By Michael Gryboski, Editor Thursday, October 09, 2025

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse have disaffiliated from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability over a recently added leadership policy.

The ECFA posted an update on Oct. 1 listing its new and former members. The update noted that BGEA, whose namesake helped found ECFA in 1979, had voluntarily resigned from the group.

Samaritan’s Purse, the international charitable arm of BGEA, has also left the ECFA, likewise listing “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 having his two Evangelical groups cut ties with ECFA in a letter dated July 2, in which he told ECFA President Michael Martin that it was because of “our conviction that ECFA has inappropriately ventured outside its founding mission, purpose, and practice.”

Graham specifically cited the ECFA’s Excellence in Supporting Leadership Integrity policy, which was launched in March of last year. Graham told Martin that he believed the new policy “puts ECFA into the role of trying to be the moral police of the evangelical world.”

“The Leader Care standard also deals with personal spiritual maturity and behavior, matters clearly outside the scope of ECFA’s expertise,” wrote Graham in July. “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.”

For his part, Martin said in a statement that while he was “disappointed” by the decision of Samaritan’s Purse and BGEA to leave, he wished them well “as they continue to pursue their missions.”

“While we are disappointed that the leaders of BGEA and Samaritan’s Purse have decided to withdraw from ECFA, we honor their legacy,” stated Martin, as quoted by The Roys Report.

“Nearly 50 years ago, Rev. Billy Graham’s leadership was one of the primary catalysts for ECFA, and these two organizations have served as invaluable partners in the ministry accountability and integrity movement for many years.”

Last March, ECFA unveiled the Leader Care accreditation standard, which is described as being built “on biblical principles” and “will support healthy leadership, renewed trust, and a brighter future for ministries and the communities they serve.”

In an interview with The Christian Post last year, Martin explained that the new standard was intended 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 said at the time.

"The new Leadership Standard already has strong support from a diverse group of ECFA leaders and ministries, including local churches, international ministries, pregnancy centers, rescue missions, media ministries, and educational institutions."

One of its provisions included requiring the 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."

"We acknowledge that in a fallen world, it's impossible to prevent all failures in leadership," Martin told CP. "As with other ECFA accreditation standards, the goal of the new Leadership Standard is not perfection."

"The standard is designed to support the integrity and well-being of leaders, to assist accredited organizations in implementing appropriate safeguards, and to assure donors that prudent steps are being taken in critical areas to reinforce trust."