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For more than two years, the Barnabas Family of ministries has been engaged in a significant programme of renewal, reform and restoration.
Throughout this period our focus has remained unchanged: serving suffering, persecuted and marginalised Christians around the world in the Name of Jesus Christ.
With gratefulness to God and to the faithfulness of our supporters, partners and staff, Barnabas Aid is today assisting more Christians, in more countries, through more projects than at any other time in our history. Every day, practical help, spiritual encouragement and life-saving assistance are reaching believers facing persecution, discrimination, poverty and displacement.
We are deeply grateful for the prayers, generosity and encouragement of supporters around the world who have stood with us through what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging periods in the history of our ministry. The resolution to these challenges is ongoing, a great deal has been achieved, but there is still more to do.
As part of our ongoing commitment to openness and transparency, we wish to provide an update on three important areas.
Barnabas Aid welcomes Charity Commission appointment of Interim Manager
Since April 2024, the leadership and Board of Barnabas Aid International have worked closely with the UK Charity Commission and other relevant authorities to help address extremely serious governance concerns that emerged within parts of the wider Barnabas Family of ministries.
One of the key reforms that we have been seeking has been the appointment of an Interim Manager to help oversee the disputed governance of Barnabas Fund in the UK. An Interim Manager is an independent individual appointed by the Charity Commission with powers to act in the best interests of a charity and ensure that appropriate governance, compliance and decision-making arrangements are in place. Operationally, we continue to go from strength to strength, but change was needed at board level and we welcome the appointment of an Interim Manager.
Whilst we have been frustrated by the length of time required for this process, we welcome the Charity Commission's decision and are grateful for their intervention.
The appointment of an Interim Manager represents an important milestone in the long process of restoring confidence, strengthening governance and ensuring that the charity is equipped for the future. We look forward to working closely and constructively with the Interim Manager as part of our wider, global programme to Build Barnabas Back Better.
The investigations by the Charity Commission, police and other authorities into matters arising before April 2024 remain ongoing. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on those investigations beyond reaffirming our commitment to cooperate fully and transparently with all statutory bodies.
We recognise that supporters may find this period painful and frustrating. We do too. The current leadership inherited a difficult situation, but we remain committed to serving our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ, protecting donor funds, strengthening accountability, and ensuring that Barnabas operates to the highest possible standards of integrity and stewardship.
Our prayer is that, in due course, these reforms will result in a new generation of independent trustees, stronger governance structures and what we have often described as a "Gold Standard" model of Christian charity governance.
Independent review into safeguarding commissioned
Following the whistleblowing disclosures made in April 2024, several financial allegations were investigated by independent legal and forensic specialists. Their findings were shared with the appropriate authorities and have informed ongoing regulatory and law-enforcement inquiries.
Alongside those matters, many allegations of a safeguarding nature were also raised. These require specialist expertise and independent examination.
We therefore announce that Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS) has been commissioned to conduct an Independent Learning and Culture Review into safeguarding concerns raised by whistleblowers in 2024.
The independence of this review is of paramount importance. CSS has been given complete freedom to identify witnesses, review evidence and pursue lines of inquiry wherever they lead, please see the agreed Terms of Reference for the review here. We have deliberately adopted a "go anywhere, ask anyone, ask anything" approach because we believe that genuine accountability requires complete transparency.
The review will examine concerns raised across the wider Barnabas Family and will involve engagement with current and former staff, trustees, volunteers and others who may be able to assist.
Once completed, the findings of the review will be published, and made available to the public and shared with the appropriate authorities, including the United Kingdom Charity Commission.
We do not take this step lightly. It is deeply regrettable that such a review is necessary. However, we believe that failing to investigate serious safeguarding concerns would be a far greater failure.
As Bible-believing Christians, we take seriously the words of James 4:17:
"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."
The current leadership believes that transparency is not a threat to Christian ministry; it is an essential part of it.
Anyone wishing to provide information may contact CSS directly in one of three ways. We invite you to:
We would encourage anyone with relevant information or experiences to engage with the review so that it can undertake its work thoroughly.
Looking forward
We recognise that these developments represent a great deal of information for supporters to absorb.
The past two years have been difficult. Yet they have also been marked by extraordinary faithfulness from God, remarkable dedication from our staff and volunteers, and unwavering support from thousands of Christians around the world.
The reality is that Barnabas Aid today is stronger, more transparent, more accountable and more globally connected than at any point in its history.
We remain committed to completing the work of reform that began in 2024. We remain committed to openness and transparency. We remain committed to accountability wherever wrongdoing is found. Above all, we remain committed to our calling: serving suffering and persecuted Christians in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer, generosity and fellowship as we continue to Build Barnabas Back Better.
