Ep. 381: Clint Pressley, Pastors and Politics,and Vineyard Anaheim

On today’s program, after a slew of controversies, Southern Baptists chose a low-key leader. We take a closer look at new SBC President Clint Pressley. And, Pastors and politics—legally, what are churches and other Christian nonprofits allowed to do when it comes to this year’s presidential campaign? We also highlight the results are in from our summer survey of top ministry executives. They tell us their biggest challenges—and hopes for the future. But first, a former youth volunteer for Vineyard Church in Anaheim, California, has been sentenced to more than 120 years in prison. 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 Jessica Eturralde, Daniel Ritchie, Kim Roberts, Tiffany Stanley, Yonat Shimron, Anna Piela, and Brittany Smith. A special thanks to the National Association of Evangelicals for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   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, after a slew of controversies, Southern Baptists chose a low-key leader. We take a closer look at new S-B-C President Clint Pressley. And, Pastors and politics—legally, what are churches and other Christian nonprofits allowed to do when it comes to this year’s presidential campaign? And, the results are in from our summer survey of top ministry executives. They tell us their biggest challenges—and hopes for the future. Natasha But first, a former youth volunteer for Vineyard Church in Anaheim, California, has been sentenced to more than 120 years in prison. Warren: Todd Christian Hartman, 41, has been sentenced to 125 years to life for collecting and creating child pornography materials and molesting four girls between the years 2009 and 2014. In 2015, investigators found hundreds of child pornography images and videos in Hartman's Newport Beach home. Federal agents arrested Hartman on child pornography charges, but the case collapsed after a judge ruled he was not informed of his Miranda rights at the time of his arrest. Natasha: What happened next? Warren: In 2016, Hartman contacted the father of two of his victims and admitted to repeatedly molesting one of them after meeting through his volunteer work at the Anaheim Vineyard Church children's ministry, starting when the girl was 6 years old. Hartman was also convicted of molesting the girl’s younger sister and molesting a 14-year-old girl and 12-year-old girl at a sleepover in 2009. Natasha: How did the church respond? Warren: MinistryWatch contacted the Dwelling Place to inquire about Vineyard's handling of the employee's concerns, including whether or not church leadership was informed. We have not yet heard back at the time of publication. Natasha: Let’s move to our next story Warren: A Colorado man has been sentenced to at least eight years in prison for sexually abusing a child, with the possibility of life behind bars. Michael Paustian, age 53, pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child from a position of trust for a victim under the age of 15. He also pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. Both are class 3 felonies. Natasha: Was he connected to a ministry? Warren: Paustian was employed by Group Publishing as the company’s creative director. Group Publishing is widely known for publishing curriculum used by churches. He’d began working at Group Publishing in 2005, and informed “company leaders in 2023 that he was being accused of incidents that allegedly happened in his home 18 years ago, not related to his work at Group.” When Group Publishing leaders learned of “Paustian’s guilty plea, his employment was terminated.” Natasha: Our next story also includes a prison sentence. Warren: A woman from Texas—the mistress of Christian radio host William Neil Gallagher— has been sentenced to life in prison for her role in a Ponzi scheme. Debra Mae Carter, 65, was found guilty of money laundering on July 8. Gallagher, the alleged mastermind behind the Ponzi scheme, received three life sentences, plus another 30-year sentence for scamming his radio listeners out of millions of dollars. Gallagher must serve all of those sentences concurrently. Natasha: How did the two work together on the scheme? Warren: The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office told USA Today that Gallagher’s role was to “bring in the money” while Carter was tasked with making sure the victim’s couldn’t recover any of it. Prosecutors said Carter was able to launder much of the money through fake charities, land, and rental property. It is estimated that at least 170 people were victims in the Ponzi scheme. The majority were retirees. Natasha: Next, news of Benny Hinn Warren: Benny and Suzanne Hinn have now filed for divorce for the second time since 2010. The couple has apparently been living in separate homes in Florida, some 70 miles apart from one another. It is unclear why Suzanne filed for divorce or how long that the couple have lived in separate homes. Natasha: You said this is the second time they’ve filed for divorce?  Warren: In February 2010, Suzanne served Benny with divorce papers leaving the televangelist “shocked and saddened.” Suzanne cited irreconcilable differences as to the reason for their divorce in 2010, according to the Christian Post. Suzanne and Benny reconciled in 2012 and opted to remarry in 2013 at The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida in front of 1,000 guests. The wedding was officiated by the late Jack Hayford. This divorce was filed in Florida, a state allowing no-fault divorce, so the couple will likely see an equitable distribution of their assets. Natasha: Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, Southern Baptists voted in a low-key leader in June to cool things down. We’ll take a look at S-B-C president Clint Pressley.   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. New S-B-C President Clint Pressley does not have a national following or a big social media presence. His goal is to tone down the acrimony. Warren: Southern Baptists, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, has a faced a series of challenges in recent years: declining membership, a sexual abuse crisis, a crackdown on women pastors, an embrace of Trump and MAGA politics. Yet at its last meeting in June its members elected a traditional preacher who wears three-piece suits, a tie and monogrammed cuffs and mostly stays out of the limelight. Pressley, 55, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is a hard-working pastor of North Carolina’s fifth-largest Baptist church. Natasha: He is not trying to use the presidency, which he may serve for a maximum of two consecutive one-year terms, as a platform for influence. Warren: Pressley said of his new roll,“ my hope is to clear some of the fog of negativity and get us back on those two things we have: our confession and our mission,” Al Mohler, the president of Southern Seminary and a prominent conservative voice in the SBC.  Said of Pressley, “He’s an incredibly encouraging person and incredibly authentic. The public Clint Pressley and the private Clint Pressley are exactly the same man.” Our story goes into a lot more detail about Pressley, if you’d like to know more, you can find the full story on the ministrywatch website. Natasha: As we’re all keenly aware, we’re in an election year – so our next story asks how should pastors navigate political conversations from the pulpit? Warren: The vast majority of evangelical leaders (98 percent) say that pastors should not endorse politicians from the pulpit, according to the May/June 2024 Evangelical Leaders Survey. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) said, “The pulpit should be used in a prophetic manner, bringing the gospel to bear on today’s complex cultural issues, “Church leaders should inform, uplift and draw people into deeper discipleship that impacts how they engage in their communities, including how they vote. Endorsing a political candidate is rarely helpful and most often breeds division.” Natasha: And others leaders have raised concerns as well, Warren: Kimberly Reisman, executive director of World Methodist Evangelism, said, “Endorsing from the pulpit further polarizes our current culture. God can use leaders from all parties, and to equate God’s will with the will of any political party or person is exceedingly dangerous and a threat to the overall witness of Christians in the United States.” Richard Stearns, president emeritus of World Vision U.S., added, “Politicizing the Church is divisive within the Body of Christ, harmful to the public witness of the Church and a distraction from the priorities of the kingdom — Natasha: Based on a 1954 law known as the Johnson Amendment, the IRS bans all 501(c)(3) nonprofits — including churches — from active involvement in political campaigns. Warren: However, the Johnson Amendment does not restrict pastors from offering biblical guidance on contemporary issues, and many evangelical leaders say pastors have a clear responsibility to do so. Natasha: So what is allowed when it comes to Churches and politics?...