The January 2011 issue of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research reported that Christian religious leaders will commit an estimated $34 billion in financial fraud in 2011 while $31 billion will be spent on global missions. Researchers from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity estimate that Christian religious leaders will commit $90 million in financial crimes daily and the fraud is growing at a rate of 5.97% each year. If the researchers are correct, religious financial fraud among Christians will almost double in 14 years to $60 billion annually by 2025.

Dr. David Barrett, the first editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia and a researcher for the Center, has been studying religious financial fraud for more than 20 years. According to Dr. Todd Johnson, the Center’s director, these statistics were the result of Barrett “developing a balance sheet for global Christianity.” ...

read more: http://christianheadlines.com/blog/2011/01/08/an-overview-of-religious-financial-fraud/

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

I am not posting this news item to judge all these men mentioned or possibly complicated in this. But namely for us to pray that the mercy of God would be on these men to repent and set everything right with God with finances. Everyone in ministry can have the fault and does at time to spend money wrongly. May God make us in ministry over and beyond in the way we use God's resources and store more treasures in heaven.

God has been very much convicting me on this lately that I would be allowed of Him to use money very well for His kingdom in every area of my life. Even $30-100 can go a long way if donated to a missionary organization such as www.gfa.org Gospel For Asia.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon