World Gospel Mission 
The information on this page was last updated 4/10/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
An interdenominational missions organization, World Gospel Mission disciples believers to become missions-active Christians. WGM partners with individuals, small groups, college groups, and churches to intentionally address the physical and spiritual needs of individuals and communities.
With over 250 missionaries and support staff serving on five continents, WGM works in a variety of ministry areas in order to spread the gospel to a lost and hurting world. While the focus is often on enabling national Christians to form self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing churches, WGM missionaries also serve in evangelism, discipleship, education, medical care, community health and development, agriculture, children's and youth ministries, communications, literature, and more.
Contact information
Mailing address:
World Gospel Mission
3783 E. State Road 18
PO Box 948
Marion, IN 46952-0948
Website: www.wgm.org
Phone: (765) 664-7331
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 350911947
CEO/President: Dan Schafer
Chairman: David Engbrecht
Board size: 17
Founder: Christian Holiness Partnership
Ruling year: 1993
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 03/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1980
Purpose
Transformed people transforming communities to transform the world.
Our philosophy of ministry is all about sending transformed people into the communities of the world so they can be instruments in the hands of God to bring about transformation.
God has always used His "called out" ones to transform the world. He first transforms their lives and then calls them out to go into a lost world to transform others. In Joel 2:28, He promised to pour out His Spirit unto us, and, as a result, our young men and women will see visions and our old men and women will dream dreams.
God has given us a dream! This dream is to double the impact of World Gospel Mission in the next five years. Our impact is measured in the transformation of lives. In order to be true to our Vision Statement, this will mean that we will need to place more transformed people in communities around our globe. Doubling our impact will mean that we will need to double the number of missionaries.
Mission statement
The purpose of World Gospel Mission, in obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), shall be to proclaim the good news of full salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Statement of faith
We believe:
That both Old and New Testaments constitute the divinely inspired Word of God, inerrant in the
originals, and the final authority for life and truth.
That there is one God, eternally existent in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with personality and deity.
That the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, manifested in the flesh through the virgin birth, died on Calvary
and rose again for the redemption of the human family, all of whom may be saved from sin through
faith in Him.
That man, although created by God in His own image and likeness, fell into sin through
disobedience and "so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
In the salvation of the human soul, including the new birth, and in a subsequent work of God in the
soul, normally known as entire sanctification, a crisis wrought by faith, whereby the heart is cleansed from all sin and filled with the Holy Spirit. This gracious experience is retained by faith as expressed in a constant obedience to God's revealed will, thus giving us perfect cleansing moment by moment (I John 1:7-9). We stand for the Wesleyan position.
That the church is the body of Christ; that all who are united by faith to Christ are members of the
same; and that, having thus become members one of another, it is our solemn and covenant duty
to fellowship with one another in peace and to love one another with pure and fervent hearts.
That the purpose for the church is threefold: worship of the triune God, nurture of those within the
fellowship, and planned outreach to people who do not yet know Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. Until Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom on earth, the church should emphasize the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse, empower, and motivate its members to be active witnesses for Jesus both at home and to the uttermost part of the earth.
That our Lord Jesus Christ in His literal resurrection from the dead is the living guarantee of the
resurrection of all human beings: the believing saved to conscious eternal joy and the unbelieving
lost to conscious eternal punishment.
That our Lord Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of His own promise, both angelically and apostolically attested, will personally return in power and great glory
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Foreign Missions
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 919 of 1104 | 123 of 143 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 530 of 1105 | 70 of 143 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 773 of 1105 | 104 of 143 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 1027 of 1104 | 135 of 143 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 6% | 5% | 6% | 8% | 6% | 7% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 5% | 7% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 99% | 115% | 93% | 81% | 78% | 95% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 5% | 6% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 1% | -15% | 7% | 19% | 22% | 5% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 84% | 81% | 79% | 78% | 84% | 82% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 99% | 125% | 96% | 89% | 88% | 108% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 82% | 101% | 76% | 69% | 74% | 89% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 1% | -25% | 4% | 11% | 12% | -8% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | -12% | 2% | 6% | 8% | -5% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 8% | 14% | 15% | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.35 | 0.53 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 0.51 | 0.53 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.22 | 2.20 | 2.32 | 2.42 | 2.58 | 2.63 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.02 | 1.17 | 1.16 | 1.18 | 1.32 | 1.39 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 19.08 | 9.94 | 9.51 | 8.36 | 7.84 | 4.54 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.22 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.58 | 9.19 | 9.23 | 8.94 | 7.94 | 6.71 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 7% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 10% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 68% | 170% | 184% | 188% | 178% | 169% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Cash | $1,789,306 | $2,048,164 | $1,688,147 | $1,153,192 | $2,085,515 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $532,080 | $594,844 | $515,039 | $445,159 | $370,102 |
