Ep. 390: Ravi Zacharias, Barnabas Aid Leader Resigns

On today’s program, three years after sexual abuse allegations surfaced against the late apologist Ravi Zacharias, imploding his organization and his legacy, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries appears to remain in operation…with little to no transparency. We dug around for some answers. Plus, a Knoxville-area ministry is restoring dignity and hope to its homeless population. We’ll take a look. And, the latest from a recent survey on the state of church compensation. We’ll have details. But first, the founder of Barnabas Aid has been forced to resign over allegations of financial mismanagement and a toxic work culture. 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, Tony Mator, Marci Seither, Adelle Banks, Catherine Pepinster, and Christina Darnell. 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, three years after sexual abuse allegations surfaced against the late apologist Ravi Zacharias, imploding his organization and his legacy, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries appears to remain in operation…with little to no transparency. We dug around for some answers. Plus, a Knoxville-area ministry is restoring dignity and hope to its homeless population. We’ll take a look. And, the latest from a recent survey on the state of church compensation. We’ll have details. Natasha: But first, the founder of Barnabas Aid has been forced to resign over allegations of financial mismanagement and a toxic work culture. Warren: Patrick Sookhdeo, his wife Rosemarie, and two members of the United Kingdom board of trustees—Caroline Kerslake and Prasad Phillips—were suspended from leadership until an independent investigation can be completed. While the U.S. affiliate and fundraising arm of Barnabas Aid, also known as Barnabas Fund, has a different CEO than the U.K. affiliate, the Sookhdeos, Kerslake, and Phillips are all listed as board members of Barnabas Aid in the U.S.A. Natasha: What happened?? Warren: Following whistleblower complaints earlier this year, some members of the board began raising questions about the management of the charity and charity funds. The statement Barnabas Aid said it appears the Sookhdeos were among those who failed to comply with the internal policies and created a “toxic work environment” that undermined the staff’s feeling that they could voice their concerns. “In addition, we have also identified significant payments made to the founders (and to others close to them—including some Board Members/Trustees) which cannot be readily explained. Ample opportunity has been provided to the founders to explain those transactions but sadly they have refused to cooperate,” the Barnabas Aid statement added. Natasha: This wasn’t the first time that the founders have been in the news Warren: Barnabas Founder Patrick Sookhdeo was found guilty in 2015 for one count of sexual assault and two counts of witness intimidation, charges Sookhdeo vehemently denies. A few years later, in 2020, a UK employment tribunal found Sookhdeo guilty of condemning and shunning the ministry’s head of research, Dr. Martin Parsons. Barnabas said in a statement that at the time of the allegations, Sookhdeo was not working for Barnabas, but was working in its offices while carrying out his role for the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life. In the MinistryWatch database, Barnabas Aid (USA) receives a four-star financial efficiency rating, an A transparency grade, and the highest donor confidence score of 100.