Serge 
The information on this page was last updated 4/26/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Serge has been helping individuals and churches engage in global mission. Yet even as our missionaries first stepped out to fulfill this calling, they faced their own failings. Their clay feet, lack of faith, and broken relationships alienated the very people they came to reach.
We quickly came to realize that becoming a missionary didn't exempt you from the trials and failings of being a sinful, broken person. So early in our history, through the work of our founder Dr. Jack Miller and others, we developed a singular focus on the need for the gospel in our own lives, even as we reached out to take the message of God's grace to others.
As we seek to make the gospel known to others, we want this same grace to continually renew our lives.
Today, our work consists of sending and caring for missionaries, mentoring & equipping ministry leaders around the world, and developing resources for on-going spiritual renewal.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Serge
101 West Avenue
Ste. 305
Jenkintown, PA 19046
Website: www.serge.org
Phone: (215) 885-1811
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 232223692
CEO/President: Bob Osborne
Chairman: Jim Dickenson
Board size: 17
Founder: Jack Miller
Ruling year: 1981
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 05/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1993
Purpose
Movements of grace reaching all people, renewing all believers, and restoring all things for the world's good and God's glory.
Mission statement
Laying down our lives together for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ by establishing churches and transforming communities.
Statement of faith
The Bible - We believe that our one aim in life and death should be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; and that God teaches us how to glorify and enjoy Him in His inerrant Word, that is, the Bible, which He has given by the infallible inspiration of His Holy Spirit in order that we may certainly know what we are to believe concerning Him and what duty He requires of us.
The Creation - We believe that the heavens and the earth, and all that in them is, are the works of God's hands; and that all that He has made He directs and governs in all their actions, so that they fulfill the end for which they were created, and we who trust in Him shall not be put to shame, but may rest securely in the protection of His almighty love.
The Fall - We believe that, being fallen in Adam, our first father, we are by nature a child of wrath, under the condemnation of God and corrupted in body and soul, prone to evil and liable to eternal death; from which dreadful state we cannot be delivered save through the unmerited grace of God our Savior.
Christ - We believe that God has redeemed His people unto Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, though He was and ever continues to be the eternal Son of God, yet was born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them that are under the law; we believe that He bore the penalty due to our sins in His own body on the tree, and fulfilled in His own person the obedience we owe to the righteousness of God, and now presents us to His Father as His purchased possession, to the praise of the glory of His grace forever; wherefore renouncing all merit of our own, put all our trust only in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
The Holy Spirit - We believe that the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ is effectually applied to all His people by the Holy Spirit, who works faith in us and thereby unites us to Christ, renews us in the whole man after the image of God, and enables us more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness; until His gracious work having been completed in me, we shall be received into glory; in which great hope abiding, we must ever strive to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
Good Works - We believe that, having been pardoned and accepted for Christ's sake, it is further required of us that we walk in the Spirit whom He has purchased for me, and by whom love is shed abroad in our heart; fulfilling the obedience we owe to Christ our King; faithfully performing all the duties laid upon us by the holy law of God our heavenly Father; and ever reflecting in our life and conduct the perfect example that has been set us by Christ Jesus our leader, who has died for us and granted to us His Holy Spirit that we may do the good works which God has afore prepared that we should walk in them.
Marriage - We believe that marriage must be between one man and one woman; it was given to help both husband and wife, to provide the Church with godly young men and women, and is the only proper place for sexual intimacy; all Christians should only marry others who love the Lord.
God - We believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth; incomparable in all that He is; one God but three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier; in whose power, wisdom, righteousness, goodness, and truth we may safely put our trust.
Man - We believe that God created man after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and entered into a covenant of life with Him upon the sole condition of the obedience that was His due: so that it was by willfully sinning against God that man fell into the sin and misery in which we have been born.
Grace - We believe that God has not left the world to perish in its sin, but out of the great love wherewith He has loved it, has from all eternity graciously chosen unto Himself a multitude which no man can number, to deliver them out of their sin and misery, and of them to build up again in the world His kingdom of righteousness; in which kingdom we may be assured we have our part, if we hold fast to Christ the Lord.
The Lord - We believe that Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who died for our offenses was raised again for our justification, and ascended into the heavens, where He sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty continually making intercession for His people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for His Church; so that we need fear no evil and may surely know that nothing can snatch us out of His hands and nothing can separate us from His love.
The Gospel - We believe that God requires of me, under the gospel, first of all, that, out of a true sense of our sin and misery and apprehension of His mercy in Christ, we should turn with grief and hatred away from sin and receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation; that, so being united to Him, we may receive pardon for our sins and be accepted as righteous in God's sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone; thus, and thus only, do we believe we may be received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
The Church - We believe that God has established His Church in the world, one and the same in all ages, and now, under the gospel, has endowed it with the ministry of the Word and the holy ordinances of baptism, the Lord's Supper and prayer; in order that through these means, the riches of His grace in the gospel may be known to the world, and by the blessing of Christ and the working of His Spirit in them that by faith receive them, the benefits of redemption may be communicated to His people; wherefore also it is required of us that we attend on these means of grace with diligence, preparation, and prayer, so that through them we may be instructed and strengthened in faith, and in holiness of life and in love; and that we use our best endeavors to carry this gospel and convey these means of grace to the whole world.
Witness - We believe that disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be His witnesses in the world, proclaiming the justice and mercy of God to all men, and making evident His wise and righteous rule over every aspect of human culture. And we believe that it is our privilege and duty to pursue a vocation in this world that employs our gifts to the glory of God, and for the good of our family, our congregation, our community, and, as God brings opportunity, to any who may be in need.