As many supporters will be aware, Barnabas Aid is awaiting the outcome of a UK Charity Commission inquiry examining allegations of improper conduct that took place prior to April 2024.
Barnabas Aid welcomed the announcement of this statutory inquiry in October 2024. We continue to work hand in hand with the Charity Commission and others with total transparency. Our hope and prayer continues to be that their inquiry will shed further light and lead to greater confidence among our valued supporters and other stakeholders.
Barnabas Aid has not been given any firm deadline or expected timescale for the completion of this inquiry. We appreciate that this may be frustrating for some supporters. Please be assured that we will update all stakeholders as soon as we are able to do so.
In the meantime, thanks to our generous supporters, Barnabas Aid is continuing the vital work of serving our suffering and persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. In 2025 Barnabas has supported more than 440 different projects around the world that have helped over 1.4 million suffering and persecuted believers.
We are continually developing and updating policies and processes to make this work more effective. We are also seeking to reach ever more supporters, including, for example: establishing a new office in Portugal; expanding the work of raising awareness, prayers and donations for the ministry in Germany and Malaysia; and continuing our growth in Brazil. All this is alongside our well-established presence in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the United Kingdom.
Our ministry has recently faced accusations of abandoning Biblical teaching and embracing secular social values. This is categorically untrue.
Barnabas Aid would like to reiterate that there have been no changes in our ethos and values, and that we continue to be a Bible-believing, Christ-centred ministry.
These accusations have resulted from nothing more than a standard form of words that was mistakenly inserted into a Barnabas Aid job advert. As standard, our job advertisements stipulate that applicants must be Bible-believing Christians, in good standing in their local church. This is evidenced through the taking up of references and by applicants’ willingness to subscribe to our statement of faith.
We can confirm that those in senior leadership at Barnabas – including our chairman and International CEO – uphold this Biblical ethic.
A few weeks ago, some UK media outlets confirmed that two individuals who had been involved in the Barnabas Family of charities had been arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and money laundering. These reports confirmed that the two individuals arrested were a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s.
Unfortunately, these reports have caused some to incorrectly speculate on the identities of those who have been arrested. This led to entirely innocent people connected to Barnabas being accused of wrongdoing.
On 30 January an independent “citizen journalist” called Richard Carvath seemingly confirmed that the two people who were arrested are Patrick Sookhdeo and Caroline Kerslake, two of the founders of Barnabas.
Many of our supporters have been concerned by comments made by people close to Patrick Sookhdeo and Caroline Kerslake that the Christian values and ethos of Barnabas have been changed.
This is not the case. Since April 2024 the deep Christian values at Barnabas have been significantly enhanced.
We are and we remain a Christian ministry. We recruit based on merit and with the requirement that our team members are Bible-believing Christians who are in good standing in their local church. We have a genuine occupational requirement that all our staff are Christians. Staff are required to agree to our values and ethos and our Statement of Faith.
It is regrettable that there are some people who are seemingly committed to harm the ministry of Barnabas by promulgating these falsehoods, innuendo and exaggeration.
We continue to remain committed to openness and transparency with our supporters, our team members, statutory bodies, and all other stakeholders. This has been our commitment since April 2024 when serious whistleblowing allegations were made against the founders of Barnabas and others in positions of senior leadership.
This is a painful time for all of us at Barnabas, and we continue to pray that righteousness and justice will be done.
Whilst the police and the Charity Commission and other statutory agencies are investigating what has happened at the Barnabas Family before April 2024, the leadership and staff of Barnabas are getting on with the important job of meeting the needs of suffering, abandoned and persecuted Christians around the world.
We are committed to openness and transparency and welcome the Charity Commission’s extension to their statutory inquiry into other parts of the Barnabas Family and interconnected Christian ministries.
For the avoidance of doubt, the entities listed in the Charity Commission’s statement have always formed part of the Barnabas Family. It is right that the Charity Commission has expanded its work to include these organisations.
Nexcus – also known as Barnabas Aid International – is the umbrella organisation that sits over all the global Barnabas Family of ministries, including Barnabas Aid UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
We deeply regret that Barnabas supporters have received confusing correspondence from “TBF Trust”. Anything from TBF Trust has not been sent by Barnabas Aid. Those responsible are in possession of a historic mailing list, which we believe is from more than 10 years ago, and are using it without permission.
We take our supporters’ data privacy and security very seriously, and for that reason we immediately reported this incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
You may have seen reports that earlier this year Barnabas Aid appointed an independent law firm to conduct an impartial investigation into allegations made by multiple whistle-blowers against the Barnabas founder, Patrick Sookhdeo and other senior leaders within the organisation.
