Living Waters Publications

The information on this page was last updated 4/28/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

Living Waters seeks to train the members of Christ's Body in the principles of biblical evangelism and to provide them with practical tools to proclaim the gospel.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Living Waters Publications
9818 Arkansas St
Bellflower, CA 90706

Website: livingwaters.com

Phone: 562-207-9300

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 270094016

CEO/President: Ray Comfort / Emeal Zwayne

Chairman:

Board size: 8

Founder: Ray Comfort

Ruling year: 2005

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 12/31

Member of ECFA: Yes

Member of ECFA since: 2015


Purpose


Mission statement

Living Waters exists to inspire and equip Christians to fulfill the Great Commission.


Statement of faith

GOD

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This one true God is infinitely perfect in both His love and holiness. He is the immortal and eternal Creator of all things, both visible and invisible. He sovereignly rules over all things, and is providentially at work redeeming and restoring His fallen creation. He is worthy to receive all glory and adoration.

Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 5:48; 28:19; John 10:30; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 4:11

SCRIPTURE

God has graciously revealed His existence and power in created order, and in the Person of His Son, the incarnate Word. God is a speaking God who, by His Spirit, has graciously disclosed Himself in human words through Scripture, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, which are both a record and means of His saving work in the world. These writings alone are the verbally inspired Word of God, which is authoritative and without error in the original writings, complete in its revelation of His will for salvation, sufficient for all that God requires us to believe, and final in its authority over every domain of knowledge to which it speaks. In summary, all of Scripture is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God.

Psalm 19:1-4; Proverbs 30:6; John 1:14; Romans 1:19,20; Hebrews 1:1,2; 2 Timothy 3:15,16; 2 Peter 1:19-21

MANKIND

We believe God created human beings, male and female, in His own image. Adam and Eve belonged to the created order that God declared to be "very good." Both male and female were created equal in worth and value, and have equal access to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Because we were created in His image, we believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end and that we must honor the physical, social, and spiritual needs of all people. Following Christ's example, we believe that every person should be treated with love, dignity, and respect.

Genesis 1:27,31; 9:6; Exodus 20:13; Mark 12:30,31; Galatians 3:28

THE FALL

We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God. We believe that Adam, made in the image of God, distorted that image and forfeited his original blessedness-for himself and for all who came after him-by falling into sin through Satan's temptation. Now, all human beings are alienated from God, corrupted in every aspect of their being (physically, mentally, volitionally, emotionally, spiritually) and condemned finally and irrevocably to death-apart from God's own gracious intervention. The supreme need of all human beings is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand; the only hope of all human beings is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us and restore us to Himself through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Genesis 3:6-19; Romans 1:18; 3:23; 5:12-14; 1 Thessalonians 1:10

JESUS

We believe that the eternal Son became human: the Word became flesh, fully God and fully human being, one Person in two natures. The man Jesus, the promised Messiah of Israel, was conceived through the Holy Spirit, and was born of the virgin Mary. He perfectly obeyed His heavenly Father, lived a sinless life, performed miraculous signs, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead on the third day, and ascended into Heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God and is our High Priest and righteous Advocate.

We believe that by His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ acted as our representative and substitute. He did this so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God: on the cross He canceled sin, propitiated God, and, by bearing the full penalty of our sins, reconciled to God all those who believe. By His resurrection Christ Jesus was vindicated by His Father, broke the power of death and defeated Satan who once had power over it, and brought everlasting life to all His people; by His ascension He has been forever exalted as Lord and has prepared a place for us to be with Him. We believe that salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under Heaven by which we must be saved. Because God chose the lowly things of this world, the despised things, the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, no human being can ever boast before Him-Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

John 1:1,2,14; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 1:27-30; 15:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:19-22; 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Timothy 2:5

JUSTIFICATION

We believe that Christ, by His obedience and death, fully discharged the debt of all those who are justified. By His sacrifice, He bore in our stead the punishment due us for our sins, making a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice on our behalf. By His perfect obedience He satisfied the just demands of God on our behalf, since by faith alone that perfect obedience is credited to all who trust in Christ alone for their acceptance with God. Since Christ was given by the Father for us, and His obedience and punishment were accepted in place of our own, freely and not for anything in us, this justification is solely of free grace, in order that both the exact justice and the rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners. We believe that a zeal for personal and public obedience flows from this free justification.

Romans 3:21,22,24,26,28-30; 4:3,5; 5:1,9; 10:9,10; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that salvation, attested in all Scripture and secured by Jesus Christ, is applied to His people by the Holy Spirit. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and is present with and in believers. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and by His powerful and mysterious work regenerates spiritually dead sinners. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. In Him they are baptized into union with the Lord Jesus, such that they are justified before God by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

By the Spirit's agency, believers are renewed, sanctified, and adopted into God's family. The Holy Spirit is Himself the down payment of the promised inheritance, and in this age indwells, guides, instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christlike living and service.