The Future - We believe that as Jesus Christ has once come in grace, so also is He to come a second time in glory, to judge the world in righteousness and assign to each his eternal reward; and we believe that if we die in Christ our soul shall be at death made perfect in holiness and go home to the Lord; and when He shall return in His majesty we shall be raised in glory and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity; encouraged by which blessed hope it is required of us willing to take our part in suffering hardship here as a good soldier of Christ Jesus, being assured that if we die with Him we shall also reign with Him. And to Him, our Redeemer, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, three Persons, one God, be glory forever, world without end, Amen, and Amen.
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Foreign Missions
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 525 of 1107 | 57 of 124 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 289 of 1108 | 39 of 124 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 815 of 1108 | 84 of 124 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 502 of 1107 | 51 of 124 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 98% | 97% | 98% | 95% | 98% | 98% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 2% | 3% | 2% | 5% | 2% | 2% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 80% | 83% | 84% | 82% | 82% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 94% | 102% | 97% | 92% | 100% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 85% | 75% | 84% | 81% | 76% | 82% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | 6% | -2% | 3% | 8% | 0% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 3% | 12% | -4% | 6% | 13% | 0% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 9% | 17% | 14% | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.37 | 1.69 | 1.89 | 1.84 | 1.43 | 1.74 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.30 | 1.12 | 1.18 | 1.06 | 1.05 | 1.10 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.36 | 1.89 | 2.23 | 1.96 | 1.50 | 1.90 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 18.34 | 20.96 | 19.08 | 30.22 | 26.82 | 36.22 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.03 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.79 | 6.05 | 5.10 | 5.92 | 7.72 | 6.13 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 7% | 13% | 16% | 4% | 5% | 9% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 62% | 51% | 44% | 52% | 67% | 52% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Cash | $4,306,197 | $2,981,763 | $2,881,435 | $4,828,597 | $3,186,349 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $754,193 | $314,783 | $161,393 | $405,733 | $418,466 |
| Short-term investments | $10,111,929 | $8,946,199 | $9,894,003 | $8,558,113 | $6,935,951 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $15,172,319 | $12,242,745 | $12,936,831 | $13,792,443 | $10,540,766 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $341,882 | $140,695 | $168,352 | $195,809 | $235,161 |
| Other long-term assets | $1,422,475 | $2,089,228 | $653,242 | $498,624 | $781,249 |
| Total long-term assets | $1,764,357 | $2,229,923 | $821,594 | $694,433 | $1,016,410 |
| Total assets | $16,936,676 | $14,472,668 | $13,758,425 | $14,486,876 | $11,557,176 |
| Liabilities | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $683,282 | $593,034 | $357,974 | $451,432 | $234,758 |
| Other current liabilities | $40,495 | $48,654 | $70,094 | $62,808 | $56,285 |
| Total current liabilities | $723,777 | $641,688 | $428,068 | $514,240 | $291,043 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $600,000 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $1,493,405 | $1,702,230 | $132,000 | $150,000 | $168,000 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $1,493,405 | $1,702,230 | $132,000 | $150,000 | $768,000 |
| Total liabilities | $2,217,182 | $2,343,918 | $560,068 | $664,240 | $1,059,043 |
| Net assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Without donor restrictions | $14,160,870 | $11,875,699 | $12,903,810 | $13,628,891 | $10,308,446 |
| With donor restrictions | $558,624 | $253,051 | $294,547 | $193,745 | $189,687 |
| Net assets | $14,719,494 | $12,128,750 | $13,198,357 | $13,822,636 | $10,498,133 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Total contributions | $29,500,012 | $26,203,999 | $24,731,677 | $22,075,210 | $19,580,719 |
| Program service revenue | $324,328 | $291,581 | $320,261 | $237,552 | $220,926 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $589,857 | $296,868 | $1,066,203 | $171,935 | $217,773 |
| Other revenue | $3,800 | $7,417 | $4,400 | $5,350 | $6,550 |
| Total other revenue | $917,985 | $595,866 | $1,390,864 | $414,837 | $445,249 |
| Total revenue | $30,417,997 | $26,799,865 | $26,122,541 | $22,490,047 | $20,025,968 |
| Expenses | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Program services | $22,868,967 | $22,633,074 | $21,255,018 | $16,995,610 | $16,368,529 |
| Management and general | $4,816,290 | $3,924,292 | $3,251,888 | $2,927,321 | $3,130,891 |
| Fundraising | $956,799 | $728,776 | $843,276 | $730,127 | $564,876 |
| Total expenses | $28,642,056 | $27,286,142 | $25,350,182 | $20,653,058 | $20,064,296 |
| Change in net assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $1,775,941 | ($486,277) | $772,359 | $1,836,989 | ($38,328) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $1,775,941 | ($486,277) | $772,359 | $1,836,989 | ($38,328) |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Robert Osborne | Executive Di | $273,926 |
| Richard Harper | Missionary | $160,907 |
| Matt Allison | Sr Dir of Op | $160,005 |
| Joel Hylton | Sr Dir of Mi | $153,673 |
| Lindsay Deblaay | Sr Dir of Me | $147,001 |
| John Schutter | Area Directo | $127,976 |
| Ajiboye Temitope | Director of | $114,475 |
| Rick Winter | CFO | $70,503 |
Compensation data as of: 5/31/2024
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/26/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
For an interactive timeline of Serge's history, visit: serge.org/about/history/
Program accomplishments
Sending and caring for over 300 Missionaries in over 25 countries around the globe.
Needs
Serge has something to offer people who are called to go overseas, looking to grow in faith and leadership, and willing to give to kingdom work that desires to be as deep as it is wide. For more information about how you can join with us, visit us at whm.org.