Open Doors US

Open Doors US

Open Doors US (without the "A") is the new US chapter that Open Doors International set up after David Curry stole its previous US chapter Open Doors USA and renamed it Global Christian Relief. Open Doors International / Open Doors US are currently in litigation against Global Christian Relief (details).

Open Doors International appointed Lisa Pearce, an Englishwoman from England who has no experience working, let alone managing a legal dispute, in USA, to lead Open Doors US as its interim CEO. Ms. Pearce was emailed as below in early 2023 with the hope that her answers will sharply contrast how she will spend the donations collected for the world's most persecuted Christians versus how David Curry spends it on himself (details):

Ms. Pearce,

Since Brother Andrew has been promoted to heaven, you are the new face of Open Doors for American supporters, who would appreciate reading your answers, to be published on our website, to the following questions:

1. When and how did you become a Christian? Please share your Christian testimony.

2. What did you study in schools, and for which organizations did you work after your studies until joining Open Doors?

3. What experiences did you have in the mission field or in other Christian service prior to joining Open Doors?

4. Why did you choose to work for Open Doors?

5. What experience do you have working in USA?

6. How many years do you envision serving as the interim CEO of Open Doors US before returning to the UK?

7. What is your annual salary and other benefits?

8. When you flew as the CEO of Open Doors UK, what proportion of your flights were in first class, business class, and economy class, respectively, and what will those percentages be when you fly as the CEO of Open Doors US?

9. When you traveled as the CEO of Open Doors UK, what proportion of your stays were in 5-star, 4-star, and 3-star hotels, respectively, and what will those percentages be when you travel as the CEO of Open Doors US?

10. What type of car (year, make & model) have you been provided to drive by Open Doors US?

11. What are the names and titles of the top three Open Doors US officials who report to you, and what are their respective salaries and other benefits?

12. How many full time employees does Open Doors US currently have?

13. What are the names, professional profiles, and mission field experiences of the board members of Open Doors US?

14. In 2022, what percent - to the nearest 5% - of the money raised by Open Doors worldwide was spent to benefit Protestants?

15. When Open Doors US is fully operational, what percent - to the nearest 5% - of the money raised by Open Doors US will be spent outside USA?

16. Page 16 of your World Watch List 2023 states that there are "400,000" Christians in North Korea and "Open Doors secret workers are keeping 80,000 North Korean believers alive with vital food and aid through secret networks in China." Is the "80,000" figure a rough estimate or do Open Doors' secret workers actually know those 80,000 North Korean Christians? Is Open Doors really keeping alive with vital food and aid 1 in 5 Christians in North Korea?

17. Allowing all visitors to your website to download the World Watch List Guides would maximize their distribution and demonstrate faith in God to move the hearts of donors as He sees fit, so why do you withhold the World Watch List Guides from people who do not give you their email addresses?

18. Many (former) American supporters of Open Doors feel that too much of their donations in recent year to Open Doors did not reach those for whom they were collected even while Brother Andrew was still alive. Now that Brother Andrew is no longer with us, they have even less confidence in Open Doors. What message do you have for them?

We look forward to your replies.

BillionBibles.com

Lisa Pearce has yet to reply. She has not even shared her own Christian testimony (question 1 above), which is a privilege, as well as a Biblical duty - "... always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you ..." (1 Peter 3:15) - of every Christian, let alone the CEO of a frontline missions organization.

Instead, on May 4, 2023, the UK charity Christians Against Poverty ("CAP") announced that it had appointed Lisa Pearce as its interim CEO, effective July 2023. The appointment announcement quoted Ms. Pearce expressing her "pleasure" and added that she "will be joining CAP from her role as Chief Development and Advocacy Officer of Christian human rights charity Open Doors International." There was no mention of her being or having been the interim CEO of Open Doors US, the title by which she identifies herself in the video on the home page of Open Doors US's website, whose About Us page does not list her or any other officer or board member, and whose US address is a post office box at a UPS store.

Dilemma

The legacy of Brother Andrew entails rooting for Open Doors US and Open Doors International to prevail in their litigation against Global Christian Relief and the recovery of the stolen assets, including the $30+ million. To be recommended to potential donors, however, Open Doors US must provide assurances now (and evidences later) that it will collect money with neither pressure nor deceit, spend very little of it in USA, and deliver the vast majority of it to those for whom it was collected.

Our current rating of Open Doors US presumes that Lisa Pearce or her successor will soon answer the questions above and that their answers will be consistent with the vision and the example set by Brother Andrew. If Ms. Pearce will be serving as the interim CEO of both Open Doors US in USA and Christians Against Poverty in the UK, that should be made clear. Supporters of Open Doors desire and deserve transparency, especially now.