In April each of these individuals were suspended pending the investigation. In August the law firm shared with us an interim report. In mid-October the law firm produced their final reports, and like the interim report, this has been shared with the Boards of all the Barnabas Family of charities as well as the appropriate authorities, including the UK Charity Commission.
The UK Charity Commission announced on 3 October its own statutory inquiry into the Barnabas family of ministries. The senior management of Barnabas are working closely with them and the other statutory bodies now involved in this matter.
We welcome the Charity Commission’s announcement and their decision to investigate. We will comply with both the letter and the spirit of order and instructions given by the Charity Commission. This will further reinforce confidence that donated funds will be used to help suffering and persecuted Christians, in line with our charitable objectives. This will require additional administrative challenges, but the entire Barnabas Aid team are committed to continuing our important work throughout this difficult time.
We have already shared a copy of the August interim report with the Charity Commission.
The final report has found:
As a result of these reports, the four chairs of Barnabas Aid in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and the UK wrote to Patrick and Rosemary Sookhdeo (International Director and International Director Emeritus), Caroline Kerslake (International Director of Projects) and Prasad Phillips (Deputy International Director) requiring them all to resign from all Barnabas Family entities. They have refused to do so.
Former CEO Noel Frost had already been dismissed from his position in June.
Patrick Sookhdeo and people close to him have been asked repeatedly to engage with the independent investigation, but they have refused to do so.
We now have new management – including people who have faithfully served this ministry for years – who are committed to steering Barnabas through this difficult process.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers at this time. Please stand with us as we endure a painful period in our history as a ministry.
To help supporters and interested parties we have put together this FAQ to address the questions many valued supporters have and provide as much clarity as possible about the current investigations and status of operational/financial processes and safeguarding of ministry employees.
No. The appointment of an IM is a natural next step in the conduct of a Charity Commission inquiry. According to the Charities Act (2011) the appointment can only be made if the Charity Commission "…is satisfied either that there is or has been misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of a charity or that it is necessary or desirable to protect the charity's property". As noted above, the Charity Commission inquiry relates to allegations of wrongdoing against Barnabas Aid's former leadership that took place prior to April 2024.
No, the IM effectively replaces the disputed board of trustees, until a new board of trustees is appointed. Current leadership will work alongside the IM to continue delivering on Barnabas Aid's charitable objectives.
There is no set length of time for an IM to be in post. An IM appointment is temporary and should last only as long as necessary. The duration is limited to achieving the required outcomes, with an expectation of the earliest possible return to trustee governance once a new board has been appointed.
Yes, the day-to-day work of Barnabas Aid will continue as normal. There is no barrier to our continuing to carry out projects that bring hope and practical support to suffering and persecuted Christians around the world.
Edwina Turner and Catherine Gibbons of Anthony Collins LLP have been appointed as joint Interim Managers. Edwina's bio can be found here and Catherine's can be found here. The IMs have extensive experience in supporting faith-based (specifically Christian) charities, which will be very valuable as we resolve historic issues. The leadership team of Barnabas Aid in the UK and Barnabas Aid International look forward to working together with the IMs as we continue to Build Barnabas Back Better.
It would not be appropriate to comment on concerns raised. The review will be published in due course.
No. It would not be appropriate to speculate about, or draw conclusions on, the relationship between any safeguarding concerns raised and any historic convictions. The Independent Safeguarding Review has been commissioned precisely to examine relevant concerns thoroughly, independently and fairly. Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS) has been given complete freedom to pursue all appropriate lines of enquiry, and its findings will be published in due course. We would encourage anyone with relevant information to engage directly with the review so that it can consider all evidence properly.
We have clear terms of reference with CSS for the review, and they have complete agency to carry out the review as they see fit. Barnabas Aid are not involved. All interviews will be carried out by CSS in complete confidence. CSS is a trusted Christian organisation who have years of experience of conducting safeguarding inquiries. You can find out more about them here: https://thecss.co.uk/
We would really value your participation. Please contact CSS directly through this link or email CSS on barnabasaidreview@thecss.co.uk. Anyone wishing to provide information can contact CSS directly in one of three ways. We invite you to:
Please contact CSS directly. Your participation will not be disclosed to management or trustees unless with your express consent and your confidentiality will be respected throughout this process. CSS will ask for your name as that is best practice but please discuss with CSS if you would prefer to stay anonymous even to them. barnabasaidreview@thecss.co.uk
It is not correct that Barnabas has been taken over by any external company.
