Author: The Diaspora Editors

February 8, 2016 – GFA Diaspora Statement (click to read)

The Diaspora, a group of former Gospel for Asia (GFA) staff, has long desired to see GFA restored to a ministry of integrity. To this end, in June 2014, we sent a private letter exclusively to GFA’s leadership and boards exposing systemic wrongs within the organization so that they would have the opportunity to repent and to bring their practices in line with biblical integrity.

The wrongs we saw primarily concerned the mistreatment of staff and a lack of transparency to donors. After a second letter and many private discussions with leadership, neither GFA’s leadership nor boards took action to adequately address the issues. After many months, we privately disclosed to the current staff all of our communications with the leadership because we believed they had a right to know our stories and how GFA leadership had responded to us.

When a report from GFA’s board exonerated the organization without interviewing any person from Diaspora, we then felt it our duty to make our information publicly available to current and potential donors so they could make fully informed stewardship decisions.

We felt our scope of action was completed when all of our evidence and communications were made fully public. Since then, various entities have brought new questions and evidence to light. We support their intent to continue working to bring GFA to full accountability for all their actions. However, Diaspora, as a group, is not a part of any further ongoing efforts, including the class-action lawsuit that was filed on February 8, 2016.

Our hope has always been for GFA to return to being a humble movement of God, walking in His ways as they minister the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of Asia. We pray ultimately that those responsible for wrongdoing will be held accountable and personally take responsibility for their wrongdoing. We wish no harm to anyone but desire to see the name of Jesus properly represented by integrity in ministry.

PhoenixPreacher (Michael Newnham)

For all Phoenix Preacher articles regarding GFA, click here.

November 19, 2015 – Skip Heitzig Isn’t Convinced of Gospel For Asia Wrongdoing

November 15, 2015 – Gospel For Asia Threatens Legal Action Against Patheos, Throckmorton

October 28, 2015 – Yohannan Speaks… with Forked Tongue

October 27, 2015 – The Gospel For Asia Hireling Trio

July 24, 2015 – Time For Calvary Chapels To Drop Funding For Gospel For Asia

June 14, 2015 – Red Flags Over Gospel for Asia

October 2, 2015 * ECFA Terminates GFA Membership

The Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability is an organization that many Christian groups are affiliated with to prove their financial trustworthiness. According to their site, the “ECFA enhances trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries by establishing and applying Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™ to accredited organizations.” On October 2nd, the ECFA removed Gospel for Asia from its list of members. This removal was not voluntary on GFA’s part. The ECFA lists the reasons for GFA’s removal as the following (taken directly from the ECFA’s list of former members):

Terminated for failure to comply with Standard 2 Governance, Standard 3 Financial Oversight, Standard 4 Use of Resources, Standard 6 Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions, Standard 7.1 Truthfulness in Communications, and Standard 7.2 Giver Expectations and Intent

“Terminated for failure to comply with Standard 2 Governance, Standard 3 Financial Oversight, Standard 4 Use of Resources, Standard 6 Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions, Standard 7.1 Truthfulness in Communications, and Standard 7.2 Giver Expectations and Intent”

GFA had been a member in good standing with the ECFA for over 32 years and posted the ECFA’s seal of approval prominently on the financial integrity page of their website (the link is a record of what GFA’s page looked like on September 15th, 2015). A closer look at the ECFA’s reasons for terminating GFA are quite revealing.

Standard 2 – Governance
“Every organization shall be governed by a responsible board of not less than five individuals, a majority of whom shall be independent, who shall meet at least semiannually to establish policy and review its accomplishments.”

Standard 3 – Financial Oversight
“Every organization shall prepare complete and accurate financial statements. The board or a committee consisting of a majority of independent members shall approve the engagement of an independent certified public accountant, review the annual financial statements, and maintain appropriate communication with the independent certified public accountant. The board shall be apprised of any material weaknesses in internal control or other significant risks”

Standard 4 – Use of Resources
“Every organization shall exercise the appropriate management and controls necessary to provide reasonable assurance that all of the organization’s operations are carried out and resources are used in a responsible manner and in conformity with applicable laws and regulations, such conformity taking into account biblical mandates.”