Matthew 9:13; John 1:12,13; 3:3-7; 5:21; 7:37-39; 16:7-14; Romans 6:13; Ephesians 1:13,14; 2:5; Titus 3:5

THE CHURCH AND ITS GREAT COMMISSION

We believe that God's new covenant people have been saved into the Church, His bride. This universal Church is manifest in local churches of which Christ is the only Head; thus each "local church" is, in fact, the Church, the household of God, the assembly of the living God, and the pillar and foundation of the truth. The Church is the body of Christ, the apple of His eye, graven on His hands, and He has pledged Himself to her forever. The Church is distinguished by her gospel message, her sacred ordinances, her discipline, her great mission, and, above all, by her love for God, and by her members' love for one another and for the world. This gospel we cherish has both personal and corporate dimensions, neither of which may properly be overlooked. Christ Jesus is our peace: He has not only brought about peace with God, but also peace between alienated peoples. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile all people to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. The Church serves as a sign of God's kingdom when its members live for the service of one another and their neighbors, rather than for self-focus. The Church is the corporate dwelling place of God's Spirit, and the continuing witness to God in the world. We believe it is the mandate of the whole church to go into the world and preach the gospel to every person.

Matthew 28:20; Mark 16:15; John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 21:2,9,10

THE RESURRECTION

We believe in the personal, glorious, and bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ when He will exercise His role as final Judge, and His kingdom will be consummated. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the just and the unjust-the unjust to judgment and eternal conscious punishment in Hell, as our Lord Himself taught, and the just to eternal blessedness in the presence of Him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb, in the new Heaven and the new Earth, the home of righteousness. On that day, the Church will be presented faultless before God by the obedience, suffering, and triumph of Christ, all sin purged and its wretched effects forever banished. God will be all in all and His people will be in the presence of His holiness, and everything will be to the praise of His glorious grace.

Matthew 16:27; 25:31-34; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Ephesians 3:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Revelation 1:7

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Transparency grade

A

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Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Christian Growth

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating1005 of 110258 of 63
Fund acquisition rating811 of 110343 of 63
Resource allocation rating1080 of 110361 of 63
Asset utilization rating762 of 110246 of 63

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20222021202020192018
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
8%10%11%13%18%16%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
5%8%8%10%13%11%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
85%77%76%76%74%73%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
5%9%14%14%15%12%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
15%23%24%24%26%27%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20222021202020192018
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
81%54%52%40%43%38%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
99%85%62%73%87%94%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
80%46%32%29%37%36%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
1%15%38%27%13%6%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
2%12%35%27%15%7%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
13%37%35%47%42%50%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20222021202020192018
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
1.050.620.540.670.921.08
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
1.441.411.431.351.621.88
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.560.870.770.911.492.03
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20222021202020192018
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
11.3014.6119.2919.8419.1714.13
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.080.070.050.050.050.07
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
6.7912.8014.7812.557.635.50
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20222021202020192018
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
15%5%4%11%3%4%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
78%154%178%132%105%89%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20222021202020192018
Cash$4,674,664$4,079,465$3,181,578$1,613,705$1,111,602
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$1,155,645$934,146$555,061$465,715$430,024
Short-term investments$0$4,064$0$0$0
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$5,830,309$5,017,675$3,736,639$2,079,420$1,541,626
Long-term investments$0$0$0$0$0
Fixed assets$2,159,659$1,877,502$1,277,495$1,281,403$1,347,235
Other long-term assets$236,730$271,897$42,745$5,296$2,349
Total long-term assets$2,396,389$2,149,399$1,320,240$1,286,699$1,349,584
Total assets$8,226,698$7,167,074$5,056,879$3,366,119$2,891,210
 
Liabilities20222021202020192018
Payables and accrued expenses$398,954$260,174$188,352$108,450$109,135
Other current liabilities$0$0$0$0$0
Total current liabilities$398,954$260,174$188,352$108,450$109,135
Debt$0$0$0$0$0
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$8,026$13,117$380,543$2,153$812
Total long-term liabilities$8,026$13,117$380,543$2,153$812
Total liabilities$406,980$273,291$568,895$110,603$109,947
 
Net assets20222021202020192018
Without donor restrictions$7,819,718$6,893,783$4,487,984$3,255,516$2,781,263
With donor restrictions$0$0$0$0$0
Net assets$7,819,718$6,893,783$4,487,984$3,255,516$2,781,263
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20222021202020192018
Total contributions$4,650,325$4,764,712$3,495,824$2,634,427$2,415,656
Program service revenue$41,400$601$60,431$49,019$48,594
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$150$702$3,656$3,028$11,681
Other revenue$1,327,428$1,502,991$1,065,777$885,637$838,552
Total other revenue$1,368,978$1,504,294$1,129,864$937,684$898,827
Total revenue$6,019,303$6,269,006$4,625,688$3,572,111$3,314,483
 
Expenses20222021202020192018
Program services$2,770,381$2,005,524$1,356,402$1,319,585$1,197,519
Management and general$1,865,634$1,334,885$1,578,030$1,312,580$1,551,048
Fundraising$457,353$522,798$458,788$465,693$379,167
Total expenses$5,093,368$3,863,207$3,393,220$3,097,858$3,127,734
 
Change in net assets20222021202020192018
Surplus (deficit)$925,935$2,405,799$1,232,468$474,253$186,749
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$925,935$2,405,799$1,232,468$474,253$186,749

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Emeal ZwaynePresident$187,638
Mark SpenceSr. Vice President$172,823
Miguel EsparzaVP of Operations & Outreach$171,056
Daniel ComfortExec. Vp/Secretary$168,917
Ronald Urzik LoveCFO, VP of Finance & Admin$162,839
Raymond ComfortCEO$160,605
Oscar NavarroVP of Ministry Advancement$159,653
Edward RomanProduction Director$159,396
Bradley SnowWebmaster$142,228
Jose GuerreroIT Manager$122,725

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 4/28/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History


Program accomplishments


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