The confusion stems from the relationship between Barnabas Aid in the UK and Barnabas Aid International (BAI, also known as Nexcus). BAI is registered in the US, but it is made up the four national chairs of Barnabas in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
Because Barnabas is a family of charities, governed by a series of agreements, each national body is represented on BAI. No one body has more say that the others.
BAI is not a third-party organisation; indeed, it was created by Patrick Sookhdeo in November 2017 as the umbrella body of the Barnabas Family of ministries around the world. In addition to his role as International Director, Dr Sookhdeo was himself the chairman of BAI until April 2024.
Colin Bloom was appointed by BAI as the International CEO of Barnabas Aid. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the proper role of BAI as it was constituted and chaired by Dr Sookhdeo until he was suspended.
We deeply regret that Barnabas supporters have received confusing correspondence from "TBF Trust", and we apologise for any distress caused. Anything from TBF Trust has not been sent by Barnabas Aid.
TBF Trust is run by the founders of Barnabas Aid. They were suspended from Barnabas, pending an independent investigation. The final report of the investigation has found serious and repeated contraventions of internal policies, the creation of a toxic work environment, and serious financial impropriety. Barnabas Aid now has a new management team – including people who have faithfully served this ministry for years – who are committed to steering Barnabas through this difficult process.
As with previous letters, those responsible are in possession of a historic mailing list, which we believe is from more than 10 years ago, and are using it without permission. We take your data privacy and security very seriously, and for that reason we have reported this incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You have the right to report this to the ICO, and can do so by contacting them directly.
We welcome this small administrative hurdle placed on us by the Charity Commission that will provide even greater confidence for our supporters that since April 2024 all donations have been used for their intended purposes. The independent investigation (initiated by Barnabas) has found clear evidence that prior to April the founders were spending Barnabas Aid money on items that were not consistent with our charitable objectives.
Spending on Barnabas Aid projects will not be affected. We will need to seek approval from the Charity Commission for each transaction over £4,000, but as long as it is in line with our charitable objectives our work will continue. We remain committed to serving our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world and will ensure aid continues to be delivered through our trusted partners every day.
The independent investigation that Barnabas Aid commissioned has uncovered evidence of theft and misuse of funds. The accountants are still doing their work and investigations are ongoing. To ensure the safety of your donations, we have taken steps to significantly strengthen our oversight and financial controls. There is now an unprecedented level of scrutiny on our financial processes to ensure transparency and accountability and you can trust that any money donated to us will be used to help persecuted Christians.
Please rest assured that we are confident that we will recover any misused funds and use them as appropriate to help our suffering and persecuted Christian brothers and sisters.
For both moral and legal reasons, we wanted to wait for the interim report before making these issues public which we did in August.
We are committed to making sure that any money that has been given to a restricted fund or project will reach its intended audience and destination. If any donations have not done so at this time, we will make sure this is rectified and reported on as swiftly as we are able. At this stage we believe that where there has been shortcomings on some projects and we will be able to quickly put it right.
The investigation has shown that a number of individuals in key leadership positions have been found to have misused funds. These individuals are no longer working for Barnabas Aid. You can trust that any money donated to us will be used to help suffering and persecuted Christians, either through the funding of projects or the meeting of legitimate expenses associated with those projects.
While the independent investigation is ongoing, we removed our financial reports while they are being reviewed. We do not wish to mislead our supporters in any way, and this information will become available once again when we are confident the information is correct at the conclusion of the investigation.
This is a figure that was used by (now suspended) senior leaders. It does not appear that it was ever accurate.
Colin Bloom is an experienced leader, a committed follower of Jesus and someone with the abilities and temperament to lead us through these difficult times and beyond. The Board have full confidence in him, and so do the Senior Leadership Team.
Before being asked to come into Barnabas Colin had a long career in Government and Politics. He is the author of the Bloom Review – a report into how Government engages with faith communities. He worked in No. 10 Downing Street as a Senior Advisor to the UK Prime Minister; he has a long history of being a champion of the freedom of religion or belief. Last year the King made him a Commander of the British Empire.
No decision has been made regarding the future of the library. In October, the role of the librarian was made redundant.
The senior leadership team take the duty of corporate repentance very seriously. In Joshua Chapter 7, Achan takes gold and silver and from ruins of Jericho. The Lord holds all the people of Israel accountable for breaking the covenant made between Himself and His people, even though the people of Israel didn’t know that Achan had taken the spoils. In the same way, while team members at Barnabas Aid did not know or participate in financial misconduct, we must collectively repent of any evil that has happened, placing our faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.