Standard 6 – Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions
“Every organization shall set compensation of its top leader and address related-party transactions in a manner that demonstrates integrity and propriety in conformity with ECFA’s Policy for Excellence in Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions.”

Standard 7 – Stewardship of Charitable Gifts

7.1 Truthfulness in Communications
“In securing charitable gifts, all representations of fact, descriptions of the financial condition of the organization, or narratives about events must be current, complete, and accurate. References to past activities or events must be appropriately dated. There must be no material omissions or exaggerations of fact, use of misleading photographs, or any other communication which would tend to create a false impression or misunderstanding.”

7.2 Giver Expectations and Intent
“Statements made about the use of gifts by an organization in its charitable gift appeals must be honored. A giver’s intent relates both to what was communicated in the appeal and to any instructions accompanying the gift, if accepted by the organization. Appeals for charitable gifts must not create unrealistic expectations of what a gift will actually accomplish.”

In two years, only two other organization have been terminated by the ECFA for reasons other than failing to renew their membership, resigning membership voluntarily, or merging with another entity. Donors should be made aware of the seriousness of this action that the ECFA has taken.

May 13, 2015 – GFA German Office Announces Its Closing

On April 5, 2015, the board members of the GFA Germany office notified the Diaspora that they would soon be shutting down their office. The official announcement was emailed to us on May 13.

“Because of my age and since no suitable, competent successor could be found, we will stop the work and shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We had our last annual board meeting on May 9th and officially decided to shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia after 24 years of service. Below you will find our official letter which has been sent out to sponsors and friends.

We want to ask the different GFA departments in the US and in India to stop sending us any further material, because we don’t need it anymore – the office is closed! Also please stop forwarding us any free book requests and delete our contact details from the German website.

It was a joy to serve the Lord together with all of you – we will not forget you. May the Lord continue to bless you all.

Your friends from Germany,

Pastor W., R. and U.

 

Dear mission partner,

24 years ago we founded the German branch of the international mission movement Gospel for Asia with the primary objective to encourage Christians in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to actively take part in the Great Commission through supporting native GFA missionaries in South Asia by our sponsorship programme. Many Christians from different denominations made use of our offer and innumerable people were allowed to get to know Jesus on our mission fields before it is too late.

I was the leader of the German branch of Gospel for Asia for the last 24 years. I am almost 84 years old by now. Because of my age and since no suitable, competent successor could be found, we will stop the work and shut down the German branch of Gospel for Asia.

Many blessed but also intense years lay behind us which we as a team will never forget. The generosity of our sponsors and friends is big to this day and so we are a little sad to announce that the time has come to ask you to stop sending any further donations to our German GFA office.

Would you please inform your bank to cancel existing standing orders. Furthermore please don’t transfer any more donations to our bank accounts:

Germany:   xxxxx     Switzerland:   xxxxx     Austria:   xxxxx

You are welcome to continue to support Gospel for Asia in the future. We invite you to get to know our GFA office in Great Britain and we encourage you to visit its internet page:

www.gfauk.org

!! The sponsorship programme for our missionaries stops at once !! For logistical reasons our complete missionary database has been already divided up directly by our GFA head office in South India to all other international GFA offices. Through this the monthly support of all GFA missionaries who were supported by our German office is secured! Please do not return the documents of the missionaries to us.

For all donations in 2015 the tax deductible receipts will be sent out without demand of the donator (for the tax office in Germany) at the beginning of the New Year 2016.

As a team we would like to say goodbye to you and on behalf of Gospel for Asia we want to thank you that you have so faithfully stayed with us, so that innumerable people could be saved in South Asia for ever.

May the Lord continue to bless you.

In Christ,

Pastor W. M.

_______________________________________________

GOSPEL FOR ASIA – Deutschland

Tel.: xxxxx * Fax:xxxxx

Email: infogermany@gfa.org

Internet: http://www.gfa.org/germany

P.S.: GFA, USA would like to receive our addresses. If you DON’T want us to forward your address, please inform our office latest until 31.05.2015. Thank you!