Home Christian News RZIM Leaders Spent Donor Money to Sue a Survivor, Says Guidepost Report

RZIM Leaders Spent Donor Money to Sue a Survivor, Says Guidepost Report

“RZIM leaders — some of whom were related to Zacharias — accepted his explanations, failed to drill down on contradictions and to pursue additional inquiry, and minimized the interest of individuals at RZIM who sought more information or expressed doubt about Zacharias’ rationalizations.”

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Guidepost also found that the executive committee of RZIM’s board agreed to pay for Zacharias’ legal bills but did not tell the entire board or RZIM top leaders that it had done so. Some of the legal payments and other financial transactions were also hidden in a “confidential file” apart from the ministry’s normal accounting and financial oversight process, a pattern that “represents a loophole in RZIM’s internal controls that could be exploited to the detriment of the ministry.”

The RZIM executive committee also authorized a $250,000 loan to Zacharias that was used for the Thompson settlement, then gave the apologist a $400,000 bonus, enough to repay the loan and pay taxes associated with the bonus.

Guidepost concludes its assessment with a series of recommendations, including changes to its leaders, as many of the leaders who mishandled the allegations against Zacharias were still in place when the report was completed. Since the report was delivered to the RZIM board, Sarah Davis, the ministry’s former CEO and Zacharias’ daughter, stepped down and has started a new ministry. That new ministry includes a number of former RZIM staff and reportedly has offices in RZIM’s building.

One of the first projects of her new ministry, Lighten (initially named Encounter), is a video about “cancel culture.”

Other recommendations included tightening financial controls, making the names of board members public, adding independent board members who do not have close ties to the Zacharias family and strengthening the organization’s personnel policies.

Guidepost’s assessment is skeptical about the ability of RZIM to make changes needed to restore the ministry’s credibility — citing issues with current leaders as well as distrust among many current staffers.

“It will be difficult for the current RZIM leaders and the board to rebuild trust with the ministry’s employees and members and to reestablish their credibility as leaders, because of their previous failings. In our view, this is the most significant obstacle that RZIM’s leaders and directors must overcome if RZIM is to survive, as an apologetics ministry, a grant-making organization or in some other form.”

RZIM did not respond to an email requesting comment.

In the past, RZIM’s board has said the ministry will stop doing apologetics and instead make grants to other Christian groups, but no details of that work have been made public.

RZIM also faces significant legal challenges. A group of donors has sued the ministry, claiming that RZIM misled them into thinking Zacharias was a trusted Christian leader.

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This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.