more hours because the loss of benefits outweighs the financial gain from additional earnings.

Natasha:

But it turned out to be an incentive for Audrey.

Warren:

Carter was able to negotiate her salary for an additional $4 an hour, making enough to support her and Audrey.

It also but Audrey on a path to help other women who were in her position – women who wanted to be self-sufficient, not depending on government subsidies.

In addition to working and raising Audrey, Carter opened her home to old friends from high school and new friends from across the city—all of whom had stories of trauma impacting their financial and emotional stability. After five years of keeping her door open and word spreading of the community she was building, almost 200 women had passed through her living room for relational, emotional, and spiritual support over meals and dialogue.

The women wanted to give back to Carter financially. Carter resisted these offers at first but was eventually inspired to create a nonprofit, recognizing that this kind of community was not only desired but needed.

Natasha:

Wow – that’s amazing

Warren:

What began in her home 15 years ago is now a thriving nonprofit called For Her, providing a network of support for women navigating the complexity and loneliness of the welfare system so they can find resilience and self-sufficiency. Thousands of women have been impacted by their services since launching in 2013.

For Her offers meals, community, mental health resources, and crisis-care for some of San Antonio’s most vulnerable women. It is a place for women to work through trauma together and cultivate a sense of belonging.

By the way, there’s a lot more to this story, which is the latest in our Generous Living series. One of the things I love about this story is that it is NOT about a wealthy family, but about someone who had very little, but God used it in a big way.

Natasha:

Next up, a story on gentrification.

Warren:

Yes, this story caught my attention because affordable housing has been in the news lately, and a number of Christian organizations have started paying attention to the issue. The Colson Center for Christian Worldview has, for example, made the case that housing is a Christian issue, an issue of dignity and human flourishing.

Natasha:

And gentrification – or the in-migration of higher income residents into a previously poor neighborhood — has often been portrayed as the villain in these conversations.

Warren:

That’s right.

But a 2019 study entitled, The Effects of Gentrification on the Well-Being and Opportunity of Original Resident Adults and Children, asked “What is the effect of gentrification on the original residents of a neighborhood?”

Natasha:

What did they find?

Warren:

It’s an elaborate study, but in general it found that gentrification does not force out poor residents and those who choose to leave gentrifying neighborhoods do so because they were going to move anyway. And, those who stay often see their household net worth rise dramatically. In other words, gentrification is generally good for those who leave and for those who stay.

Natasha:

What’s our next story?

Warren:

A rising contemporary Christian music artist and Dove Award nominee faces 80 charges of sexual abuse and sodomy of a minor.

Michael Howard, former lead singer and piano player for TrueSong—billed the “resident artist band” of Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum and Ark Encounter—was arrested Jan. 2, less than a week after the alleged victim came forward with the allegations, according to a statement from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington, Kentucky.

Natasha:

What did Answers in Genesis have to say?

Warren:

Answers in Genesis, the ministry of Christian apologist Ken Ham, told media that Howard had parted ways with TrueSong prior to his arrest, but did not specify when or why.

Howard was charged with 40 counts of first degree sexual abuse and 40 counts of third degree sodomy and held at the Boone County Jail on $250,000 bond.

Natasha:

Next, a school is being sued for failing to report alleged abuse.

Warren:

A lawsuit against Asheville Christian Academy, claiming it was negligent in failing to report and intervene in a sexual abuse situation involving a student, was filed on January 10 in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

The lawsuit involves accusations of sexual activity with a student, Jane Doe, by former coach Samuel Jason Ingle, who was charged with a felony in June 2024.

In addition to naming Asheville Christian Academy as a defendant in the lawsuit, it also names William George, the founder and former head of school; Taylor Bell, “director of social, emotional and spiritual care”; Wade Tapp, former associate head of school; Alexis Zanias, an upper school teacher; and Ingle, the former coach and “dean of spiritual formation.”

Natasha:

Why are all those individuals included?

Warren:

According to the lawsuit, the staff at Asheville Christian Academy “allowed this egregious and outrageous conduct to continue without taking any steps to report, intervene, investigate, discipline, pursue criminal charges, stop the grooming, abuse and exploitation or take any other steps to protect Plaintiff Jane Doe.”

The lawsuit also asserts that the school’s staff worked together to cover up the alleged abuse.

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:

MinistryWatch, in collaboration with the Trinity Foundation, each month publishes a list of the private planes belonging to pastors and Christian ministries.

The list also includes basic information about their usage by pastors and ministries.

This month’s list is below. Here are a few highlights:

• The Trinity Foundation currently tracks 66 planes owned by more than 40 ministries.
• During December, these planes made a total of 305 flights. This was a decrease from October’s record 372 flights.
• Operating costs were approximately $2 million for the month. These costs do not include the cost of the plane itself.
• Samaritan’s Purse was the biggest user of private aircraft.

MinistryWatch considers the use of private aircraft for the transportation of executives and staff to be excessive. It should be a significant red flag for donors.

Natasha:

What’s next?

Warren:

The MinistryWatch Index remained essentially flat during the month of December, at 152, though it was up 7.23 percent for the year.

The MinistryWatch Index is based on the revenue of 38 large Christian ministries, ministries that represent all of the 21 ministry segments tracked by MinistryWatch.

That said, most ministries that make up the MinistryWatch Index continued to grow in 2024, though this year’s 7.23 percent growth is far less than 2023’s 24.1 percent.

The relatively slow growth of the MinistryWatch Index for 2024 could suggest concern about the future of the economy.

Natasha:

And who’s in our Ministry Spotlight this week ?

Warren:

A number of MinistryWatch ratings for the American Family Association (AFA) changed this week. The organization’s Donor Confidence Score dropped from a 75 to a 55, and its overall ministry rating fell from a 4-Star rating to 0 Stars.

Many of these shifts are due to the fact that the organization no longer makes its Form 990s available to the public. According to its Guidestar profile, AFA is now classified as a “church” with the IRS.

AFA joins a growing number of Christian nonprofits who have petitioned the IRS to reclassify its tax status to a church. This reclassification keeps donors from being able to see key financial information about a nonprofit, including salaries of key employees and a breakdown of what the organization spends on its core mission initiatives.

According to its limited ECFA profile, in 2023 the organization had a revenue of $25 million. In 2021—the last Form 990 data MinistryWatch has from the organization—its revenue was $31 million. As its revenue has gone down over the last three years, its expenses have risen from $19 million to $22.9 million.

Natasha:

And who did we feature in Ministries Making a Difference?

Warren:

California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) has been making and distributing about 300 meals a day to first responders of the historic California fires since Wednesday, January 15, thanks to the help of volunteers from California and neighboring states. Send Relief, a global compassion ministry of the SBC, has been providing funds for SBDR relief, including money to put together crisis response buckets for survivors. Send Relief also shipped Tyvek suits, N95 masks, and gloves for when cleanup begins, according to Baptist Press.

Christianity Today has been given $5 million to invest in the development of next-generation Christian storytellers. The grant was awarded by Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life, and will help fund CT’s Next Generation Storytelling Project through 2028. The project, part of its One Kingdom Campaign, will focus on equipping young storytellers and expanding into new media.

Natasha:

Warren, any final thoughts before we go?

Warren:

Compensation list.

A Lover’s Quarrel With The Evangelical Church is donor premium for January.

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, Elizabeth Coffee, Nathan Mayo, Tony Mator, Brittany Smith, Christina Darnell—and you, Warren.

A special thanks to Echoes Magazine for contributing material for this week’s podcast.

I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from 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.