Vapor Ministries 
The information on this page was last updated 2/16/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Together, we are bringing life to communities dying from extreme poverty. When you support the agricultural initiatives at our centers, families learn how to grow food to nourish themselves.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Vapor Ministries
338 Talladega Springs Rd
Sylacauga, AL 35151
Website: vaporministries.org
Phone: 256-208-2060
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 264463549
CEO/President: Micah McElveen
Chairman: Kenneth H. Polk, CPA, CFP
Board size: 7
Founder: Micah McElveen
Ruling year: 2009
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2019
Purpose
Mission statement
Vapor Ministries establishes sustainable centers for alleviating poverty and multiplying disciples in third-world environments.
Statement of faith
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 | | 939 of 1106 | 125 of 144 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 444 of 1107 | 63 of 144 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 924 of 1107 | 122 of 144 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 1010 of 1106 | 134 of 144 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 6% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 99% | 99% | 98% | 100% | 99% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 5% | 5% | 8% | 5% | 5% | 4% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 1% | 1% | 2% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 75% | 73% | 79% | 78% | 77% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 89% | 68% | 75% | 96% | 101% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 82% | 66% | 49% | 59% | 74% | 78% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | 11% | 32% | 25% | 4% | -1% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 12% | 40% | 37% | 7% | -2% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 8% | 20% | 20% | 17% | 17% | 20% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.33 | 0.70 | 0.81 | 1.05 | 1.54 | 1.47 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.23 | 2.23 | 1.28 | 1.54 | 2.30 | 2.72 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.02 | 1.55 | 1.04 | 1.62 | 3.53 | 3.99 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 19.87 | 174.09 | 38.55 | 21.49 | 16.87 | 13.66 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.62 | 7.68 | 11.29 | 7.06 | 3.20 | 2.79 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 7% | 26% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 67% | 106% | 119% | 90% | 63% | 66% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Cash | $4,451,094 | $5,305,525 | $2,567,192 | $1,038,280 | $690,196 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $635,891 | $649,763 | $441,321 | $202,719 | $283,308 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $5,086,985 | $5,955,288 | $3,008,513 | $1,240,999 | $973,504 |
| Long-term investments | $106,365 | $67,880 | $70,002 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $3,376,462 | $1,626,291 | $1,544,671 | $1,612,248 | $1,643,649 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,789,761 | $48 | $0 | $0 | $28,650 |
| Total long-term assets | $6,272,588 | $1,694,219 | $1,614,673 | $1,612,248 | $1,672,299 |
| Total assets | $11,359,573 | $7,649,507 | $4,623,186 | $2,853,247 | $2,645,803 |
| Liabilities | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $29,220 | $154,481 | $139,966 | $73,545 | $71,243 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $29,220 | $154,481 | $139,966 | $73,545 | $71,243 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $2,973,213 | $127,885 | $79,497 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $2,973,213 | $127,885 | $79,497 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $3,002,433 | $282,366 | $219,463 | $73,545 | $71,243 |
| Net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Without donor restrictions | $6,484,601 | $3,554,160 | $3,128,358 | $2,261,366 | $2,269,566 |
| With donor restrictions | $1,872,539 | $3,812,981 | $1,275,365 | $518,336 | $304,994 |
| Net assets | $8,357,140 | $7,367,141 | $4,403,723 | $2,779,702 | $2,574,560 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total contributions | $8,794,616 | $8,970,716 | $6,468,595 | $4,558,482 | $3,819,639 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | ($26,973) | ($1,558) | $0 | $367 | $13 |
| Other revenue | $128,517 | $160,412 | $30,364 | $27,098 | $21,427 |
| Total other revenue | $101,544 | $158,854 | $30,364 | $27,465 | $21,440 |
| Total revenue | $8,896,160 | $9,129,570 | $6,498,959 | $4,585,947 | $3,841,079 |
| Expenses | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Program services | $5,913,852 | $4,485,610 | $3,830,955 | $3,403,404 | $2,981,200 |
| Management and general | $1,572,760 | $1,218,006 | $812,733 | $752,849 | $764,732 |
| Fundraising | $419,549 | $462,536 | $231,250 | $224,552 | $139,475 |
| Total expenses | $7,906,161 | $6,166,152 | $4,874,938 | $4,380,805 | $3,885,407 |
| Change in net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $989,999 | $2,963,418 | $1,624,021 | $205,142 | ($44,328) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $989,999 | $2,963,418 | $1,624,021 | $205,142 | ($44,328) |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Jonathon McElveen | Chief Exec O | $77,881 |
| Baker Ellis | Chief Financ | $70,073 |
| Josh Firth | VP Donor Dev | $26,856 |
| Conor Gallagher | Chief Financ | $14,885 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2022
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 2/16/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Micah was a three-sport athlete who had dreams of grid iron splendor and loved to surf. He had no idea that a family trip to the beach, would nearly send him to the grave. On October 9, 1995, a stranger found Micah's lifeless body floating face down in the surf. "I remember feeling a shock rush through my body as soon as my head hit the water. I had dived into big waves a hundred times before, but this time I knew something was wrong." Micah shattered four vertebrae in his neck, was immediately rendered quadriplegic, and he flatlined. His body was loaded onto a life flight and transported to Tampa General Hospital.
