The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse announced their disaffiliation from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) over a recently introduced leadership policy.
The ECFA released an update listing its current and former members, noting that BGEA, which was co-founded by Billy Graham in 1979, had voluntarily resigned from the organization. Samaritan’s Purse, the international charitable arm of BGEA, also left the ECFA, citing “voluntary resignation” as the reason.
Both Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA are led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham.
Graham explained his reasons for severing ties with ECFA in a letter dated July 2, addressed to ECFA President Michael Martin, stating it was because of “our conviction that ECFA has inappropriately ventured outside its founding mission, purpose, and practice.”
He specifically pointed to the ECFA’s new Excellence in Supporting Leadership Integrity policy, launched in March of last year, which he believed “puts ECFA into the role of trying to be the moral police of the evangelical world.”
Graham criticized the Leadership Integrity policy, saying, “The Leader Care standard also deals with personal spiritual maturity and behavior, matters clearly outside the scope of ECFA’s expertise,” and argued that “without clear agreed upon standards and guidelines, a new standard is essentially meaningless window dressing.”
“We are also concerned that ECFA, after instituting its new Leader Care standard, could, in future years, add other standards outside the scope of financial accountability,” he stated.
In response, Martin acknowledged in a statement that while he was “disappointed” by Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA’s decision to leave, he wished them well “as they continue to pursue their missions.”
ECFA introduced the Leader Care accreditation standard last March. One of its provisions includes requiring boards of ECFA-accredited churches and ministries “to engage their leaders at least annually to discuss holistic care and the leader's commitment to upholding mutually agreed-on biblical principles.”
Last year, Martin told The Christian Post that the new standard was created to “seamlessly join our existing standards of integrity in matters of governance, financial accountability, and stewardship.”
“Specifically, the Leadership Standard will require ECFA-accredited organizations to take proactive steps to care for and support the health and integrity of their senior leaders,” he stated.
