Back to the Bible / Good News Broadcasting Association 
The information on this page was last updated 1/16/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Back to the Bible is a worldwide Christian ministry dedicated to leading people forward spiritually.
Using media and technology, we meet people at their own spiritual level and walk with them daily into a living, growing and passionate relationship with Jesus Christ by equipping and motivating them to engage Scripture daily.
Back to the Bible seeks to honor God, value people, champion the Bible, advance ministry, and promote and practice stewardship, as we accomplish our mission and purpose.
Back to the Bible is non-denominational, which simply means we are not affiliated with or supported by any specific church or denominational group. Our financial support is supplied by God through the generous gifts of listeners and ministry friends.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Back to the Bible
PO Box 82808
Lincoln, NE 68501-2808
Website: www.backtothebible.org
Phone: (800) 759-2425
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 470405317
CEO/President: Dr. Arnie Cole
Chairman: Dr. Dale Michels
Board size: 5
Founder: Theodore Epp
Ruling year: 1943
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Our Method - We partner with researchers at the Center for Bible Engagement to find out how people best connect with Scripture and what difference it makes in their day-to-day lives.
Our Work - Our research drives innovation in how we connect with God's people through radio, the internet, mobile apps and other emerging technologies.
Proven Results - We have seen measurable life transformation through engaging God's Word in people who were previously unengaged. This leads to a growing spiritual maturity evidenced by behavioral changes and a desire to introduce others to Jesus Christ.
Mission statement
Back to the Bible exists to help Ministries & individuals move closer to Jesus today than yesterday, leading to life transformation as you become a Biblically engaged disciple maker.
Statement of faith
The Bible: We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the revelation of God to mankind, is verbally and fully inspired by Him, is sufficient for the knowledge of God and His will that is necessary for the eternal welfare of mankind, is infallible and inerrant in its original manuscripts, and is the supreme and final authority for all Christian faith and conduct.
(2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Deuteronomy 29:29; 2 Timothy 3:15; John 10:35)
God: We believe that there is but one God, whose essential nature is that of a living, personal Spirit. He is infinitely perfect in all of His attributes, He is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He exists in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
(1 Corinthians 8:4; John 4:24; 5:26; Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16,17; Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Christ:We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man; that is, He is fully divine and also fully human. He preexisted eternally with the Father, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life and died a substitutionary death for the sins of mankind. We believe that He arose bodily from the grave, that He ascended to heaven, where He is presently High Priest and Advocate for His people, and that He will return personally and bodily to the earth at the close of this age. He is the world's only Savior and is the Lord of all.
(Philippians 2:5-11; John 1:1; Matthew 1:23-25; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Hebrews 4:14-16; John 14:3; Acts 4:12)
The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, the third Person of the Trinity. We believe that He was sent from the Father by the Son to convict the world, to regenerate and indwell those who trust in Christ, to baptize them into the Body of Christ, to seal them for the final day of redemption, to guide them into truth, to fill them for a life of holiness and victory and to empower them for witness and service. We believe that He gives spiritual gifts to believers for the proper functioning of the Body of Christ, which is the Church.
(Acts 5:3,4; John 16:7-14; 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12; 3:16; 12:3-13,28-31; Ephesians 1:13,14; Acts 1:8)
Man: We believe that man was originally created by a definite act of God in His own image and is dependent upon and accountable to his Creator. Through disobedience, the first man sinned and fell from his original state of moral perfection. As a consequence, he brought upon himself and upon the whole human race the penalty for sin, which is spiritual and physical death. Since Adam, every person is born with an inherently sinful nature and becomes a sinner in thought, word and deed. Every person, therefore, stands under the just condemnation of God and is unable to save himself or to present deeds worthy of merit before God.
(Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7; Romans 2:6-16; 5:12-21; 6:23 ; Matthew 5:20-48; John 3:36)
Salvation: We believe that a person is saved by God's grace alone, made possible through the shed blood of Christ, whereby He died a substitutionary death for mankind, and through the Resurrection of Christ. Salvation becomes effective when a person, by an act of faith, acknowledges Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. The benefits of this salvation include the forgiveness of sins and a new standing before God, the impartation of new life and all the privileges that accompany a new family relationship with God. The assurance of salvation as a present possession is the privilege of every believer in Christ.