"I shouldn't be here today, simple as that. God gave me a second chance at life. He showed me that it was fragile, short, like a vapor."
Intense rehab and the grace of God allowed Micah to recover use of his legs and partial use of his arms. No longer able to play football, Micah honed his skills in soccer.
"I had a different focus now. My goal was to help people in physical and spiritual need. I was drawn to people trapped in difficult situations," remembers Micah. In grad school, he traveled to Africa where he saw extreme poverty on a level like no other. He fell in love with the people and his heart broke for their plight. Micah recalls, "It's hard to describe what happened inside of me. Poverty became personal. Statistics became names and faces. Their dire situation felt like my problem." He also found that soccer helped break through language & culture barriers quickly, an insight that would shape the future. As he prepared to leave Africa and started to process what he had seen, Micah came to a crossroads.
"I knew I would spend the rest of my life trying to forget what I saw, or spend the rest of my life trying to do something about it. God taught me life was a Vapor when I broke my neck. God taught me His heart for the lost & least when Africa broke my heart."
Wrestling in the tension between his plans for his life and a new stirring Micah began to consider what it would look like to live for those who were trapped in extreme poverty and had less access to the gospel. "I was fasting and praying, and then God downloaded the vision. I began to see an oasis in the middle of the slum where people could access clean water, medical assistance and basic entrepreneurial training . Where children could enroll in school and families no longer die from hunger. I could see a place where children youth and adults could come play the game they love and hear about the One who loves them."
So, Micah dropped out of school, moved into his car and traveled over 40,000 miles in 8 months sharing the vision with churches and anyone who would listen. In 2005, friends of Micah helped register Vapor Ministries as a non-profit while Micah's then girlfriend and now wife, Audrey, ran the back office from her dorm room. After assembling a board, crystalizing the vision and raising some capital, Micah returned to Africa to bring the vision to life. "Our goals were threefold, says Micah. "Oversee the construction of the center, develop the local indigenous team that would manage operations, and set up the systems and structure that would guide the ministry into the future and allow us to scale.
Micah selected 12 men from the church he partnered with in the slum and together they begin building the first center. Together they developed an additional 30 leaders in preparation of opening their first ministry center. In 2005, the first center was opened in Kawangware slum. Thousands came to the grand opening, and the team immediately began meeting needs and feeding souls on a large scale. Not only were people getting relief from the desperate poverty that entrapped them, but churches were starting to grow and flourish as new believers with local faith families.
Today, Vapor Ministries operates multiple ministry centers in multiple countries, serving hundreds of thousands on a weekly basis and employing hundreds of indigenous people. Each year, Vapor Ministries is serving tens of millions of cups of clean water, serving hundreds of thousands of meals through centers and providing health services to thousands of people in desperate need. Micah says, "We praise God for our partners that make this global impact a reality. It is our dream that God will use us to touch millions of people around the world. He's given us the model now we are praying for more partners. At the end of the day we have one life to live, and it's like a Vapor. We each have to answer the question, will we waste it, or invest it?"
Program accomplishments
Partners like you make it possible for over 50 million cups of clean water to be served every year in Jesus' name.
Over 200,000 health services are provided to children, youth, and adults each year through Vapor Ministries.
Over 2 million meals were served to people in dire situations in the last 2 years.
Over half a million gospel impressions made in the last year!