One of the things that really affirmed my feelings about FIM when we were first looking around to see if this is where God had us was Wall Watcher's Ministry Watch profile on them. FIM actively participates in openly sharing information about their financials with Ministry Watch and recently FIM was given the honor of being recognized as a "Shining Light", which is to say that they are considered an Exemplary Ministry and among the "Top 30" ministries in the opinion of the good folks at Wall Watchers. I'll let them tell you more about what this really means.

MinistryWatch.com desires to see overall giving to Biblical Christian values increase and as such we developed this format to highlight those ministries which are exemplary. The list is a sampling of the “best ministries” and outstanding examples when we consider Philippians 4:8 and weigh and take account of those ministries that are excellent and worthy of praise.

These ministries are called ‘Shining Lights’ because they are indeed models of letting their Christian light shine before men so that the Gospel may be proclaimed and God be glorified. Consequently, we are shining a figurative light on them so that donors may be aware of their good works and other ministries may learn from their examples.

While identifying the best ministries is challenging given the selfless work that so many do for the cause of Christ, MinistryWatch.com believes that the list of 30 excellent ministries will be helpful to many. Each of the ministries has the following important features in common:

• Have shown a willingness to treat donors fairly via a Transparency Grade of “A”.
• Are unashamed of being identified as an evangelical Christian ministry.
• MinistryWatch.com researchers knows of no significant issues that would be of concern to donors.

A high MinistryWatch.com Financial Efficiency Rating was not a requirement for inclusion on this list although most do have good ratings. Many factors were reviewed and strengths in other areas can offset weakness in financial efficiency when determining whether a ministry should be of interest to donors seeking to be good stewards of their giving. Only you can decide for yourself with confidence if a ministry shares your values and with your giving plan.

This is just another step in our mission of encouraging Christians to give more of their talents and resources to Kingdom-building efforts. In short, we wish to help spread the Gospel of Christ by helping Christians give more and more effectively to the works of the Lord. If the Lord uses our list as part of that process, we will have been a blessing to both those ministries who have been ‘good and faithful servants’ with the Lord’s resources and to Christian donors who are seeking to be good stewards of their giving.