| Short-term investments | $16,858,696 | $16,944,057 | $15,917,514 | $14,427,385 | $12,223,254 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $34,090 | $42,899 | $43,693 | $48,975 |
| Total current assets | $19,180,082 | $19,621,155 | $18,163,599 | $16,069,429 | $14,727,846 |
| Long-term investments | $12,208,837 | $14,268,358 | $15,352,241 | $14,921,338 | $13,459,834 |
| Fixed assets | $8,340,894 | $8,357,391 | $8,464,264 | $8,383,229 | $8,435,646 |
| Other long-term assets | $2,384,448 | $3,189,405 | $2,040,880 | $2,086,590 | $2,114,804 |
| Total long-term assets | $22,934,179 | $25,815,154 | $25,857,385 | $25,391,157 | $24,010,284 |
| Total assets | $42,114,261 | $45,436,309 | $44,020,984 | $41,460,586 | $38,738,130 |
| Liabilities | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $581,603 | $478,076 | $484,715 | $367,864 | $468,124 |
| Other current liabilities | $1,347,492 | $1,584,924 | $1,687,116 | $1,683,044 | $2,779,293 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,929,095 | $2,063,000 | $2,171,831 | $2,050,908 | $3,247,417 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $1,960,062 | $1,449,981 | $1,560,740 | $1,705,230 | $682,136 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $1,960,062 | $1,449,981 | $1,560,740 | $1,705,230 | $682,136 |
| Total liabilities | $3,889,157 | $3,512,981 | $3,732,571 | $3,756,138 | $3,929,553 |
| Net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Without donor restrictions | $10,160,271 | $12,625,147 | $10,209,461 | $8,932,652 | $7,883,751 |
| With donor restrictions | $28,064,833 | $29,298,181 | $30,078,952 | $28,771,796 | $26,924,826 |
| Net assets | $38,225,104 | $41,923,328 | $40,288,413 | $37,704,448 | $34,808,577 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Total contributions | $20,755,296 | $21,902,265 | $19,466,686 | $18,849,036 | $18,048,657 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | ($3,781,074) | $384,726 | $2,344,812 | $3,101,931 | ($970,988) |
| Other revenue | $1,052,033 | $1,371,046 | $2,234,060 | $2,137,144 | $1,874,700 |
| Total other revenue | ($2,729,041) | $1,755,772 | $4,578,872 | $5,239,075 | $903,712 |
| Total revenue | $18,026,255 | $23,658,037 | $24,045,558 | $24,088,111 | $18,952,369 |
| Expenses | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Program services | $18,150,817 | $18,043,998 | $16,707,246 | $17,778,162 | $16,851,373 |
| Management and general | $3,235,952 | $3,360,016 | $3,185,164 | $2,297,076 | $2,381,032 |
| Fundraising | $1,134,016 | $1,419,918 | $1,569,183 | $1,117,002 | $1,303,744 |
| Total expenses | $22,520,785 | $22,823,932 | $21,461,593 | $21,192,240 | $20,536,149 |
| Change in net assets | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($4,494,530) | $834,105 | $2,583,965 | $2,895,871 | ($1,583,780) |
| Other changes in net assets | $796,306 | $800,810 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($3,698,224) | $1,634,915 | $2,583,965 | $2,895,871 | ($1,583,780) |
Compensation
Compensation data for this ministry has not been collected.
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 4/10/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
June 1910 - Rev. and Mrs. Cecil and Ellen Troxel and Rev. and Mrs. Woodford and Harriet Taylor became World Gospel Mission's first missionaries. They ministered alongside two national Christians in China with the Missionary Department of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness under the Christian Holiness Association.
November 1910 - Mrs. Beatrice "Mother" Beezley was chosen as the Missionary Department's secretary of the China Bureau.
1913 - The first Prayer Band, Mother Band, was organized in Chicago on July 10. It met six hours each Friday to pray for missions.
1919 - Call to Prayer was first published by Mrs. Beezley as a bimonthly magazine.
1920 - The China Field reported 15 missionaries, 50 Chinese workers, and hundreds of Chinese Christians working to win souls for the Lord.
1925 - Homeland headquarters moved into a room in the Chicago Evangelistic Institute in Illinois.
1926 - The Mission separated from CHA and became incorporated in Illinois as The Missionary Society of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness.
1937 - The organization's name was changed to the National Holiness Missionary Society.
1946 - The Mission reported 102 missionaries and seven fields, including China, Kenya, India, Burundi, Honduras, Bolivia, and the Mexico border.
1952 - Headquarters moved to Marion, Indiana, in the former YMCA building, donated by Marion businessman Merlin J. Loew.
1954 - The Mission's name was officially changed to World Gospel Mission.
1957 - Men With Vision was founded as an outreach of WGM.
1963 - Six young people served on the mission field, starting the Summer Career Corps. This outreach later became known as the Volunteers In Action program.
1967 - WGM reported work on 16 fields, including China, Kenya, India, Burundi, Honduras, Bolivia, Mexico, Japan, the American Indian Field, Taiwan, Lebanon, Peniel Missions, Egypt, Haiti, the Texas-Mexico border, and Brazil.
1969-1992
WGM began ministries in Indonesia, Argentina, Nicaragua, Haitian American Ministries, Israel, Tanzania, Paraguay, Hungary, and Uganda.
1975 - Headquarters moved from downtown Marion, Indiana, to the present George R. Warner Missionary Center east of town.
1982 - Prayer Lifeline began as a phone-in taped recording of praise and prayer items for the week.
1996 - WGM goes live with wgm.org, its official website.
2009 - Call to Prayer became The Call, a resource encouraging readers to become missions active wherever they are. The magazine later became a quarterly publication.
2010 - WGM celebrated its 100th anniversary during International Celebration of Missions in Marion, Indiana. Partnering with local churches and Indiana Wesleyan University, WGM commemorated the past 100 years of doing God's work together. An estimated 1,000 people, representing 19 different countries, attended the milestone event.
Present - WGM's mission is to engage Christlike disciples to transform the world.