Ankerberg Ministry in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Loses ECFA Accreditation After Investigation Into Fundraising

The Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, which produces *The John Ankerberg Show*, a television program described as having the most-watched Christian apologetics program, has been ejected from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). According to an ECFA investigation, the ministry failed to meet three ECFA standards, reportedly because it did not have an independent board, did not have adequate internal controls, and did not truthfully represent the intended use of the funds it raised. The ECFA standards state that “in securing charitable gifts, all representations of fact … must be current, complete, and accurate.”

According to MinistryWatch, the program raised about $20 million for audio Bibles but kept 80 percent. John and Darlene Ankerberg said the money went to producing and distributing the TV program, which cost about $2 million in 2022, according to tax records. The source reports that this use of funds was not mentioned during the on-air fundraising appeals. Darlene Ankerberg, identified as CEO, told CT, “Being 100 percent donor-supported, we invest 80 percent into our ministry,” and said donors had been told their support was for the overall mission.

A former director of donor relations reported the ministry to the ECFA and MinistryWatch. Andrew Jaeger, who worked for the organization from 2019 to 2022, said he found that donors had no idea how their money was being used, and that a “full disclosure” of the program’s finances would “most certainly be met with disapproval, if not contempt.” Jaeger also claims the ministry is guilty of “blatant tax fraud and tax evasion,” a claim the source attributes to him and does not independently establish.

Speaking to The Chattanooga Times Free Press, Jaeger said the program was misleading well-meaning Christians, many of whom were older adults. In one fundraising segment, John Ankerberg asked viewers to give $500 for one audio Bible device, which viewers were told would bring 90 people to Christ. Viewers were not told that Faith Comes By Hearing, the ministry partner that produced the devices, asked only $75 per device, and no information was given about the intended use of the remaining $425. According to Jaeger, the audio Bible fundraiser was the program’s largest revenue stream. Darlene Ankerberg told CT that Jaeger was with the organization “for less than three years and had a limited knowledge of overall operations.” Honest dealing with entrusted resources is the lesson at the center of these donor disclosures (Luke 12:48).

Publicly available tax records do not show how much the Ankerbergs raised for audio Bibles. They do show the ministry brought in a total of $8.5 million in 2022, almost all of it in donations. The program spent a little more than $2 million on television production and another $1.9 million on salaries, including $258,000 in annual compensation for John Ankerberg and $89,500 for Darlene Ankerberg. A little more than $1.3 million was given to “missionary outreach,” according to the IRS filing.

The program’s finances have changed over time. In 2003, it raised about $1 million but spent $170,000 more than it received. By 2013, the Ankerbergs had increased incoming donations by nearly 300 percent, and tax records show the ministry ended that year with a $1.2 million surplus. That was also the year the show began asking for donations for audio Bibles. According to a ministry history, the program later purchased additional property in Chattanooga and expanded into a remodeled “Global Communication Center” without incurring any debt.

In response to the ECFA findings, Darlene Ankerberg said the ministry will take “several clarifying steps.” New people will be added to a board that currently includes three family members, new financial controls will be put in place, and the statement given to donors about the use of funds will be updated. “There is value in evaluating operations. We are doing so,” she said. “We will continue to be transparent about how donations are used to present and spread the gospel around the world.”

Source: Read the original report