Top Ministry Leaders, Educators Join New ECFA Advisory Panel

University Presidents, Evangelists and Broadcasters among Board of Reference Appointees

Contact: Ty Mays, 770-256-8710, tmays@inchristcommunications.com

WINCHESTER, Va., Aug. 15, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Prominent Christian ministry leaders, educators and nonprofit executives are among the 15 individuals that ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) has appointed to its new board of reference.

The new advisory panel is designed to support ECFA leadership in its mission to help Christ-centered organizations maintain the financial and ethical best practices required to earn and keep the public's trust.

"These highly respected individuals bring a wealth of experience, influence and wisdom that will help us in our mission to serve ministries, churches and other evangelical nonprofits seeking to maintain the highest levels of integrity and accountability," said Dan Busby, ECFA president. "They will provide us with an incredible sounding board as they affirm ECFA's vision and values."

The appointees:

• Barry H. Corey, president of Biola University, La Mirada, Calif. Before Biola, Corey served in several leadership and fundraising roles at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Mass.
   
• Mart De Haan, president of RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Mich. He is the grandson of RBC's founder, Dr. M.R. De Haan, and the son of former president Richard W. De Haan. Mart De Haan has served at RBC for more than 40 years.
   
• Stephen Douglass, president of Campus Crusade for Christ, Orlando, Fla. He has served with the global, interdenominational evangelism and discipleship organization for more than three decades and has authored or co-authored several books.
   
• Jack Eggar, president and CEO of Awana, Streamwood, Ill. Since his appointment in 1999, this international children and youth ministry has grown from 9,000 churches worldwide in 1998 to more than 22,000 in 2011.
   
• Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, N.C., and the international relief and evangelism organization, Samaritan's Purse, Boone, N.C. The two organizations have combined annual budgets of more than $439 million.
   
• Jack Hayford, founder and president of The King's University (formerly The King's College and Seminary), Los Angeles. He is founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, Calif., and former president of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. 
   
• Chip Ingram, senior pastor of Venture Church, Los Gatos, Calif., and president of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry in Suwanee, Ga. He is the author of 11 books.
   
• Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, Charlotte, N.C., a multicultural, global mission that sends missionaries from 55 nations to serve in more than 50 countries. Johnson has more than 34 years of leadership experience in Christian ministry.
   
• Robert Lonac, president and CEO of CRISTA Ministries, Seattle, a worldwide Christian service ministry. Previously Lonac served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of International Justice Mission in Washington, D.C.
   
• Paul Nyquist, president of Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. He came to Moody after 26 years of successful ministry experience, serving as president and CEO of Avant Ministries and as senior pastor at two churches in the Midwest. 
   
• Dennis Rainey, president and CEO of FamilyLife, a Campus Crusade for Christ subsidiary based in Little Rock, Ark. Rainey has authored or co-authored more than two dozen books.
   
• Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International, Colorado Springs, Colo. An internationally recognized advocate for impoverished children, Stafford also hosts a daily radio feature, "Speak Up With Compassion," heard on more than 800 U.S. radio stations.
   
• Joseph M. Stowell, president of Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, Mich. Stowell serves on the boards of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Wheaton College, and previously was president of Moody Bible Institute.
   
• Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and chief executive officer of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, Agoura Hills, Calif. Tada, an international advocate for people with disabilities, has written more than 45 books.
   
• Ravi Zacharias, founder and board chairman of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Atlanta. The noted apologetics scholar has addressed world leaders and spoken at universities such as Harvard and Oxford. He has authored or edited more than 20 books.

The board of reference will be updated periodically on the state of ECFA and other relevant topics. It will provide feedback to the organization and serve as its ambassadors.

Bios and photos of board of reference members can be found atwww.ecfa.org/Content/Board-of-Reference.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with the ECFA standards pertaining to financial accountability, fundraising and board governance. For more information about ECFA, including accreditation and a listing of ECFA-accredited members, visit www.ecfa.org or call 1-800-323-9473.