(Ephesians 2:8,9; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9; Acts 3:19; Romans 3:28; John 3:16; John 1:12; 10:28; Philippians 1:6
The Christian Life: We believe that God expects every believer to live a life of obedience, in which every area of his life is brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the fruit of the Spirit becomes increasingly evident in his life. The goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This life is characterized supremely by self-giving love for God and for others. The life and character of Christ, which grows through the Holy Spirit, is noticeably distinct from the life of the world. A believer who resists the gracious working of the Holy Spirit and fails to grow in obedience is chastened in infinite love by his Heavenly Father so he may learn obedience.
(John 14:21; 2 Corinthians 10:4,5; Galatians 5:22,23; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 2:15-17; Hebrews 12:5-14)
The Church: We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is the universal company of God's redeemed people, His Body, of which He is the head, His Bride, whom He loves infinitely, and His temple, in which He dwells. This universal Body of Christ is visibly expressed in local assemblies, whose purpose is to glorify God through worship, fellowship, instruction in God's Word, observing the ordinances and training in service to the world. The supreme task in the mission of the Church is to make disciples for Christ in all the nations through the proclamation and teaching of the Gospel. The Church is also to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ, through word and deed, in an alienated world.
(1 Peter 2:9,10; Ephesians 1:22,23; 5:25-27; 2:19-22; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; Ephesians 3:6-10; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:11-13; Hebrews 10:25; Matthew 28:18-20; 26:26-29; 1 John 4:17)
The Future Life: The imminent, premillennial return of Christ to take His people to be with Him and to judge and rule the earth in righteousness. We believe in the resurrection of the body for both believers and unbelievers. We believe that the believer goes to be with Christ in conscious blessedness immediately after death, having escaped the condemnation of his sins through the death of Christ. He will, however, stand before God to receive rewards for works approved by God or to suffer loss for works disapproved. The believer will live eternally in the immediate presence of God, while the unbeliever must face the eternal and holy Judge, who will sentence him for his sins. He will experience the punishment of eternal separation in hell from the presence of God.
(John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 11:15; 1 Corinthians 15:20,23; Philippians 1:23; Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-21:5; Romans 2:11)
Satan: The personality and depraved character of Satan, who is the great enemy of God and man. We believe that he, along with the company of demonic beings serving him, works out his evil plans through the ungodly world system, limited only by the sovereign rule of God. We believe that he was judged by Christ at the cross and will ultimately meet his doom in the lake of fire, where he will remain eternally.
(Matthew 4:3-11; Genesis 3:1; John 8:44; Revelation 12:9,10; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19; Job 1:6-12; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 20:10)
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Educational Media
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 1031 of 1097 | 43 of 46 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 939 of 1099 | 39 of 46 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 762 of 1099 | 35 of 46 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 997 of 1097 | 43 of 46 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 7% | 13% | 18% | 12% | 19% | 6% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 6% | 13% | 17% | 12% | 19% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 94% | 95% | 95% | 99% | 103% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 13% | 11% | 11% | 12% | 12% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 6% | 5% | 5% | 1% | -3% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 75% | 75% | 78% | 79% | 78% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 92% | 95% | 157% | 107% | 160% | 53% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 72% | 72% | 118% | 83% | 126% | 41% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 8% | 5% | -57% | -7% | -60% | 47% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 9% | 12% | -120% | -14% | -96% | 81% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 11% | 14% | 11% | 9% | 10% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.72 | 0.68 | 0.82 | 0.72 | 1.13 | 0.51 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.35 | 5.37 | 11.26 | 4.86 | 3.59 | 2.31 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.22 | 3.66 | 9.18 | 3.52 | 4.05 | 1.18 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 15.42 | 1.58 | 0.74 | 2.09 | 4.36 | 3.66 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.06 | 0.63 | 1.35 | 0.48 | 0.23 | 0.27 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 8.59 | 1.20 | -0.46 | 1.78 | 2.28 | 7.42 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 72% | 75% | 68% | 56% | 44% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 20% | 20% | 19% | 1% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 121% | 41% | 30% | 45% | 39% | 111% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Cash | $403,963 | $224,815 | $421,731 | $608,010 | $3,256,429 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $635,234 | $321,234 | $1,052,949 | $1,091,100 | $970,293 |
| Short-term investments | $621 | $680 | $677 | $638 | $604 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $1,039,818 | $546,729 | $1,475,357 | $1,699,748 | $4,227,326 |
| Long-term investments | $3,161,808 | $3,520,449 | $2,595,350 | $2,724,329 | $4,511,506 |
| Fixed assets | $1,383,098 | $2,091,351 | $3,099,505 | $1,684,070 | $1,022,885 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $4,544,906 | $5,611,800 | $5,694,855 | $4,408,399 | $5,534,391 |
| Total assets | $5,584,724 | $6,158,529 | $7,170,212 | $6,108,147 | $9,761,717 |
| Liabilities | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $626,685 | $660,091 | $573,945 | $390,265 | $1,155,256 |
| Other current liabilities | $31,955 | $79,564 | $132,673 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $658,640 | $739,655 | $706,618 | $390,265 | $1,155,256 |
| Debt | $1,140,627 | $1,237,639 | $1,343,006 | $41,579 | $44,929 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $2,224,937 | $2,663,459 | $2,803,405 | $2,974,919 | $3,061,566 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $3,365,564 | $3,901,098 | $4,146,411 | $3,016,498 | $3,106,495 |
| Total liabilities | $4,024,204 | $4,640,753 | $4,853,029 | $3,406,763 | $4,261,751 |
| Net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Without donor restrictions | ($1,611,841) | ($1,352,785) | ($52,363) | $114,744 | $2,822,339 |
| With donor restrictions | $3,172,361 | $2,870,561 | $2,369,546 | $2,586,640 | $2,677,627 |
| Net assets | $1,560,520 | $1,517,776 | $2,317,183 | $2,701,384 | $5,499,966 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total contributions | $3,792,485 | $3,038,110 | $4,799,666 | $4,425,760 | $9,269,836 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,145 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $92,502 | $4 | $18,611 | ($321,860) | $110,145 |
| Other revenue | $98,573 | $158,033 | $48,532 | $196,966 | $29,013 |
| Total other revenue | $191,075 | $158,037 | $67,143 | ($124,894) | $140,303 |
| Total revenue | $3,983,560 | $3,196,147 | $4,866,809 | $4,300,866 | $9,410,139 |
| Expenses | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Program services | $2,856,610 | $3,763,617 | $4,051,098 | $5,405,424 | $3,870,168 |
| Management and general | $434,949 | $723,462 | $556,103 | $640,453 | $503,921 |
| Fundraising | $509,373 | $533,197 | $588,939 | $837,051 | $594,937 |
| Total expenses | $3,800,932 | $5,020,276 | $5,196,140 | $6,882,928 | $4,969,026 |
| Change in net assets | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $182,628 | ($1,824,129) | ($329,331) | ($2,582,062) | $4,441,113 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $182,628 | ($1,824,129) | ($329,331) | ($2,582,062) | $4,441,113 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Bryon Swanson | Chief Development Officer, Secretary | $167,786 |
| Arnold R Cole | Corporate Chief Executive Officer/Board Member/Int | $161,970 |
| Sean Gewecke | Corporate Treasurer/CFO | $161,420 |
| Nat Crawford | President of Content, Assistant Secretary | $159,882 |
| Jack Burke | Director of Donor Development | $140,239 |
| Mark Graham | Chief Tech Officer / Assistant Secretary | $118,158 |
| Yulia Case | President of Center for Bible Engagement, Assistan | $118,088 |
| Harold Berry | Board Member (Theological Consultant) | $13,963 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2022
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 1/16/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
1939 - Back to the Bible was founded by Theodore Epp in Lincoln, Nebraska.
1954 - First overseas office opens in England.
1980 - Warren Wiersbe joins as the radio Bible teacher.
1988 - Gateway to Joy, Back to the Bible's first women's program, began with Elisabeth Elliot
1990 - Dr. Woodrow Kroll joins as Bible teacher and general director.
2011 - Launch of the goTandem mobile discipleship tool.
2014 - Launch of Back to the Bible Custom Apps - offering ministries and organizations customizable spiritual growth mobile apps.